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So, in case you haven’t heard, I have autism. I’m going to be resuming classes at my local community college soon.
Problem is, last time I tried this, I had to drop a class because it was sensory hell.
Hoooowever, I’m a fucking Slytherin and there’s no way I’m letting that shit get to me twice. So, I’m building a little arsenal of defense against it. Maybe someone can find some inspiration from it.
1. Earplugs or noise-cancelling earmuffs. The cheapest way to go is disposable foam, but it blocks out everything and the tactile sensation might irritate some people. If you’re willing to spend about $13, you can get a pair of higher quality plugs that blocks out most unwanted noise, but allows speech to be heard clearly. My therapist suggested noise-cancelling earmuffs for those who can’t handle things placed inside the ear canal.
2. Tinted glasses. There are special glasses that exist with yellow-tinted lenses to help block out irritating blue light. Blue light naturally stimulates the brain, which people with sensitivity issues might find overwhelming. It also tends to mess with your circadian rhythms, making sleep more difficult. Get a pair of these if you read, use the computer, or drive a lot.
3. Aromatherapy necklace. Besides just being pretty, you can use these to block out any unwanted smells. Add a few drops of your favorite oil to one of the included cotton pads. If you have sensitivity issues to oil, dilute it until the fragrance becomes tolerable. There’s a bonus to this, if you have allergies or congestion - eucalyptus and peppermint oil can help un-stuff your nose.
4. Cooling towel/neck wrap. To deal with heat sensitivity. I chose this over something like a personal fan, because it doesn’t need power or noise. Just soak it in water (i.e. from your water bottle), wring it out, and you’re ready to go.
5. Hand warmers. For those colder days. The best ones to get are reusable and can be reset by boiling them in water.
6. Mints, throat lozenges, sugarless gum, breath strips, or throat spray. Besides getting rid of bad breath, these are good for clearing your palate of yucky stuff. You don’t have to get mint-flavored either - find a flavor that wors well with your senses.
7. Water bottle. Gotta stay hydrated. And take care of that nasty dry mouth.
8. Notepad and pen. Because your phone will fail you at some point because Murphy’s Law. For helping with memory and verbal processing stuff.
9. Ergonomic pencil grip. If you’re like me, you’re A) left-handed and B) get hand cramps from hell when you’re handwriting stuff. Here’s one possible answer.
10. Compression wrist braces. Here’s another. Also good for the typists.
11. Stealthy stim toys. This is just a weird little bit of brain wank for me, but I don’t like my stim toys to be that obvious. Most stim toys out there seem to have been designed for the younger folks and would look a bit out of place in the average work or college environment. This might not matter to some folks, but others might be concerned about stigma. If you feel like this, you’re absolutely not alone. I don’t know everyone’s flavor of stimming, but I will give the general tip of “color is everything.” Darker colors, jewel tones and metals work well for this.
12. Portable cushion. If you’re like me, hard, cushionless seats are a deal breaker. I’m hypersensitive to my seating conditions because of some childhood injuries, so I need to have a cushion in any seat, but this won’t be an option everywhere. Unless, that is, you bring your own. Your best bet is memory foam, but don’t go outside your budget if you can’t afford to. Prices can range from $2 to $30 if you really want to feel pampered.
13. Hand sanitizer or wet wipes. It’s a nasty world out there, and you can’t always get to a sink. Some people don’t get along with the local microbe population, so a bit of self-defense is in order. Careful with overuse, though - you can dry out your skin, and overdependence on sanitation products can actually make you more vulnerable to pathogens.
14. Dry tissues. This isn’t so much a sensory thing as a general feeling-clean-and-presentable thing. If you have motor issues, spilling stuff is inevitable. Allergies pretty much mean you’re going to have icky fluid coming out of your face at any time throughout the day, though if you know that and have allergies, you’ve probably already got some tissues handy. You also never know when you’ll have to touch something unpleasant and need a barrier between you and that tactile sensation.
15. Scarf or bandana. These have a number of uses. You can use them to protect your nose and mouth from stuff you don’t want to breathe in. You can use them in place of the dry tissues, if you don’t want to generate so much trash. Spray them with a light fragrance you like, and you can use them to block out bad smells.
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