Autism and Sensory Overload, A Silent Struggle
By Zackary Schlegel, M.A., LCMHCA
Two years ago, I was shopping at a local grocery store when I stopped at the candle aisle. I was looking for something to freshen up my living space and spotted a very odd scent in the selection. A hotdog-scented candle, truly a confusing idea to say the least. So, like anyone, I opened the lid to give it a whiff. It was easily the worst-smelling candle I had ever smelt, so bad in fact that I still remember the scent two years later. The 5 human senses of smell, taste, touch, sight, and hearing are essential to our understanding of the world around us. That day at the grocery store reminded me of how powerful these senses can be. Now I am not particularly sensitive to smells, however many individuals on the autistic spectrum are. An inconvenient experience like mine could have been a deeply troubling one for someone with scent sensitivity.
Many people on the autistic spectrum have sensory issues, which describes one or more senses to be heightened and highly sensitive. For some that can be an aversion to touch, like certain clothing materials, or food textures. For others, it could be high sensitivity to loud sounds or intense smells. Regardless of the sensitivity, what all these individuals share is an internal conflict with their senses. See, society isn’t designed to accommodate such sensitivities. This leads to an internal struggle, grappling with the social implications of a sensory sensitivity, and the personal impact such experience creates. Imagine someone you love cooked you a meal they just learned the recipe for. They spent hours in the kitchen preparing it for you, only for it to taste absolutely terrible. What do you do? You can’t tell them they did a horrible job; it would crush their spirits. But you also really don’t want to sit there and finish the meal. Struggles like these are almost a daily occurrence for those on the autistic spectrum.
What this article means to say is that sensory sensitivity is a difficult reality for many, however it is akin to a superpower. Being highly sensitive to smell means you can pick up on subtle scents or changes quicker than others might. Having a high sensitivity to touch means intimacy feels that much closer and impactful. Those with sensory sensitivity are not less than or inherently need to be protected, however they do need to be understood. If your partner or child expressed dislike for apples, you wouldn’t give them apples for their birthday. The same logic applies to sensory sensitivity. Learning to accommodate a person can make them feel heard, understood, and loved. Who wouldn’t want that? So next time you hear someone complain about the texture of food, or the volume of the music in the car, take a second. Before you chock it up to “They are just being difficult,” ask yourself, how would they like to be treated? If we all did that even just once per day, the world just may be a little better for it.
