#sensory differences

I wear headphones constantly, especially in public, because my brain processes sounds as literal PAIN. It's physically painful. That's like saying if I repeatedly kicked you every couple minutes, you'd eventually stop feeling it. Or... here's a thought... maybe just don't kick people?

This is such a common thing people do to autistic folks - just telling us to "get used to it." Exposure therapy doesn't work for us because these sensitivities aren't "all in our heads" - our entire nervous systems are literally wired differently. This kind of misinformation is genuinely harmful and extremely disappointing coming from the source it did.

"Well why is it okay when you listen to music full volume with headphones, but it bothers you when my radio is loud?"

Because they are two different things. My music is the same music I've been listening to for years non stop (fully serious. I listen to music at all times. At school? Music. Drawing? Music. Sleeping? Music. Peeing? Music.). They are sounds I am used to. Sounds that my brain and body are VERY familiar with, along with that, they are sounds that make my body and brain feel good. Listening to them at a loud volume makes me feel good and stimmy. It makes my body feel calm and happy.

Even music that I LIKE hurts my body at a loud volume if I'm unfamiliar with it. I need to listen to it quietly for a long time first.

Once I know it super well, I can BLAST it, and it makes me feel good!

But if it's a song or audio I don't like, it hurts me no matter what. It causes my body physical pain if it plays long enough. Once I become familiar with it, it still hurts, only a little less. But if its loud? No, it's still horrendous pain that has made me have meltdowns and panic attacks.

Whilst yes, I don't like listening to music tastes that aren't my own because I just don't find it enjoyable, it is more than that for me. I am not being bratty or overreacting. Unfamiliar or unpleasant songs at a loud volume (and even a quieter volume if I'm already feeling unwell) cause me PHYSICAL PAIN.

I can't explain it any other way.

A lot of allistics I've spoken to about this don't understand how I can easily blast my music on FULL VOLUME in HEADPHONES for hours on end, but begin to hyperventilate and hit or bite myself if a cars volume is just barely too loud with a genre I don't like or am unfamiliar with.

I've noticed that a lot of us have "autistic" or "neurodivergent" in our bios, and I have a theory that our love of tickling may have something to do with how our brains process sensory stimuli. I am curious what proportion of us are neurodivergent, so I decided to make this poll in order to get a better idea.

please reblog so we can get as much data as possible!

as this is a silly little poll on tumblr.com, take it with a grain of salt. nevertheless, I'm eager to see the results!

My phone. Has an AAC app on it just in case, haven't used yet due to anxiety and complex feelings about it

My school jacket which is a comfort item that also happens to have 4 pockets which I use completely (I've got stuff like small stim toys, my wallet, pads, etc., in them)

My sunflower lanyard

My communication cards which are attached to my lanyard

My noise-cancelling headphones

My prescription sunglasses and the cool tinted add-on lenses that connect to the main frame with magnets

My crossbody bag that I call my "accessibility bag" because I can. Specifically a crossbody bag for easy access to what I bring

What I have in my bag

Bottle of water

Snacks

My glasses case

Mini bag full of stim toys (tangles, pop-its that can turn into bracelets, a chewy, rubber bands, monkey noodles, bubbler pen)

A notebook and small pencilcase

A cheap LCD tablet

An umbrella

Chewing gum

Painkillers and anti-inflammatories

An eye mask

A mask

A wire for my headphones (connects them to my phone like wired headphones) incase they die

Some bracelets that I made, plus other jewellery like rings because sometimes I spontaneously want to wear them

i mean just as an example, i love spinners, they really do something for me, but i don’t like the hand-feel or the sound of plastic ones, and i don’t like the smell of metal ones (though i have settled on a high-quality metal one)

i’m very shy of calling myself autistic (tho my mum often jokes that i am - she’s autistic, and so is my brother and my uncle) because i feel like i’d be co-opting it

I want to talk about different ear defenders.

This post can also be used as a way to find what pair of ear defenders is best for you, because its informational and descriptive on all of them (All based on my experiences, of course.)

Sensory aids are a great way to help prevent overstimulation, aid the calm down from a meltdown, or just help you to feel safer (and more!). I first started using sensory aids when I was nine, which was when I developed an extremely severe sensitivity to sound. I got ear defenders, which was really helpful. I now have six or so different pairs! The first brand I got was Mpow, but specifically Mpow Kids. Mpow is sort of confusing for me because when you look up Mpow ear defenders it comes up as something completely different than what I'm talking about, same when searching Mpow Kids, so you do need to look around a little bit.

This is the exact pair I have. Something really good about this pair of ear defenders is that its flatter, which is good if you are worrying about bulkiness. It blocks extra sound quite well, but in a way you can still hear people talking to you. However, it doesnt do this perfectly (there is a brand I think does it perfectly in my opinion. Which I will talk about later.) and whilst I can hear people I'm talking to for the most part, I often have to ask them to repeat themself because it makes it hard to differentiate different mouth sounds, which is frustrating. The ear defenders also tend to create kind of an "under water" sound to every noise. It also causes a lot of pressure build up after wearing them for a while, resulting in a bad headache. I also would not reccomend wearing glasses with them. It IS possible, I've done it, but it is really uncomfortable. Despite it being marketed as a kids size I think that they could fit most people.

These are peltor ear defenders. I have two different pairs. The overall noise blocking is about the same as the Mpow Kids ear defenders, except it is a slightly easier to understand people, and the water noise is gone! These headphones are usually a lot bulkier than the Mpow ones. The pair in the photo aren't bulky generally, but are in comparison to Mpow. Most peltor ear defenders are extremely bulky though, so if you want one like the photo you'll need to look around a little bit. These headphones do create the pressure issue again, but it takes a lot longer to do so. You can also easily wear glasses with them, it still isnt extremely comfortable, but it's a lot more comfortable in comparison to other pairs.

These are my absolute favorite brand for ear defenses: Hear Tek. Hear Tek filters the noise near perfectly in my opinion. It blocks noises whilst still allowing me to hear what people are saying to me usually quite easily. The pressure does build up quicker than the Peltor ear defenders, but not as quick as Mpow Kids. It is uncomfortable to wear glasses with them. They are a little bit bulky. Hear Tek also comes it tons of cool colors and designs, as seen in the photo! I personally just have plain red ones with a black over head peice though.

These are Howard Leight ear defenders. They are the cheapest option, but with the cheap price also comes cheap quality. They block very little noise, and are extremely bulky. They have zero pressure build up though, and you can easily wear glasses with them.