Too loud, too bright, too fast, too tight

I agree, a little bit of bolding for emphasis... OK. Anymore and I have to tune you out.

Osso - LOL... You don't even want to write of those foods? I am sure I hate tapioca, though I have never tried it. It is all things icky... white, pudding-like, and with hard little eye-things.

Did I mention I don't willing eat shellfish despite growing up on the saltwater? I have tried everything from whale to abalone... I just don't like it.

I am one of five siblings and my childhood was more happily chaotic than serene. I think my sensitivity didn't come from that. As for it 'trimming my life'... I think I'm just pickier than some. There are few things I don't do because of this... amusement rides and some foods. I use escalators, tunnels, and go to cities despite their noise. Maybe I've developed the coping skills that the author of this book recommends. I'll be interested in reading what they are.

Yeah, Piff, but Dag has had vast troubles with all of it, from her posts....

So, listen, maybe it is BRIGHT people that get this stuff. We know, for example, that Patio dog is brilliant...

ah, shucks, you flatter me...

anywho, nothing on the list from the book really bothers me. guess i'm just curmudgeonly.

I was so glad to see the sunglasses thing. People have been bugging me about my sunglasses/hat wearing thing for sooooo long. Now, I know it's not necessarily that I'm a freak. It still could be, but it ain't necessarily so.

Oh, I'm definitely using this. "Excuse me, could you stop smacking your gum like a complete idiot? I have SD, you see."

Could work.

Ah, see, we have had these conversations before. But never hurts to bring them back from the dead.

So, soz...what i found in that clever book by which this thread is titled is that it's not the infections itself, but it is their damage to whatever that thingy is in the middle ear that has to do with stability - hipotalamus?

not that it has to damage your stability per se, but the sensory center is somewhere near there, too, and hence people with middle ear infections are more prone to sensory defensiveness... or so they think. Trauma would work much the same way.

We did! I don't remember the trauma part, if that came up (have only re-read on this page so far).

So the book to read has the same title as the title of this thread?

Hooray! This thread is back!

Joe(All the music is TOO loud)Nation

There's the trauma on the first page. Hmph.

Still interested in reading the book. (Which I REALLY don't think I've read... but now I'm second-guessing myself...)

HI DAG WASSUP??????????????

It's by Dr. Heller. When I heard the radio interview with her, it was a complete revelation. If there's a diagnosis, there's cure! i thought. and the book does have some recipes (if common-sensical) how to minimize the adverse effects of SD. One is the Harschbarger method of scrubbing one's skin thoroughly in the shower - I tried that and found it to do wonders for me. SD people often have particular physical cravings - like need to be hugged tightly (not by strangers though, only by "comfortable" people), some like to stay warm at all costs...whatever it is... And all senses are related, so the scrubbing -skin stimulation - calms the nerve system and its reaction to audio-visual stimuli. Other is exercise, of course. Especially running is mirraculous. There are other recipes, but it was too long ago. Perhaps I should re-read...

hi cj. not much is up, just came back from asia, getting re-adjusted to this time zone, weather, people... it's going a-ok.

Ha. I found a wikipedia entry. Apparently Heller's is the only book on the subject out there... but...the entry is filed under 'autism'....

Sensory Defensiveness is defined as having an anxious reaction to what a Neurotypical would consider non-noxious sensory stimuli. In other words, a person is sensory defensive if he/she has a negative reaction to sensory input that is typically considered either positive or at least neutral. It is not uncommon for individuals to have a few mild sensory defensive traits. When multiple defensive traits that impact the person's day-to-day life are present, that person is considered to be Sensory Defensive.

Contents [hide]
1 Some Common Symptoms (and Variations)
2 Effects and Treatment
3 The Connection with Sensory Integration Dysfunction and Autism
4 Literature and Resources



Some Common Symptoms (and Variations)
Common symptoms of Sensory Defensiveness include intolerance of high-pitched noises, intolerance of overhead lights (especially fluorescent lighting); experiencing a feeling of being attacked upon being touched (especially from light touch or sudden touch); intolerance of certain types of fabrics in contact with the skin; becoming nauseated upon smelling something that does not smell bad to normal individuals; difficulty maintaining eye-contact; intolerance of foods due to taste, texture, or temperature; and generally becoming overwhelmed when exposed to a lot of sensory stimuli at once.

Intolerance in this context should not be taken as unwillingness to be subject to the sensory stimuli in question; rather, it is an inability to process the sensory stimuli in any way other than as over-stimulating, because the sensory stimuli provokes a fight-or-flight reaction. This is also known as sensory overload.

There are multiple ways in which sensory defensiveness can vary between individuals. 1) The senses that are problematic for one person may not be so for another. (Commonly, individuals report major issues with two or three senses and minor issues with the other senses.) 2) How easily and the way in which a particular sense bothers individuals varies (e.g. high-pitched noises may annoy someone, or they may hurt his/her ears; touch may provoke anxiety, or it can be painful). 3) The triggers for a particular sense vary between people (e.g. one person may be sensitive to the texture of mushy foods, while another may be sensitive to crunchy foods).


Effects and Treatment
Sensory overload can lead to what is commonly termed a "melt-down". This may look much like a tantrum, or a person may undergo dissociation, which causes him/her to withdraw into himself/herself. Individuals will often cope with their sensory difficulties by avoiding those situations that cause them irritation. Occupational therapists often prescribe "sensory diets". This is a therapy that is tailored to the individual in which he/she gets to experience calming sensory stimuli that help to balance his/her sensory system. Snoozelin rooms,in which sensory experiences can be controlled and explored, are sometimes used. Individuals will often naturally create or find their own calming sensory stimuli (called "stims" in the autistic community) or sensory diets.

The other side to these issues is that many people report a positively heightened awareness of their senses, under the right conditions. They also promote "stims", which can include music, exercise, and any other pleasing sensory stimulation, as natural means of reducing stress.


The Connection with Sensory Integration Dysfunction and Autism
Sensory Defensiveness is a part of Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Sensory Integration Dysfunction is considered to be part of the autism spectrum, but a person does not have to display any other autistic traits in order to have Sensory Defensiveness or Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Sensory integration issues are also common with dyspraxia and cerebral palsy[1]


Literature and Resources
Sharon Heller's book, Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight: What to Do If You Are Sensory Defensive in an Overstimulating World (ISBN 0-06-093292-9),is the only lay book that has been written specifically about Sensory Defensiveness in adults.

Symptoms, background information, and treatment of Sensory Defensiveness in adults are addressed in the manual and handbook of "The Sensory Connection Program: Activities in Mental Health Treatment" authored by Karen Moore, OTR/L. Information on Sensory Defensiveness is also available on the website http://www.sensoryconnectionprogram.com .

Olga Bogdashina's "Sensory Perceptual Issues in Autism and Asperger's Syndrome: Different Sensory Experiences, Different Perceptual Worlds" provides a good overview of sensory traits in the autism spectrum.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_defensiveness"

Category: Autism

Don't want to intrude on this as I was more curious about the old thread getting revived - by Dag no less, than anything.

I don't see very well - at least not at distance. Up close I'm 20-10, but more than a few feet away without correction is a blur. Perhaps to compensate my hearing is accentuated - I can hear things better than most dogs, especially high pitched sounds, like a computer monitor screaming on the other side of the office, whistling refrigerators, a sqeaky belt under the hood...

Combine that with a hatred of crowds and I can really associate.

Morning Dag, read you were reviving this on the cafe thread.

Thanks, I'll read a little later.

I have a feeling I'll identify with a lot of it.

Yes. That whine that old televisions make drives me insane. Less so over the years, though - I think I'm less able to hear those frequencies now (mercifully).



Yes yes yes. The wife doesn't understand why having the general room light on drives me nuts unless it's providing a particular function. My home office has a lot of low side lighting and a couple of office lamps directed at the walls to give a diffuse glow. The overhead light may be burned out, for all I know. In any room I've got control over, I'm fanatical about only having low lamps on.



This sounds an awful lot like the two violent incidents I described earlier in the thread. Incidental contact drives me nuts, too, and there's nothing worse for me than sharing a seat with a stranger on public transportation. That thigh-to-thigh contact - I've gotten up to give the person the whole seat before just to avoid this. I'd rather stand for 20 minutes.



Cotton and cotton blends. Can't stand all-synthetic things or silks. Tried wearing one of those wicking shirts a while back - couldn't stand the way the thing sat on my nipples.



Microwave popcorn. Can't stand it. I don't think that's very unusual, though…



Big time.



Nope. I'll eat pretty much anything but beets. And sea urchin.



This is variable. Loud vibrating noises mess me up, though. I was under a truck with an impact wrench one time and the noise made me throw up. (Weird, that. I'm not much of a puker.)



Yes, yes, and yes.



Yep. Served me very well when I was studying lighting design. I've got an innate sense of light and shadow, intensity and color. No knack at all for the business side of the industry, though, so that was a dead end.



I've long thought of myself as slightly autistic, for no particular reason…

I remember the first time I experienced a queef.... man that noise sent me across the room.....startling....

I'm not asking to be a smart ass, Dag, but with this sort of problem, how did you ever manage to deal with a stage production?

Loud, fast, bright, and tight ... I dunno, I sorta lean toward that sorta stuff ... favor it, mostly. Well, I ain't real fond of tight clothes on me in particular, but on some other folks ...