Sensory issues~

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I didn't see a thread for this and if there was, it probably died? Anyway, as autistics, we all have our share of massive sensory issues. Which is why I am curious to know what you guys have for sensory issues.

For food, I can't stand tomatoes and meatloaf. Meatloaf... is awful to the texture, taste... everything. It makes me gag so much. I also hate mustard because I am not much of a liker for foods that are super spicy, tangy, sour or hot.

For sound, its anything from guns that go off, fireworks, loud banging, thunder, babies crying/kids screaming, people who laugh really loudly or talk loudly, being yelled at, motorcycles, sirens... lots of things.

For touch, I don't mind if I know the touch is coming. But if you come behind me to fix my tag sticking out of my shirt without my realizing... I panic and yell. Any other unexpected touch makes me really irritable also.

For smells and stuff, I love perfume, the sent of cherry blossom or really soft gentle sweet scents, I love. But anything like air freshners, cologne, heavy perfume... anything with a strong aroma can give me WICKED headaches.

There is probably more but anyway, what about you? What are some of the sensory issues you have?

Hmm:

Visual - light. I have a tendency to stare at lamps (a visual stim) that are not particularly bright. But once brightness exceeds a certain threshold, I need my sunglasses all the time. Direct sunlight can rapidly give me a headache - sometimes a migraine - and I even need them in most businesses and stores. Also, moving images and intricate patterns can be incredibly distracting. Also, I have a constant "visual snow" or pixellation that can get far more intense if I am overloaded. It seems the more intense it gets, the harder it is for me to properly interpret what I'm looking at.

Hearing - Loud noises - yelling, motorcycles, large vehicles, things being slammed or banged, commercials that sound much louder than the show they're interrupting. A sudden, unexpected series of loud noises can and will shut my brain down immediately, and often cause a longer shutdown afterward. I've been caught under the loudspeaker at supermarkets and I end up just stopping and closing my eyes, and I forget everything until it stops and I have to re-gather my thoughts, reason for being there, etc.

Also, quiet noises can be enraging, although not to the point of violence. One of my nieces used to listen to music on her headphones and sing along way out of key and it would drive me to the brink of wanting to break something - usually I'd just play loud music to drown her out (our computers were directly adjacent, and I had no headphones). Hearing someone chew is really frustrating. There are many others, but I can't remember them all at the moment.

Olfactory - Chemical smells (cleaning supplies, perfume, cologne, scented soaps, scented candles) hit me like I walked into a wall. They give me headaches and even migraines just as easily as bright light does. I remember running into two clouds of perfume while at a bookstore once, and that pushed me to the point that my overload was causing panic attacks.

Tactile - Clothing tags can be bad, although they were much worse when I was younger. I used to cut the tags out of my clothes because they felt like something was biting me on the neck. I also hate unexpected touch, especially from behind, but it's bad from anywhere. It makes my skin crawl. But touching my back is really deeply uncomfortable.

Taste - I have no problems with most flavors. However, food texture can make me nauseous so very fast, and it can change. I really like salads, but lately lettuce texture actually makes me ill. I had a reputation as being a picky eater as a child, and this is why.

Temperature - Cold is wonderful. I can wear a t-shirt in below zero weather and not even shiver. Heat destroys me - I hate the feeling of sweat on my skin. I mean it's maddening. I find that I start sweating at temperatures others seem to perceive as mildly warm at best, and when the house is comfortably warm to others it feels suffocatingly hot to me. I cover my heat vent in the winter to try to avoid the worst, but without opening a window I feel like I'm living on the sun.

Proprioception - I have trouble locating myself in space. It's not a huge amount, but it's enough that having people moving around me makes me extremely nervous. I never know where I am in relation to other people and feel like they're going to just walk into me all the time. It doesn't help that a lot of people have a habit of backing away from counters, shelves, etc. before turning around and not checking to make sure that no one is behind them. My body awareness is not very high in general. I also feel like, if I don't have something to carry or hold onto (like a shopping cart, or a bag, or lean on a shelf or a counter), that gravity is slippery and slightly unpredictable. This may be vestibular.

Vestibular - I used to spin a lot. I still like to spin, but I feel like I am sensitive to motion to the point of irritation. Like centripetal force making me move is really uncomfortable and disturbing - this despite the fact that I really loved roller coasters and other amusement park rides in my teens.

Pain - I have fibromyalgia, but I can tolerate a lot of pain (this isn't unusual for people with fibromyalgia). I feel like some kinds of pain are virtually unnoticeable to me while other kinds (muscle pains) can hurt a lot. Either way, I don't feel like I have typical pain responses, but this is not strictly due to autistic sensory issues.

Just wanted to say I agree that sensory issues are prominent with autism. However, if I'm not mistaken they are not part of the diagnostic criteria in the DSM IV. I think everyone has a few sensory quirks, maybe it's just the degree of reaction one feels.

Things that I react to a lot

dry palms-If I don't have lotion or water I will lick them
people touching my back
orange juice pulp-*shudder*
loud high pitched noises-this includes whining children
sunlight- I love light but squint even on overcast days
little bits of paper all over the computer table that my son leaves and feel disturbing when my arm rests on them.

I noticed they are part of the proposed DSM V and I thought that was a good thing. I agree that there is a big difference in degree of reaction than with the general population.

Add to my list being jostled in a tight crowd.

Light: Hate direct sunlight, love cloudy weather.
Sound: Loud noises obviously, but more oddly dead silence gives me a ringing in my ears. I have to keep my fan on 24/7 just to have some constant white noise. I don't know if this is related, but I also can't fly on a plane without my ears hurting really badly to the point where once I'm off the plane I'm virtually deaf for a day or two.
Smell: My sense of smell is actually kind of weak.
Taste: Nothing unusual
Touch: I can't stand the feel of unglazed clay pots, mugs etc.. I generally don't like to be touched by people, but I think this is more due to my social anxiety.

Visual - I have issues with bright lights, to the point of having to wear 50% grey tint lenses all day every day. Strobes give me vertigo (the amount of nausea & dizziness seems be random/based on something I haven't picked up on yet).

Sound - High pitch whines (the kind NTs don't seem to hear), or police/firetruck sirens (I start covering my ears when they're about 4 blocks away).

Smell - Chlorine (bleach, tap water, etc.) and most cleaning chemicals.

Touch - Cotton that isn't denim or a t-shirt makes my skin crawl. I can't stand canvas, or anything starched. Those rubber bracelets everyone seems to wear that say things like "I <3 Boobies" are ok in short bursts, but eventually get violently torn off.

Taste/food texture - I can't stand creamy things. Sour cream, mayo, ranch, etc. Ranch will make me puke (taste and texture). Mooshy things like canned asparagus make me gag also, along with any part of "meat" that isn't muscle protein. Watching me eat fried chicken seems to amuse people.

Temperature - I can't stand sweating. I used to never leave my air conditioned basement, but I've gotten better the last few years.

Other noteworthy issues - if anyone touches my bellybutton I FREAK OUT. I usually end up nearly in convulsions stimming in a ball on the ground. My ears have issues, and I clean them about 4-6 times a day. Needless to say, I go through a lot of q-tips.

I'll mention only a few.

- Smells: I can't stand cigarette smoke and intense garlic smell. I dislike the smell of alcoholic beverages hovering in the air around people who drink them, frowzy people, bad breath, and I don't like intense perfumes either. I can look rather stupid when I smell one or more of them on a city-bus, trying to lean away from the source...

- Light: Although intense sunlight makes me squint and turn down my head, I'd rather do it than wearing sunglasses since it seems to alter my vision an unpleasant way.

- Touch: I don't like handshaking and kissing. In fact, a "real" romantic kiss is something I just can't stand, unfortunately... Hit me and I will act disproportionately. I'm ticklish.

- Food: Not much an issue to me. I can tolerate textures well, although I know how bad a tomato feels for example, I'll eat it anyway, because it's healthy. Being foody helped a lot to overcome issues. I don't like spicy, salty, fatty food, food that I'm not accustomed to, although when I'm hungry, you know, hunger is the best cook...

- Noise: Probably the largest part of my sensory issues. I have moderate misophonia (e.g. mouth noises aggravate me), noises from the neighboring apartments and the hissing of the water tubes bother me. I can barely tolerate ticking clocks. I practically hate the horn of locomotives (esp. the big + small horn combination, which is standard where I live). High pitch noises don't bother me, but whining kids make me upset easily. Sustained commercial radio listening forced on me by my colleagues is a pain to me.

Um, I have a lot of sensory issues and they seem to be very similar to what other members already described. Loud noise, touching (especially from behind - I have to fight the impulse to hit whoever it is doing the touching), clothes made of anything but cotton, any mushy or spicy food, it is all there. I do feel too warm most of the time which makes me bathe compulsively and change clothes all the time as I do hate the feeling of sweaty skin. Oh, and I can't wear the same clothes two times in a row, if they aren't crispy clean, they are whisked off to the laundry basket as I don't like how they feel against my skin. Same goes for towels laundered with softener.
I am actually less sensitive to smells than most people but there are a several smells which drive me up the wall - namely, lipstick, cantaloupe, any perfume and bleach.

I am very sensitive to colours too. Too bright or too dark or too colourful paint on the walls, weird pattern on wallpaper, clothes mismatched by colour make me physically ill and I desperately try to withdraw or look away from them. If I can't get away from the trigger, I would constantly turn my head this way and that, trying to avoid the disturbing view. I almost sprained my neck once or twice doing this.