Gag Reflex

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Do any other aspies have an over sensitive gag reflex?

Both me and my AS son do. A visit to the dentist is a nightmare! I'm interested to know if it's an aspie thing, possibly connected to the fact we both have over sesitive to touch, or just a genetic co-incidence.

Last edited by Tonydev on 26 Jun 2012, 11:00 am, edited 1 time in total.

I do somewhat. As a child I hated brushing my tongue because it made me gag so badly. I used to set a limit of 3 gags per tongue brushing that I made myself reach and refused to go beyond. I also have serious tactile sensory issues. I've gotten better about it, though. I think it's something you can train yourself to be better about. You could try getting those long, crazy, swirly suckers for your son. I find things with some degree of enjoyment trigger my gag reflex much less than things I have anxiety over.

I do and I have real problems at the dentist too, I keep gagging and the dentist has to stop. He is very understanding though and he knows what to expect from me by now (terror, gagging, crying etc). Even when I brush my tongue with my toothbrush I gag and sometimes if I put too much food in my mouth it happens as well.

Generally, no.

The exception is burping, which more often then not makes me gag, and sometimes even throw up.

I did when I was young. I had to be dragged into the dentists office. My main problem was those things they put in my mouth for the X ray. It was towards my back teeth and I nearly threw up every time they put it in. The other issue that I had was when they scraped my teeth. The sound and sensation made my skin crawl and drove me crazy!

My gag reflex is nowhere near as bad these days.

I have normal gag reflex.

I have an oversensitive gag reflex though not hugely oversensitive. It's problematic if a hair gets in my mouth and I have long hair, so if its not pulled back it can be a problem...

Yes my gag reflex is really bad also.

The Dentist put that thing in my mouth for the X ray and I had to leave and go and find a Dentist practice that had one of those X ray machines instead.

You will get a self-selecting group of Aspies that answers your post, and that will probably be skewed towards people that have noticed the same thing in themselves. Thats not gonna answer whether its an Aspie thing or not.

Surely everybody gags if you brush your tongue. I'm gagging thinking about it. Thats not a thing thats made it into UK dental health yet in my experience. But im sure its coming cos you can then sell tongue cleaners and god forbid there was a part of the planet that didn't yet have tongue cleaners. Your tongue cleans itself dont it?

I have a problem with having stuff in my mouth, while someone is talking to me.

I notice that I choke, if I am being engaged while I am eating.

Even when there is nothing in my mouth, I sometimes feel as though my breathing and swallowing is interrupted.

As an aside: this may help: Recently, in the dentist's chair, I had bitewing X-rays and I mentioned to her that I might gag( as I usually do) and she said to count and breathe deep -- think only the numbers and breathe deep - and it worked.

She said it's not that uncommon -- but a more Aspie thing ?

I have a weak gag reflex - almost impossible to trigger, actually.

Diagnosed since a young age with HFA.

Extreme gag reflux here.

Whether it's toothbrushing or certain foods... over time, purposefully exposing myself to both has helped a little, but I still have the gag reflux.

Doing things like dishes will actually give me gag reflexes. But that is from sight and smell. I can get it from taste and texture very very easily as well.

I used to as a kid before I had my tonsils out. I think the op and resultant scarring deadened quite a few nerve endings at the back of my throat so it's pretty difficult to induce now.

Just a normal gag reflex for me.