3. Sensory Sensitivities: More than Meets the Eye
At first glance, sensory sensitivities may seem like a minor detail in the tapestry of Asperger’s Syndrome, but delve deeper, and you’ll find that it’s a crucial element. These sensitivities manifest in various ways, such as discomfort with specific textures, sounds, or even lighting conditions. What may be a mild annoyance to someone else could be overwhelmingly distressing to an individual with Asperger’s.
Some people describe this experience as a volume knob turned all the way up. Imagine wearing clothes that feel like sandpaper against your skin, or walking into a room where the ambient noise feels like a rock concert. For people with Asperger’s, everyday settings can turn into obstacle courses of sensory overload.
Interestingly, this sensitivity doesn’t always manifest as discomfort; it can sometimes be a form of heightened perception. An individual with Asperger’s might find particular joy in the intricate patterns of a painting or the subtle notes in a piece of music. These experiences can be so vivid that they become a focal point of interest, feeding into the person’s specialized topics of interest. (3)
