Sensory Processing Disorder - Blog Posts

being both autistic and having adhd is just unstoppable force: *need to brush teeth because teeth feel bad™️* vs immovable object: *intense hyperfocus and horrible executive functioning*

At summer camp:

- schedule

- three meals every day

- know in advance what I’m gonna do and what I’m gonna eat

Getting home from summer camp

- too much unstructured time

- keep track of time level impossible

- decide what to eat, get ingredients, make food, each food (I sound entitled but it’s genuinely difficult when I look in the cabinets and instead of seeing potentially meals my brain just sees random stuff in boxes)

- wtf do I do all day

My favorite textures

Walking on snow

Biting into an apple

Smooth rocks

Watercolor paper

Whatever fabric squishmallows are made of

Glass bottles

Carbonated drinks + the foam on top

Fluffy animals

Buzzcut

Wanted to share 🫶

I realize I was rather polite ("safe") when I created this. There have been times Thanksgiving has been just fine. But there have been others that were overwhelming. Then there were the times it included a person or two who thinks Asperger's is a load of bull and who ends up making things tense. In short, Thanksgiving can be complicated... How are these get together's for you?

Being female on the spectrum means wearing a mask for far too many. It's hard to be ourselves in public, around others, but we must. We must love ourselves enough to be ourselves wherever we are. We must be brave enough to try.

But theory and practice aren't always the same, are they? And neurotypicals can be cold, callous, and cruel.

I'm finally choosing to be "me." It's not always easier, but the more I try, the better it is. The healthier it is. Do I have autism? Maybe; they didn't diagnose girls when I was younger. I do share a lot of traits. For one, I have Sensory Processing Disorder, for sure. I'm as socially awkward AF. But my daughter is def an Aspie. I've seen her put the masks on. And I'm proud of her for choosing to grow into herself.

To hell with the masks - let's finally be free to be...us.

Does anyone with food sensitivities ever get food they like delivered and after meticulously looking through it to make sure it's safe to eat you take a bite and feel the crunch of an onion. Me: Screaming, crying, gagging, heaving, entire body crinkles like aluminum foil.

Just me? ok cool

I recently got noise cancelling headphones because I have a lot of sensory issues and misophonia. I have been hesitant to use them because I don't want them to be a crutch but that's stupid. If you need to wear headphones to do the dishes because the sound of silverware clanking together makes you feel like dying then do it. If you need that aid then use it.

okay fellow autistics & people who have sensory issues or trouble eating specific foods: hear me out.

I’ve been trying my best to eat more fruits & vegetables & more generally “healthy” food (I don’t think we should label specific foods as “good” or “bad” because food at all is better than no food etc, but that’s besides the point) & I’ve realised something.

If I pretend to be a specific animal while eating a certain food, it can be marginally easier to eat. HEAR ME OUT, OKAY?! Put away the reactionary part of you that goes “wow, that’s cringe”, because this genuinely helps me. I don’t care if you laugh, grow up.

For example, if I pretend I’m a bunny rabbit while eating celery or lettuce, it sort of becomes fun! It turns into me playing a part in my head, kind of. I also do this with sultana bran/raisin bran kind of cereal, where I’m like “hehe this looks like bird/rabbit food” & it becomes easier!

I just thought I’d share this trick in case it helps anyone else. It’s alright if it doesn’t help you, but I’m proud of the efforts you’re making to get better at eating certain foods, it’s not easy. & if you’re finding it hard to start trying foods out of your comfort zone, I’m proud of you as well 💕💕

Does anyone else ever feel like their body parts are on wrong? I get this weird sensation sometimes that mine are, even though I can look at it and see it’s fine.

Right now, it’s my hips and pelvis. It just feels wrong.

Is this an autistic sensory thing?

do you have sensory issues and hate forks? me too!

** I did include some cultures I am not a part of, if I am spreading misinformation or anything wrong please tell me and I will correct it **

everything is under the cut :)

• this one is always a hit or miss but just use your hands !! now this obviously won't work for everyone, or for every food you eat, but it works for more things than you expect! I personally also do not care if I get messy hands while eating, but I know a lot of people do. almost all snack food I eat with my hands, of something has like bread or lettuce with what I'm eating I'll pick it up with that and eat, etc

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• chopsticks !! now I know not everyone knows how to use them or can learn how to use them but they make these things called chopstick helpers, you can get the basic plastic one or ones shaped like animals, then they are basically just an extension of your fingers. once you get used to them it becomes pretty easy to use and quite effective

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• something I recently started using is Japanese soup spoons, they have a big handle so easy to old and a bigger "basin" for food and liquid so it doesn't spill as easy as normal spoons. they come in SO MANY designs and colors they also have a BUNCH of like designs and shapes, some have a deeper or more shallow spoon part, different shaped handles, and they aren't super expensive to buy a set of them either

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• another type of spoon is a spoon from Russia! I am not entirely sure of their origin other than they are functional art pieces, from just an observing point of view they also can serve as the same function as Japanese soup spoons. I've heard a few names for them and I'm not sure which is the correct one so I'll just list what I found :') (khokhloma, lozhka, melchior, cherkassky) these also tend to be on the more pricey side. remember! they are also art and part of a culture, same with Japanese soup spoons

do you have sensory issues and hate forks? me too!

** I did include some cultures I am not a part of, if I am spreading misinformation or anything wrong please tell me and I will correct it **

everything is under the cut :)

• this one is always a hit or miss but just use your hands !! now this obviously won't work for everyone, or for every food you eat, but it works for more things than you expect! I personally also do not care if I get messy hands while eating, but I know a lot of people do. almost all snack food I eat with my hands, of something has like bread or lettuce with what I'm eating I'll pick it up with that and eat, etc

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• chopsticks !! now I know not everyone knows how to use them or can learn how to use them but they make these things called chopstick helpers, you can get the basic plastic one or ones shaped like animals, then they are basically just an extension of your fingers. once you get used to them it becomes pretty easy to use and quite effective

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• something I recently started using is Japanese soup spoons, they have a big handle so easy to old and a bigger "basin" for food and liquid so it doesn't spill as easy as normal spoons. they come in SO MANY designs and colors they also have a BUNCH of like designs and shapes, some have a deeper or more shallow spoon part, different shaped handles, and they aren't super expensive to buy a set of them either

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

• another type of spoon is a spoon from Russia! I am not entirely sure of their origin other than they are functional art pieces, from just an observing point of view they also can serve as the same function as Japanese soup spoons. I've heard a few names for them and I'm not sure which is the correct one so I'll just list what I found :') (khokhloma, lozhka, melchior, cherkassky) these also tend to be on the more pricey side. remember! they are also art and part of a culture, same with Japanese soup spoons

As someone who is somewhat of a “veteran” of the online ND community, I’m disappointed in the lack of positivity and love for lesser known diverse cognitive conditions, and the opposing abundance of posts about “cures” or outdated criteria or treatments for those conditions. So, without further ado, I want to say hello to anyone with any of the disorders I’m listing, and give them the love and support that hardly anyone else in our community has… Shoutout to:

People with Down syndrome

People with Fragile X

People with William’s syndrome

People with dyslexia

People with dyspraxia

People with dyscalculia

People with dysgraphia

People with Prader-Willi syndrome

People with PANS or PANDAS

People with aphasia

People with a TBI (traumatic brain injury)

People with chronic/early onset mental illnesses

People with cerebral palsy

People with FASD or were otherwise disabled via other substances in utero

And many, many more I may have forgotten to list (but still support and love, I will add more to my list)

You are all beautiful and wonderful, and you all deserve so more love, appreciation, acceptance and support. You are just as neurodiverse as the rest of us, and your voices deserve to be heard and amplified.

I love you all ❤️