I'm #autistic. The sound of the train blowing its horn as it passes my house makes me cover my ears in pain. But the throbbing bass of the engine that causes a deep pressure in my chest from the vibration makes me feel happy.
When I was a kid, I used to crank up the bass of my parents' stereo and sit directly against the woofer to feel that pressure. They would always yell at me to turn it down. I've always loved that feeling.
@hosford42 I am the opposite. I cannot handle the bass beat, because it does not match my heart rate, and causes distress. The thumping is also distressing. I loved train whistles. I love truck air horns. I am #Autistic.@actuallyautistic @neurodiversity
@Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity You aren't joking about being the opposite! Truck air horns...nope!
It's cool that you can sense your own heart rate. Sometimes I can hear it from the blood rushing in my ears, or even see it from my retinas shifting slightly from the pressure, but I can never feel it unless I just exercised really really hard.
@hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity oh yeah never knew being able to see your heart beat in your eyes was wasnโt something everyone can do. I have also been known to play games with sunlight at an angle in morning and those floaties in your eyes. Does that make me NT or Autistic, or just easily entertained.
@littlescraps @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity That by itself isn't enough to make you anything, I'd say. If you think you might be autistic, there are some quizzes and screening tests people have linked to further down in the threads. They aren't enough to diagnose you, but they can tell you if it's worth further consideration or not. I highly recommend you give it a go!
@hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity ah yes.. I am most definitely ND and Autistic. Sorry, I was trying to be clever and funny, but realize you donโt know me. So not getting the inside joke. I am new to the understanding of my amazing ND power source. Been about 2 years since I started saying hmmmmm. Nothing like figuring it out at 55. I feel so much better . Used to think I could fix me. Know I know I donโt need to be fixed!
I have to stay still when I'm wearing wired earbuds. I can handle the body feedback, but the sound of the mic rubbing against my clothes sends me over the edge.
@littlescraps @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity
@Zumbador @ScottSoCal @littlescraps @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity
I'd like to at least be able to use wireless ones, but even those are off the table for me. The closest I can come to earbuds is the "ear hangers" like those made by Philips, which have a larger diaphragm and perch just outside the ear canal. Since that doesn't create an enclosed space in which resonances can run amok, I can use them.
Other than that, I can only use around- or on-ear headphones.
@Zumbador @ScottSoCal @littlescraps @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity
If anyone isn't familiar with those Philips "ear hangars" and wants to investigate, I can track down the model number. I assume they're still being made. The fidelity may not be quite as good as the best earbuds, but if they're what is tolerable....
@VulcanTourist @Zumbador @ScottSoCal @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity those are only ones I can stand too
@littlescraps @Zumbador @ScottSoCal @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity
I replied to myself (next to yours here) after I found the current best Philips models, for anyone who wants to investigate. Philips seems to be the only one, since other brands have earhooks BUT are also in-ear and just use the hooks for stabilization!
@Zumbador @ScottSoCal @VulcanTourist @littlescraps @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity That is my usual strategy, as well, but then the wires lightly touch my ears from time to time and make me severely uncomfortable. Even wireless earbuds get me this way, too, as they touch my facial hair lightly and I notice even the tiny shifts when my expression changes or I breathe.
@ScottSoCal @littlescraps @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity
Your sensory tolerance is a little closer to typical than mine, it seems. All my senses are hypervigilant, including taste (supertaster). When I'm present in the moment, I'm REALLY present in the moment. Sometimes I have no choice to avoid being present. Sounds and smells intrude easily, and I especially smell things that no one else does.
I think mine is context dependent. I wear earbuds for teleconferencing or walking. When I'm trying to go to sleep, sounds like the pillow settling, my heartbeat, hearing my own breathing, or having something pop or click in my nose/throat can force me to get up, blow my nose, find a new position, whatever it takes to make it go away.
@littlescraps @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity
@VulcanTourist @ScottSoCal @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity oh my gosh me too โฆ super tasterโฆ super smeller โฆ my husband says the food I make is so bland โฆ and donโt get itโฆ I taste all kinds of stuff. hot spicy food is not any fun for me AT ALL. And I HATE BITTER. I can taste the red dye in candy. Yuck
@littlescraps @VulcanTourist @ScottSoCal @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity I have the same problem. I cannot eat red velvet cake because all I can taste is the red food dye. It tastes so bad. I canโt believe anyone could like it. I canโt sit close to someone with strong perfumes or colognes on because they make me sick/give me headaches.
@johnettesnuggs @littlescraps @ScottSoCal @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity
I may not be as extreme a supertaster; I'm not aware of red food dye being bitter to me, but I don't eat much candy and can't recall when I've eaten red velvet. My wife says I did once and wasn't disgusted but didn't love it like she does.
@VulcanTourist @littlescraps @ScottSoCal @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity Iโve only tried it a couple of times once as a kid, and once at a wedding, and never again. I didnโt finish either piece.
Is that why red velvet cake is bitter? I've always tasted that, but didn't know it was the food coloring.
@johnettesnuggs @littlescraps @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity
@ScottSoCal @VulcanTourist @littlescraps @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity yep that and the dark chocolateโฆbut I donโt even taste the chocolate.
@littlescraps @ScottSoCal @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity
Yeah, bitterness is the bane of every supertaster. It kept me from drinking coffee, tea, and beer, and my hatred of the buzz kept me away from everything else alcoholic. Strangely, I can eat at least some dark chocolates....
I only eat dark chocolate, love coffee, and also like mole (mo-lay) sauce, a savory sauce made with chocolate. I don't dislike bitterness, but it has to be in the right context.
@littlescraps @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity
I like dark chocolate. So much so that my aftercare food is dark chocolate M&Ms. They come in a handy bag, and are ready for consumption. (Since apparently you can't readily Google it... I'm talking about sexual aftercare.) However, there's a limit to the bitterness I can tolerate. 75% is about right. I'm also fine with coffee. I wouldn't know mole sauce from a hole in the ground. (Sauce made of moles??? :catthinking: )
@VulcanTourist @littlescraps @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity
The first time I had mole it was badly made, and tasted like used coffee grounds. The second time was in a restaurant in Santa Barbara. I ordered the steak with mole sauce and asked them to hold the mole. The chef was so incensed he brought me a ramekin of the sauce and dared me to taste *his* mole and turn it down. It was delicious.
@VulcanTourist @littlescraps @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity
That's the best kind of dare!
@VulcanTourist @littlescraps @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity
@ScottSoCal @VulcanTourist @littlescraps @hosford42 @Tooden @actuallyautistic @neurodiversity The noise from wired earbuds is a pain. I sleep with custom earplugs that have wires, which is irritating but otherwise I guess I'd lose them. I loop the wires back over the top of my ears that does help a bit.