Can anyone recommend an adult toothpaste that's not mint flavoured (or menthol)? Ideally with fluoride although that's not a deal-breaker either way.

#hypersensitivity #autistic #sensory

What if this approach is seriously arse about. And we can do better.

#Hypersensitivity to and #avoidance of certain flavours & textures is part of our #sensory profile for many #ActuallyAutistic folks. As with all of our sensory issues, the ways we devise to deal with them come at a cost, socially, emotionally & physically. Being pressured to let go of strategies that have protected us can feel life threatening. Especially if we don’t understand where they’ve come from & how they’ve helped us (hard to do when our various unusual behaviours are examined in isolation from each other & each set pathologised with an unhelpful diagnosis).

In my experience, we can change the habits & routines that protect us only when (i) we feel safe & (ii) it is our choice to do so. In our own ways, at our own speed, on our own terms. This profound need for autonomy gets pathologised as ‘demand avoidance’ but it’s another manifestation of the strategies for survival that we develop & cling to for dear life. Take this from me & I will die.

How about, for kids & adults ‘with #ARFID’, we approached interventions by starting with respect for autonomy. This means learning about how this person experiences sensory pleasures & discomforts around eating & taking them seriously. Then developing options for change that can be chosen by that person, or not. At their own pace.

It worked for me. As in so many areas of my life, this is the only approach that does.

Like so many folx who grew up undiagnosed I learned to be ashamed of my struggles (in denial about them, intolerant of their manifestation in others) & embarrassed about my gifts. Wish I’d understood my #neurodivergence, & that of my family members, when I was parenting kids.

So glad we can do better now. I wish the support systems whose funding rests on adopting pathologising diagnostic categories would catch up!!

@actuallyautistic #AutisticElder #AutisticParent #disability

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-06/eating-disorder-arfid-picky-eating/104648840?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=other

Well, this is weird

I was trying to sort out the kink in my inner sock, which I put on to prevent the discomfort of the hole in my outer sock, when I realised the kink was actually that someone has darned the hole

I mean, it's a lovely gesture, I have no idea who did it, and I am certainly going to be reminded of this kindness every other step!

#hypersensitivity

Please don't ever use your phone speakers to listen to music or watch things around other people. And if you live in a house with other people you should check to make sure they don't have auditory sensitivities.

If they do, the safest assumption you can make is that your door will not be enough to make the sound stop being painful.

And for goodness sake if you're watching or listening to something that has a sound others you are living with consider painful regardless of what speakers you're listening on, learn what headphones are. If you have a TV with bluetooth you don't have an excuse.

#Hypersensitivity #Tinnitus

I've now worn my noise-canceling headphones several times when commuting. They take me to a dreamlike state where I see other people but forget about them. It's a somewhat strange feeling.

After I've started experimenting with the headphones, I've also noticed how some sounds are surprisingly loud when I don't wear the phones. Leafblower sound isn't new to me but now I seem to pay way more attention to it. And just today I was sitting in the social facilities of our department and was suddenly amazed how loud the air conditioning is.

#ActuallyAutistic #hypersensitivity @actuallyautistic

I'm still figuring out when and how sensory input is too much and how it affects me. Today, after giving two lectures back to back, I noticed I'm exhausted. I'm slowly starting to understand that when I'm tired, I'm easily overwhelmed. Fortunately, I had my noise-cancelling headphones with me. I put my current favorite record on as I left the office. Oh, this peaceful bubble of mine. Now I'm sitting in a bus and feeling way more comfortable than I would've felt if I didn't wear these phones.

#ActuallyAutistic #hypersensitivity @actuallyautistic

Hatte gerade den 3. Track des Albums »Where Gods Fear To Speak« gehört … aber »Nights In White Satin« … WTF?! … I'm in tears … my #hypersensitivity kicks in like💥

Now on 🔁 for the next hour or longer
https://open.spotify.com/track/2mr8CDYlKozgsVTlxFHCZ9

From: @vronimus_ironimus
https://chaos.social/@vronimus_ironimus/113149125466217093

We have a long way to go to accommodate disabled. I often see universities writing about #accommodation and #inclusion and how the world is beautiful and accessible there for disabled. (yes a little bit of sarcasm is allowed).

Ok. I can agree if it's well done. Most of the time, it fails under 5 minutes during an easy test. The test is to enter the building and go to the public toilets. Oh what do we see? Hand dryers! It's not accommodating for disabled with hypersensitivity. It's not hard to have any other means to dry the hand. I can guarantee that they don't have all the ramps, color contrast, signs, and so on.

#disability #Neurodivergent #hypersensitivity #ActuallyAutistic