Autism Life Explained: Senses (Hyper/Hyposensitivity)

Autism changes the way we see the world. It can be a richer, more stimulating place due to the way our senses are processed - but it can also be problematic in modern society.
What are those differences, how do they manifest and how they can be of benefit to more than just ourselves.
TW - brief flashing effects at 00:30 & 05:14

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"Memories of a beautiful memory" by Sascha Schulz ()

Orchestra clip from:
"Australian National Anthem - orchestra, performance, lyrics, two verses"

[justuscrickets]

I'm actually partially deaf, but when computer labs were first introduced in school, the high-pitched whining of them would drive me nuts, even from the opposite side of the building!

[buttercxpdraws]

Such a good description of the cacophony of voices with all the mouths on the screen! That’s exactly how I feel in an office or shopping centre 👍🏻

[natefrom]

This channel should be getting more traffic. Very well put together.

[aboycalledfish]

I feel like I have hypersensitivities but I wouldn't say they cause me to be distressed. It's more like, "wow I can hear that person munching on that cookie across the room, it's so loud" but it doesn't "drive me nuts" the same way so many autistic people describe. Idk, maybe I'm just a really calm, patient person. I used to have to wear knitted finger-less gloves in school because my hands were always cold. People made fun of me, but my hands were cold so screw them xD

[anonymousbosch]

I'm 57 and recently diagnosed. I've been searching info on the condition. Your treatment of the topic is the best so far. Thank you and please keep on...

[Jane-ygvz]

I can often hear things that others can't, but I also sometimes can't process what people are saying and have to always use subtitles when watching things. I spent 35 years just missing half of the dialogue in shows and movies. Rewatching them with subtitles made me realize that I missed a lot of important plot points.

[Miss_Elaine_]

I have "hyposensitivity" in regards to food, in that I can and will eat pretty much anything, all flavors, all textures. I prefer strong flavors, strong coffee, spicy food, whiskey (neat) AND I find that while I can eat bland food, it will often make me depressed or put me in a bad mood. It's often better if I don't eat bland food at all.

[marcuscosgrove]

I have terrible propriopception, I am extremely clumsy sometimes, and so I overcompensate, which means I walk with a fairly stiff gait which people occasionally have commented on. I even knocked myself out walking through a doorway at home once and have a long history of sprains, broken toes etc owing to general clumsiness. It's extremely tiring having to be specifically careful all the time. My sense of smell is the opposite, many smells are so strong to me that they trigger instant migraine and can even end up with me collapsed on the floor with physical pain in extreme circumstances, certain perfumes and aftershaves as well as cleaning products can be the worst. My sense of smell is especially sensitive in the morning and so I can't stomach anything strong flavoured until later on in the day. I can smell an embarrassingly large range of things that other people don't pick up on and I often find it really distressing to be around people in groups as the smell of them is overwhelming, quite apart from the distressing social confusion aspect that groups set off in me. I keep my home totally scent free and pretty much have to have the window open if I am travelling in a car with people. Meanwhile... my sense of hearing is all over. I can hear very tiny sounds and can generally hear things that others might not, but I cannot pick out what people are singing in songs, especially if there is other instrumental stuff going on. It just sounds like "la la la" to me. I can only really manage with one sound at a time in general, everything else ends up being a jumble of interference. I have the same issues that you mention regarding hunger and tiredness. It's all or nothing for me. My sense of touch is crazy, I hate light touches especially, and I get upset by the tiniest crease in my bedsheets etc. I have EDS as well and a previous partner actually said i really have "princess and the pea syndrome"... I can see it probably would look like that to someone else without the same issues. Another excellent video. You deserve more subscribers. I have a couple of teenager foster brothers who both have autism. I have suggested this channel to them to help them understand their condition properly as no professional has ever bothered to even explain what autism is to them. Turns out I am autistic too... identified in my 40's. Finding my tribe has been one of the most important experiences of my life and seeing autistic people like yourself talk about this has been massively helpful to me. Thank you.

[BillysFingers]

I'm 61 with a formal diagnosis of ASD2 and my biggest hypersensitivity is my hearing. Normal sounds that other people just interprete as loud like power tools, babies crying, dogs barking, even people with loud voices in confined space causes me pain in my ears. It feels like someone has stuck a nail in my ears. The problem is that i physically react to these sounds due to the pain or discomfort and people think i'm either over reacting or just being rude. I've had my hearing tested and it's perfect but my issues apparently are auditory processing problems. I have other hypersensitivities, touch and skin sensations is another but it's noise that affects my life the most. I have to constantly wear ear plugs or carry noise cancelling headphones. It's really affected my social life. I was punished as a child for being over-sensitive. I hope anyone reading this who has children who exhibit this can help them through it. Thanks for the video too, it really makes senses... (sorry for the pun :)

[jarrodtanner]

i may have a hypersensitive to nausea, whenever i become nauseous i tend to end up crying. I know i can not do loud noises like yelling, thunder, crowded places, freight trains etc. I have also noticed some days i am more hypersensitive to some stimuli compared to other days, there has been days i have had to stay at home as wearing clothing nearly cause an overload. I have not been diagnosed for too long, about a year now but i am starting to learn what it means to be me in regards to my ASD. I am also glad to have found this channel which gives me a bit more insight into who i am, what i do and why i do it as before i had no idea because ASD was never talked about at school or anywhere here in Australia so i am truly thankful

[Daniel-vlmx]

Thank you Quinn, I am enjoying the series of videos you are making.

I recognise myself in some of the examples. I have poor proprioception, for example - I bump into corners and doorways because I don't realise how wide I am, and I can't catch a ball. I sometimes look down and think "gee those feet are a long way away", and I stretch for things just to affirm that I can reach them. It feels like I'm the pilot of a rather ungainly vehicle, whose extremities I can't quite see. I also notice sometimes that this body doesn't immediately alert me to damage - I notice a minor injury like a cut, and wonder "when did that happen?".

I am sensitive to certain smells - air fresheners and perfumes and deodorants for example - to the point of retching and having to escape. It is otherwise quite good to have a sensitive nose. I love riding a horse, or a motorbike with an open-face helmet, and smelling the changing air like music. I can smell animals and recognise people by their smell, and could even smell when a mare or other animal was in heat, or sick.

There are many other examples. One which is perhaps a bit odd is that I can effectively switch off recognition of faces. I don't really do it consciously, but I can go out for a walk and not have that facility activated - people just register as silhouettes really. I'm not looking at the ground, and I can walk along without bumping into them, but I probably could not tell you whether a particular example was male or female let alone recognise them. I can stride purposefully by people I know well, looking more or less right past them, without registering them at all. It is a conscious thing to turn it on, and in a crowd it can be a bit taxing. I can recognise people I know when I've set "recognition" to "active". I don't know whether that is a processing issue, or perhaps self-protective adaptation.

[TyroneDamShewlaces]

Spot on as usual. Of course those of us living with this already know much of the info presented, at least if we're old enough or otherwise lucky enough to have figured it out. But this video of yours in particular seems to me to be presented clearly and contain information in such a way to be very helpful to others who interact with folks on the spectrum.
Personally I am lucky enough that I've worked out a mostly functional way to live in our society. But sound hypersensitivity is something I've struggled with / benefited from since I was young. I even studied and worked as a musician when I was younger and it very much gave me a bit of advantage often. But I think the discomfort ended up winning out and I found a completely different field to go into.
Anyway, thanks for your work on these videos. It's good to create and contribute things the world needs. Very good on you.

[mylonash]

Solid content and very educational.  Thank you for your time, creativity, and desire to teach.

[RE-kkcq]

synaesthesia is more common in autistic people, as well as more varied ranged on the same sense

[MrMooAndMoonSquirrelToo]

I have a hypersensitivity to pain. Every time my knee or my back flares up, I get overstimulated and end up being at a near constant state of sensory overload and meltdown until the acute phase is over. It's so embarrassing.

[jjonestowne]

Yeah, people's voices (SOME people's), loud breathing, loud chewing, footsteps in certain kinds of snow that makes a certain sound, etc...drives me nuts. Also, if someone mentions COTTON BALLS, for some reason, and I can barely touch cotton balls unless it's n emergency. The cotton they used to put in pill bottles has stopped me from getting in the bottle many times.

[silvervoyager]

thank you for making this video! i have learned so much in just a few minutes.

[lugaruna]

I need music and protective headphones to concentrate on my work. Just some background music on a radio dousn't help:). I also have had the problem that i never was cold when i was younger, this kind of shifted a bit when i had 5 years of constant stress. At that time i would constantly be cold. On the other hand i realy love hot showers and quickly absorb the heat so i can put the shower a bit higher:). At one point i could finish my shower with 10 minutes of 45 degrees celsiusXD. Not healthy i know im trying to not do that as much, at some point's it just felt so great to feel the heat. I guess to just feel something or something differant.

[petrat]

only just found the channel after your appearance on the panel Autism week yesterday. I am not Autistic but I am ND and do have some sensory difference. I have some hypersensitivity to some sounds, most embarrassingly certain pitches of singing (Kate Bush is painful!) Unfortunately one of my best friends is (apparently) a fantastic singer but she sings at that pitch!! - I haven't told her 😆

[andreahalverson]

I have learned so much from watching your videos and this one in particular has been a greatly helpful for me. It would be beneficial if our school systems could incorporate this kind of presentation to children in a classroom setting- where understanding one another could begin early. Thank you for teaching us…❤️