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What is SPD? - Living With Sensory Processing Disorder & Autism w/21AndSensory
228 Plays5 years ago
What is Sensory Processing Disorder? How do deal with sensory difficulties in your day-to-day? What challenges faces someone with SPD? Are you meeting your own sensory needs?
In this episode of the Thoughty Auti Podcast, Thomas talks to Emily (@21andsensory) about sensory needs/difficulties and the many reasons why having Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) can make life a little more difficult to navigate.
We talk about the recent development of the Sunflower Lanyard Scheme, what individuals can do to cope with daily life and the ways other people can make being sensory... just a little bit more comfortable.
Emily received a diagnosis of ASD in late last year and lives with both anxiety and SPD.
Whether its sunglasses, noise-canceling headphones, fidget toys, sensory rooms or sleep aids... her blog, Instagram page, and podcast offer new insights into the sensory world of autism!
If you have an exciting or interesting story and want to appear on the next podcast, please contact me at: aspergersgrowth@gmail.com
Emily’s Links:-
►Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/21andsensory/
►Blog - https://21andsensory.wordpress.com/
►Podcast - https://21andsensory.wordpress.com/21andsensory-podcasts/
►Twitter -https://twitter.com/21andsensory
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Channel Merchandise - https://teespring.com/stores/aspergers-growth
Support via Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/aspergersgrowth
Social Media ♥ -
☼ Facebook - Aspergers Growth
☼ Twitter/Instagram - @aspergersgrowth
♫ Listen On -
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6vjXgCB7Q3FwtQ2YqPjnEV
Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/thoughty-auti-the-autism-mental-health-podcast/id1470689079
Music -
♫ Track: [Chill Music] Ikson - Reverie [No Copyright Music]
Advert Track: Empty Parking Lot - Colours Of Illusion [Epidemic Sound]
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:00:07
Speaker
Good day, my lovely listeners. You are listening to the 40 Auti Podcast. Tune in every week to explore inspiring stories and insightful information that dive headfirst into the world of autism and mental health. With all those tantalizing tongue twisters out of the way, let's get into the show.
00:00:41
Speaker
Hello, everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the 40 Auti podcast.
00:00:48
Speaker
It has been a little bit of a while. I hope that the festive period, the festive times haven't been too hard on you all. I know it can be a bit stressful, especially with all of the social events and stuff going on, but we're back again for another episode. And today we're talking to Emily from 21 and Sensory.
Emily's Personal and Professional Background
00:01:10
Speaker
How are you doing, Emily? Hi, I'm good, thanks.
00:01:14
Speaker
Have you had a pretty good holiday season? Yeah, it's been really nice actually. It's been good to have a break from work. I had like two weeks off, so just been starting to get back into work this week, which has been a little bit difficult, you know, forgetting how to log in. Yeah. All that sort of stuff. Yeah. But no, it was good. Thanks.
00:01:35
Speaker
Cool. So do you want to tell us a little bit about yourself, what you do, maybe at work and what you do on like Instagram and your podcasts and stuff?
00:01:46
Speaker
Yeah, sure. So yeah, my name is Emily. I'm 25, but I started my blog and Instagram when I was 21. So that's why I'm kind of known as 21 on sensory on social media. So I have sensory processing disorder, which is also sort of known and referred to as SPD.
Diagnosis Journey and Mental Health
00:02:05
Speaker
I am autistic as well. And I was recently diagnosed. So in November 2019, which is just gone.
00:02:12
Speaker
So a little bit more about me and my background, I also have anxiety and episodes of depression. And when I was at university, I found out that I have severe dyslexia. So I was assessed in my first year at uni and told I was dyslexic when I was 19.
00:02:31
Speaker
So in terms of all my sensory sort of stuff an occupational therapist so an OT diagnosed me with my sensory processing disorder when I was in primary school so I'm in the UK so I think that I was around sort of age eight. I've tried a lot of sort of different therapies such as like CBT so cognitive behavioral therapy
00:02:53
Speaker
and also therapy sessions within the NHS, so within CAMS, which is the Child and Adolescence Mental Health Service. But I've also tried some self-funded private therapy sessions as well, but overall I've always found that occupational therapy has been the best sort of therapy for me.
00:03:11
Speaker
So I was on an NHS waiting list for an autism assessment for 14 months. So I was initially referred in September 2018 and I literally just had my autism assessment on November 8th 2019. So yeah, I found out I was autistic aged 25.
00:03:34
Speaker
Welcome to the club. Thank you. Thank you very much.
Career and Content Creation
00:03:38
Speaker
In terms of my personal life, I have a first class BA on graphic design degree. And so I'm currently now a graphic designer full time. And I work solo in house at a cool company. Well, I kind of think so anyway. And I really love my job as it gives my day sort of structure and routine.
00:03:57
Speaker
Um, yeah, so I've just got my little blog and my Instagram, which I've just been running since I was 21. Um, just sharing my kind of journey with sensory difficulties. And obviously now, um, since November, I've been sharing kind of my journey as an autistic person too. So yeah, that's a little bit about me. Very cool. And, um, obviously like being, so you diagnosed at 25. Yes. I'm 25 now. So yeah, November, 2019. Yeah.
00:04:27
Speaker
And that's very, that's very like, it hasn't been a long time since you've, since you've known that you're autistic then. How's that been? It's pretty recent. Yeah, it's, it's, I don't know, it's been almost like a kind of weight off my shoulders to know, because I think me and my parents have always known that, you know, because of my sensory difficulties, I'm a little bit different.
00:04:50
Speaker
which you know isn't a bad thing but I've always sort of struggled with things and I saw a psychologist the year before who said that actually they thought I might be autistic as I was displaying some sort of autistic traits so that's when I thought I was kind of 24 when I first thought well actually I might be autistic so that's kind of what kicked off the process for me so
00:05:15
Speaker
Yeah, I guess I'm kind of late in diagnosis, but obviously I kind of knew from a young age that I was quite a sort of sensory being, and so did my
Autism Diagnostics Discussion
00:05:24
Speaker
parents. So it's always kind of been on my radar, I think.
00:05:28
Speaker
Yeah, I get that. I was diagnosed around the age of 10, so I was diagnosed at 10 years old with Asperger's. And I'm guessing that you have Asperger's as well, right?
00:05:45
Speaker
My, I mean, my official diagnosis is just sort of autism. Cause actually what I didn't realize was, um, at my assessment, my assessor said that they don't actually, um, diagnose aspergers anymore. They don't need to turn. So I was like, Oh, okay. Didn't know that. So I've just kind of been told kind of autistic and then given a level of my kind of like needs level, if that makes sense. So it sounds like the diagnostic kind of process has changed quite a bit. Um,
00:06:15
Speaker
yeah it's um i think it's something to do with the so there's like this uh diagnostic manual that a lot of yeah like psychologists and stuff use things like in the dsm-5 they just decided to get rid of all of that and i don't i don't know i i feel like it's i don't i don't understand quite what they're trying to do with that because
00:06:42
Speaker
It makes sense to have these separate sort of categories because the difference between people, you know, like a few years ago, difference between people who have sort of classic autism, a very, very, very vast in comparison to people with Asperger's and people with things like PDD-NOS, which is sort of very small amount of traits of autism.
00:07:13
Speaker
and um yeah it just kind of boggles my mind but yeah it's weird that you know you've been told you have asperges but now it's not even diagnosed as well you know it's not even mentioned as that anymore it is weird how they've kind of changed that sort of thing and can like drop and add things as they like it is a bit weird yeah definitely but it does make it easier to say i'm autistic you don't have to like come up with a different word for
00:07:41
Speaker
But yeah,
Workplace Experiences and Strategies
00:07:42
Speaker
cool. And you work at a so you work as in a graphic design. I'm kind of a solo designer in house. I work with a lot of engineers, which is good. They're quite logical and kind of analytical thinking and quite straightforward thinking, which is actually really good in terms of me being autistic and stuff. They're quite kind of
00:08:04
Speaker
I don't know, the way that they explain things is very kind of matter of fact, which is really helpful for me. Straightforward. Yeah, exactly. It didn't meaning or interpretation. Yeah, exactly. All up front, which is what I want. Yeah, I get that. It must be good that you've found something that you are very passionate about and that you're in a wetter place that you don't feel out of place.
00:08:30
Speaker
No, I think the only thing I struggle with at my workplace is that it's an open plan office. So that's, that's my kind of, in terms of a pros and cons list, that's the cons, but otherwise it's all kind of pros. So it's very hard to, as a kind of sensory person, find the like ideal workplace, but I'm kind of trying to sort of manage, if that makes sense.
00:08:51
Speaker
Yeah, yeah definitely and do they let you wear like noise cancelling headphones or anything? Yeah, they're good about that and they're quite, I think like a lot of people kind of tend to go into their own zones and put their headphones on and stuff like that because otherwise you just can't concentrate. I don't really understand the logic of an open plan office personally but it's not great for concentration or if you're writing something but yeah, noise cancelling headphones are very handy.
00:09:18
Speaker
And you get some, maybe some like desk dividers and yeah, there's, I'm kind of in one corner, which works quite well. Oh, that's nice. Yeah. So they don't, my, I haven't actually told my, um, work that I'm autistic. Um, I'm trying to decide whether or not to, cause I've been there for two and a half years and I don't know, I don't know if it would change their opinion on me. Obviously, you know, it's confidential and it, you know,
00:09:44
Speaker
it shouldn't change their opinions on me, but I do wonder what my manager would think. So I'm currently, you know, cause I'm quite, I've only just been sort of diagnosed in November. I'm kind of tossing up what, whether or not to say anything. So, yeah, I'm not sure yet, but I've kind of got, you know, um, I got my report through just before Christmas. So I could always kind of go to work with that and just say, look, these are, this is what I struggle with. Um,
00:10:12
Speaker
yeah so currently trying to decide that. Yeah and it can be a little bit of a difficult thing to do because you don't...
Influencer Journey and Community Feedback
00:10:21
Speaker
because I think for a large majority of the people in the UK they would be fine with it and but then you also have the other side where if you've already got the job and you've been working for this amount of time and you're finding it all right
00:10:38
Speaker
is there anything really that you could that you'd like to change? Yeah that's what I'm not sure and I'm not really sure in terms of accommodations what they could kind of you know add unless they gave me my own office which would be great but I don't see that happening um yeah so it's you know I mean I think if I change jobs I would definitely probably kind of say
00:11:00
Speaker
from the beginning sort of thing. But because I kind of just had sensory issues when I started, that's a lot more difficult to explain than being autistic. And finding having the diagnosis of being autistic is a much quicker way of summing up my issues. So yeah, if I start somewhere different, I think I would be upfront about things.
00:11:21
Speaker
Yeah, cool. So why have you chosen to be an influencer? Like, is there anything in particular that drove you to making your Instagram account and doing your podcast and doing your blog? Because it's a lot of commitment.
00:11:36
Speaker
It is, yeah. It's difficult because I'm not sure I ever actively chose to be an influencer or even if I'm an influencer now, but I just sort of fell into it through my blog. So when I was 21, I decided that I was going to start a blog about all my kind of sensory issues and just kind of daily living with sensory stuff.
00:11:57
Speaker
And I thought, because whenever I used to sort of Google stuff about kind of sensory issues, it used to always come up with like children and toddlers. And it was all very kind of American based, which is fine. I obviously don't have a problem with that. But, you know, these sensory children and toddlers, they grow up to be sensory teens and adults. And I just felt there was like a bit of a gap in the market in terms of
00:12:21
Speaker
support for, you know, those sensory beings that, you know, grow up and continue to, you know, try and cope in this world. So that's why I sort of decided that I'd start my blog and just maybe fill in the gap of, you know, I'm a sensory person and I've grown up and here's how I'm living sort of thing. So then I sort of went on from my blog to start on Instagram and kind of went on from there.
00:12:44
Speaker
I guess, but yeah, I just want, um, I just kind of decided to start it because I wanted it to be recognized that you don't grow out of this sort of thing. It's not, you know, it is something that you deal with and you cope with for the rest of your life. And, you know, you might get better at kind of coping with things, but, um, not if you can't read about it online and things. So I think awareness is getting better, but yeah, you know, certainly when I was 21, there wasn't a lot out there.
00:13:12
Speaker
Yeah, I think it must be nice for people to see your channel and just going on the fact that you've gone through a large majority of your life with these issues or differences and you've got a job and you've settled down and
00:13:36
Speaker
Do you think that there are many people out there who find your stuff helpful and comforting to know about?
00:13:45
Speaker
I think so. I mean, I was, when I first started, um, my blog, I used to get, you know, little comments here and there, but now like on my Instagram, I get a few messages a day from people who just stumble across my stuff and say, you know, I can really relate to this. And it's lovely to hear because when I was 21, I didn't, I didn't know anyone who struggled with sensory stuff. And just to hear from people saying, Oh, I'm like that, or
00:14:09
Speaker
Yeah, I find brushing my teeth hard or something simple like that. It's like, yes, someone else gets it. So it's nice brings a smile to your face. Yeah, it just brings like, I don't know, sense of community and that it's not just you struggling, which is really nice in terms of, you know, finding a community. Hmm. What do you hope to help to deal with all of all of this stuff?
00:14:33
Speaker
guess, just continue to raise awareness of things. And I think now that I know I'm autistic, I'm sort of starting to
00:14:44
Speaker
I don't know, share my kind of journey. I've just written a big kind of blog post about kind of start to finish of my kind of process of being diagnosed. And I feel like a lot of people these days are getting diagnosed quite late in life, sort of 2030s, even like 40s, you know, you're old people who are, you know, just realizing, oh, actually, I might, you know, be autistic. So I think just raising more awareness of, you know, sensory things and that
00:15:12
Speaker
it's it's okay sort of thing and I think also I get messages from from parents who kind of I wasn't even kind of aiming to sort of help children and toddlers if that sounds bad but obviously they have a lot of kind of stuff on the internet already but I guess they've got a large market
00:15:33
Speaker
I get a lot of messages from parents saying, oh, you know, my toddler can't speak yet, but what you're what you're kind of sharing kind of shows me what they might grow up into or what they might be feeling or, you know, what they can't get into words, which to me was like really amazing. I was like, oh, I wasn't even kind of looking to hit that sort of demographic. But actually, you know, you don't think about it, but, you know, children, you know, don't have the best sort of verbal kind of language, do they? So, yeah.
00:16:00
Speaker
And also being on the spectrum as well, like it's a significant sort of dampener on communicating socially, how are you feeling?
Sensory Experiences and Management
00:16:10
Speaker
And yeah, I understand that. And I think having parents having someone like yourself to listen to and hear about what it could be like for their children. It must be really great for them as well.
00:16:27
Speaker
Yeah. And that's something I never even considered that, you know, it might be helpful for them to see, oh, actually, you know, they might grow into this or this is what they're, you know, coping with at the moment, but they can't get into words. So, yeah, it's nice to know.
00:16:41
Speaker
Yeah it definitely brings a smile to my face. It's lovely because obviously a lot of this stuff is for the most when you start off and when you're in that phase of growing your medias and your channel and your podcasts and stuff there's a little bit of a
00:17:04
Speaker
You put a lot of your time into it, and there's not much monetary return, but a lot of the things, a lot of the benefits of it come from knowing that you are actually making a difference and improving things for people. Exactly. I think that's great. That's really goals you.
00:17:28
Speaker
So yeah, you have sensory processing disorder. That was the first thing that you were diagnosed with. What kind of sensory difficulties do you have or did you have that they sort of picked up on? And how would you explain them to people who don't have any sort of differences in their sensory profiles?
00:17:53
Speaker
Um, so I guess kind of from the beginning, it's kind of the whole sensory processing disorder thing. It kind of exists when like sensory signals aren't like detected or they don't get organized into sort of appropriate like responses in your head. So professionals sort of explain that like SPD is a bit of a like a neurological traffic jam sort of in your head. So like certain parts of the brain, um, kind of from receiving the information needs needed to interpret the sensory information correctly.
00:18:21
Speaker
So that sort of means that a person with sensory processing difficulties finds it difficult to process any information received through their senses. So for me, things like sort of any of my sort of five main senses, so things in terms of noise I find quite difficult or sort of unexpected touch and that sort of thing
00:18:45
Speaker
it can be quite overwhelming and like sometimes can kind of cause me to have a bit of a sort of sensory meltdown. So it's hard to explain to someone who is neurotypical that, you know, your senses
00:19:00
Speaker
are just heightened all the time they don't you can't switch them off sort of thing they're just always on and they're always running sort of really high and everything is kind of overwhelming to some extent and obviously you get sort of good days or bad days and different things affect it
00:19:19
Speaker
But I would say there's kind of, you know, the main sort of senses such as like kind of touch could be really difficult in terms of a kind of light or kind of unexpected. And it's stuff that people don't really consider in everyday life. So like, for example, if someone like pats me on the shoulder at work or something to get my attention, like that is really overwhelming for me.
00:19:45
Speaker
but just feel a rush of adrenaline. Yeah, exactly. Like you say, Ooh, I didn't expect that.
00:19:51
Speaker
But to someone who's neurotypical, they're literally just trying to get my attention and you're like, and I'm like, that's not okay. You've set me over the edge, but they're just like, you know, Emily, I need to ask you a question. So it seems, it's like a really basic thing, but it's so overwhelming and it's really hard to get that across. So yeah, um, it is hard to explain and you know, some days I might deal with that better than others, depending on like my mood and stuff like that. So.
00:20:19
Speaker
How much sleep you've had would be about any energy drinks or anything. Yeah, exactly. So it's kind of the same as everyone, you know, people, you know, if they haven't had their caffeine or enough sleep and stuff like that, then, you know, mood can be, you know, affected, but the same with kind of coping with sensory things, you know, if you're not feeling a hundred percent, then, you know, it's gonna, things are going to get to you and overwhelm you quicker than they might on a good day sort of thing. So yeah, it is a weird one to explain.
00:20:49
Speaker
And I think one of the most difficult things of trying to explain is, you know, there's a lot of things out there for autistic, specifically autistic children that are inherently quite
00:21:06
Speaker
stimulating century wise so like there's there's videos of you know we even have like therapy at the school that i work at where they'll you know give the children like pressure massages or um have this little box where there's loads of lights and mirrors and noises and sounds and
00:21:30
Speaker
I think sometimes it's hard to... Oh, there's a bit of sensory feedback there. I can hear myself a little bit. Right, we'll run with it. What was I saying? Yeah, sensory seeking. So I think that there is quite a big difference between having
00:21:55
Speaker
sensory difficulties so the difficulties of going out in everyday life like walking down the street having all the people around talking passing by some maybe sometimes bumping into you a little bit yeah um the lights the noise of the buses having to concentrate on a lot of different things
00:22:17
Speaker
There is a big difference between that and for example listening to some really loud music or watching something on a video that's quite you know sort of flashy and all that kind of stuff.
00:22:36
Speaker
I think sometimes it's hard for people to get their head around why we like touching things, like touching soft things and looking at nice lights and stuff even though we get overwhelmed by our senses as well. Do you ever find that you have sort of a sensory seeking sort of aspect to
Sensory Seeking and Enjoyment
00:23:00
Speaker
it?
00:23:00
Speaker
I think yeah like you say you can have like sort of sensory seeking but you're also sort of sensory defensive at the same time and yeah sometimes I'll be like seeking stuff like you know like fidget toys or you know some sort of kind of I don't know sort of stimulating thing like a kind of like optical light or something like that or like even just like for Christmas I got some sort of like bubble timers and they're quite kind of mesmerizing to sort of watch so I think I do
00:23:29
Speaker
I do have that kind of seeking aspect, but I'm mainly quite a sensory defensive person. But then I know some autistic people who are majorly sensory seeking and, you know, not that sort of sensory defensive. So again, it's kind of, I don't know, there's a spectrum of autism, but also kind of a, you know, not everyone is as seeking as each other, if that makes sense.
00:23:57
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, I get that. And I think, depending on the person, that sensory profile can be completely different. So I'm quite sensory defensive. Like yourself, I find busy places difficult. But I only find them difficult when there's a lot of different sensory things going on at the same time and I can't control it.
00:24:25
Speaker
that's that's the thing that i find the most difficult okay but if i if i'm going into if i'm listening to some let's just say like heavy metal or something that i like i like a bit of heavy metal um that's a lot of noise and they usually have my headphones quite quite high and stuff and
00:24:48
Speaker
It does sometimes baffle me that I gravitate towards things like that, but I think it's because it's just one noise, just one input. If it's like a consistent noise, yeah, I get what you mean. Yeah, like white noise or anything like that, I really enjoy.
00:25:12
Speaker
My sensory profile is pretty much heightened senses, so hypersensitivity in pretty much everything, apart from
00:25:27
Speaker
my movement, my spatial awareness. So it just means that I get overwhelmed very easily, but I'm also extremely clumsy. And I always injure myself on passing objects. Shoulder barge a lamp post. It's when you find bruises on yourself, you're like, how have I done that?
00:25:51
Speaker
Yeah, just found like a massive gash on your arm. What have I done to do this? Yeah, now I get what you mean. Cool. So yeah, sensory profiles can be very, very difficult and it's hard to find a real way of explaining it to people. I have searched a little bit and there's something that I came across recently called the Autism Reality Experience. Okay.
00:26:20
Speaker
Hopefully, I'll be able to get them on a podcast at some point, but they do these training courses where they teach people about what it's like to be autistic and they have these rooms that they set up that are basically designed to make people very sensory overloaded.
00:26:46
Speaker
I think if I was to go into it, it would just instantly flick some kind of cortisol boost in the system. It would make me very stressed out, but for neurotypicals, it sort of simulates what it is like to get them to do very simple tasks while they're being bombarded with everything from all different directions and stuff. And I found that very cool.
00:27:13
Speaker
Yeah, just to kind of be put in someone else's shoes actually is an interesting concept. Yeah, definitely.
Collaboration and Social Strategies
00:27:20
Speaker
I've searched high and low for something like that and I happen to come across it by chance. So hopefully, yeah, yeah, definitely. And I'm hoping that I can go down at some point to sort of shoot a video with them and try my best to go into that room, maybe. Yeah, I wonder what that'd be like, you know.
00:27:43
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know if there's like things on videos on YouTube that try and mimic it and stuff. I find them absolutely intolerable, intolerable.
00:27:56
Speaker
There are there are great ways of trying to explain it. It's just very hard to verbalize what it's like. Yeah, definitely. So yeah, you have a different sensory profile. How does it affect how you live your life? Like, how does it affect your work and your social life and, and all of that? I think
00:28:21
Speaker
Since uni days from 1920 onwards, I've learnt to say no to a lot more things and I think I'm still learning that because obviously in the most polite way possible.
00:28:36
Speaker
because I feel like I get burnt out and overwhelmed so easily just from sort of one social event, you know, if it's more than one or two people, you know, at a time, or group socializing, it just drains me so much. And the next day, I tend to have something that I sort of refer to as like a sensory hangover. And yeah, obviously not
00:28:59
Speaker
anything to do with alcohol but i'm just using the term hangover but just like describing me kind of being really physically tired kind of mentally drained and just sort of spaced out after having such like a kind of like intense sort of sensory like social event you know because it can be really noisy it can be crowded it can be kind of
00:29:22
Speaker
overwhelming and I've so very taxing yeah exactly and I've sort of become a pro at like locating toilets as soon as I get to these sources yeah cuz you're like I just want to escape for five and kind of get myself back a bit and then go back out but it's sort of these things that you learn when you get older like oh
00:29:41
Speaker
I'm just going to pop to Lou because that's, you know, it sounds normal, doesn't it? To your friends, to your mates, like just going to pop to Lou, but actually not going to the Lou. I just want to go sit in the quiet for five minutes. So yeah, I think.
00:29:56
Speaker
I think I'm kind of slowly learning that it, you know, it's okay to say no to things and to kind of, you know, it's difficult because you want to be included in everything. You don't want to miss out. But again, there's only so much you can do without, you know, overwhelming yourself. And I think
00:30:13
Speaker
You know, a lot of it is kind of masking, like, you know, when you're out and about, you've got to kind of put on this mask or this act of, you know, you're enjoying yourself. But actually, it's, you know, it's a lot of effort to keep up a kind of act of, you know, I'm OK, I'm managing when actually you get home and you're a bit kind of just pooped from it like a run of marathon. Yeah, exactly. So, yeah, it sounds like you get what I mean.
00:30:38
Speaker
Yeah, I do. Completely. So I used to do taekwondo. So I used to go to competitions, I used to fight and stuff. And if you haven't been to one before, taekwondo halls, the places where they have it, the sports halls,
00:31:03
Speaker
are some of the worst places for sensory overloads in the world. Bright floodlights, lots of people everywhere, lots of people talking, lots of beeps and all of that stuff. It must be quite echoey and kind of noisy. Yeah, very disorientated and it's for a long time to do these competitions go on for like eight to ten hours so it's
00:31:31
Speaker
And did you find that that sensory stuff affected your performance in terms of the sport? Oh, yeah. Yeah, definitely. Definitely. Yeah, there's there's a lot of situations where it is difficult. It was difficult for me. It still is to some extent, but I sort of I know I know like the ratio with going out
00:31:56
Speaker
and doing things that could possibly be busy, in a busy place, to sitting on my own and chilling. I think the more that I've got older, the more that I've got a feel for how much I can do, really, in a week. Obviously, some of my friends, they like to go out and do stuff and
00:32:19
Speaker
they're like to go to places sometimes that are a little bit too busy for me and I just prefer to stay in so we sort of switch it up and have a bit of a compromise and we go to places, restaurants or places that aren't too noise heavy that we know which is nice, it's nice that my friends can do that but I think
00:32:46
Speaker
sorry go on i was just gonna say just being able to hear your friends in like yeah as well yeah it's such a nice thing like i don't understand why you'd go out and have to shout at your friends because it's so noisy so i get what you mean just going somewhere that's quieter so you can actually hear and like actually have a conversation yeah and i don't know whether you've got this you get this as well but
00:33:10
Speaker
Um, my voice is very, very quiet. It's almost like just one or two levels under how people use, how loud people's voices usually are. So sometimes it can be hard for people to understand what I'm saying. Right. And I think, I think of, think of some, having a, having a little bit of a thought experiment about it. Um,
00:33:36
Speaker
Maybe it's because my ears are quite hypersensitive and if I reach the volume that all my friends tend to reach, it affects me. My own voice overloads me if I'm too loud. That's interesting.
00:33:54
Speaker
Have you ever found anything like that? I think so. I get what you mean. Like you don't, you sort of, you sort of pitch your own level to suit you sort of thing. So I think, yeah, I'm quite sort of naturally softly spoken and I can find other people's volume quite kind of overwhelming, you know, say in a meeting at work or something, I'll think, you know, Oh, actually they're much louder than I am. Is that, you know, just, is that just me thinking that or I get what you mean?
00:34:26
Speaker
Yeah and sometimes it can be a bit difficult especially for my friends, some of my friends in the south as well because I have a tiny bit of an accent, tiny bit of a northern accent. I don't think it's that much because for some reason Harrogate tends to be a bit more southernly spoken in comparison to surrounding areas but
00:34:49
Speaker
the accent in combined with the low volume can be a bit difficult for some of my friends, but... Okay. It's also, I think also there's, as well as trying to balance the sensory stuff, there is an aspect of, I think as you said, you suffer with depression as well.
Anxiety, Depression, and Urban Challenges
00:35:13
Speaker
And I have similar things, I have anxiety.
00:35:19
Speaker
and depression and I could feel like I'm in a constant, not battle, but I'm in a constant shifting of priorities. So if I sort of try and manage my anxieties, stay in a bit more, try not to be surrounded by as many sensory things, many social things.
00:35:44
Speaker
and because i do that my depression gets worse because i'm more isolated and on my own and i'm not around my friends and vice versa so it's have you ever found that
00:35:57
Speaker
you have to sort of try and find a golden ratio of that stuff. Definitely and it's a lot of kind of I don't know keeping up appearances across it all because like you say if you kind of tend to one thing like your anxiety like your mental health might get a bit worse and you might find you're getting kind of more episodes of depression and stuff and yeah like you say like
00:36:21
Speaker
kind of even just sensory wise you know you might need some time out and some time at home but then you feel like you'll get you're kind of kind of isolated so it's i don't know it's a weird cycle of kind of of you know you kind of want to be with people but you don't and you don't really know how to help yourself sometimes yeah definitely and it's it's it's also just depending on the cycles of your mood as well right
00:36:50
Speaker
some weeks you'll be less anxious, some weeks you'll be incredibly anxious, some weeks it'll be all right and you have to... I think sometimes I have to push myself a little bit into it and usually when I go out from
00:37:09
Speaker
you know, maybe just spending a little bit more time at home and chilling a bit more, going out into a busy place, I think for like maybe like an hour, an hour and a half, that period of time is very difficult, very like overwhelming. I sort of compare it to being in,
00:37:33
Speaker
being in like, do you know like one of those dog pounds that the... Yeah, yeah. Yeah, and walking between these two like long cages, the ones that you see in movies. Yeah. And dogs just like barking at you and getting your attention and making different noises. That's a good way of putting it, yeah.
00:37:53
Speaker
That's kind of what I feel like after going out into, especially like a city or something. Like, God forbid, that's... Cardio with cities. Lived in one for four years, but... Impressive. Cardio with cities. No, I get you. Much prefer to sort of try and take the non-main road routes. Yup. Towns over cities, definitely.
00:38:19
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. Okay. Do you think so this is a bit of a different one. Do you think there are any benefits to having a different sensory profile?
Benefits of Heightened Perception
00:38:33
Speaker
Because obviously you have a lot of you do a lot of art and you you got a first class in did in graphics design, which well done. Thank you. That must have been very
00:38:47
Speaker
you know, like very, you know, hard work and stuff. So it's amazing that you got such a great result from that. But yeah, sensory, like, does it affect your work?
00:38:58
Speaker
I think it does. I think I have this ability to sort of hyper focus on things and kind of, I don't know, get into this kind of work focus mode where I can just kind of do things and not realize time passing workflow. Yeah. Just, I think I have that sort of focus if I'm passionate about something, so it's something like graphic design. And I chose a uni course that was just coursework because
00:39:25
Speaker
I loved coursework at A levels and GCSEs, but I was always really bad at exams because it was on the day, spur of the moment, remember stuff. Whereas coursework, you could take the time and the effort. I was always much better at doing that thing. I think my sensory profile helps in that because I can focus on things whereas
00:39:55
Speaker
you know, my friends will be doing all night is like the week before the deadline, but I'll, I'll already sort of be done and kind of have done even more than, you know, gone over, you know, what I needed to do and done, you know, more because I take the kind of time and I like to prioritize things earlier. So I feel like I'm quite an organized person in terms of my work and usually kind of, I don't know, at uni.
00:40:19
Speaker
you know, there's that kind of, kind of, I don't know, concept that, you know, most people are doing things last minute, but I'm not that sort of person. So I think in that way, that, yeah, it's kind of helped me. That's good. I was very organised my first year, but
00:40:40
Speaker
Like my, the years after that, I was absolutely terrible for organizing myself. So well done for that. Most of my work was exam based and I absolutely hated it. I hated it so much. It was
00:41:00
Speaker
it's terrible because I think also with exams you've got that aspect of not knowing exactly what they want you to put down. So I can read papers and I can look at mark schemes but as soon as a new question comes up I think of a million different possible ways of which they want me to answer a question. It's just processing what they actually want you to
00:41:27
Speaker
Yeah, they're not specific enough, are they? No. And the questions, I always used to have to highlight the bits. I'm like, what are they actually asking me? Just rant off into some philosophical debate about... Exactly. Which is, I'll go off on one and then go back to the question and realise, oh, actually, that's not what it was asking. And I'll be like, oh, so, yeah, I know what you mean.
00:41:50
Speaker
Do you find that you have more of an attention to detail? Do you find that you get inspired by things and can pick out little different ways of doing things? I think so.
00:42:08
Speaker
Yeah, I think just in terms of design as well, I'm quite a kind of I can pick up on things. The only thing that sets me back is because I'm dyslexic, I won't see spelling mistakes and things. But otherwise, in terms of design and images and kind of layout and stuff like that, I can pick up on stuff quite well. It's just my kind of dyslexia that sets me back, especially like at work, if I'm designing something for like a banner stand or something.
00:42:33
Speaker
I'll try and get someone else to proofread it because I just don't see the spelling mistakes and I'll use spell checker and stuff. But you know, that doesn't get everything sometimes. So yeah, there's things that you know, are my strengths and you know, your definite weaknesses, but I just try and put things in place like, you know, saying to someone else, look, can you just have a look at this for me?
Diverse Abilities Within Autism Spectrum
00:42:55
Speaker
So yeah, because I know that
00:43:00
Speaker
The one thing that sort of boggles me about autism in general is that you can have
00:43:09
Speaker
I'm trying not to use the word spectrum, but at one end of the spectrum, you can have these hyper-analytical, completely logic-driven people who do stats and maths and science at such a massive level that's unbelievable. And then you can also have people at the right opposite end of the spectrum again.
00:43:36
Speaker
who are just amazingly creative. And it sort of boggles me a little bit on that front. And I'm not sure whether it's to do with differences in senses or whether it's just... I don't know. It's weird. It's difficult, yeah, because it's always been in the diagnostic manuals and stuff that we have sort of a restrictive imagination.
00:44:06
Speaker
And yeah, we produce things like, especially you, like producing things that are amazing. Thanks. I think, yeah, we're all kind of wired so differently. And I know that's not exactly the most kind of like, I don't know.
00:44:23
Speaker
like a doctor wouldn't say that. But I think we are kind of all our brains are just that slightly differently kind of set up. So even if we are kind of dealing with sort of a neurological traffic jam, as they say, you know, actually, we are we have real strengths in other places. So yeah. So
00:44:47
Speaker
Yeah, we talked a little bit about the benefits and a little bit about your sensory profile as it affects you. What changes have you made in your life to alleviate these sensory-related stresses? I know we've touched a little bit about social events and stuff, but is there any specific little things that you do just to set yourself at ease? That's a really good question.
00:45:18
Speaker
I think I do just try and take sort of more breaks kind of daily and things like that.
00:45:27
Speaker
I don't know even if I'm just say I'm at work or something and the office is just getting a bit too noisy. I know that I can take myself off out of the office into our little sort of cafe area or even to the toilets. And I know that I'll feel better for doing that. I'll feel better for taking a break, having like five minutes out and then I can kind of come back into the office and kind of get back to work again. So I've kind of, I think also since my diagnosis of autism,
00:45:57
Speaker
I've learnt to be less harsh on myself because everyone else is working throughout the day and not getting up from their desks, but I can't do that. I think in order for me to work better and do as much work as other people, perhaps, that I've got to take those regular breaks or that time out from the noise and stuff like that.
00:46:20
Speaker
I think I'm just kind of learning to adapt to where I'm working or the environment and stuff. And likewise, you know, going out or meeting different people and stuff like that. I've just got to go at my own pace. And I think I'm learning more about my own pace. Whereas before, I was quite hard on myself. I was like, you know, why can't I do what everyone else is doing?
Lifestyle Comparisons and Sensory Aids
00:46:44
Speaker
Yeah, you see people around doing things that to you just look like really stressful and yeah Socializing, you know Maybe they're a bit of a socialite and they go partying all the time and always around people all the time in the houses They're never on their own and then you also have people who just go through the daily Just go through the day just start living out sort of a normative
00:47:15
Speaker
lifestyle, like not really deviating from, you know, go to work in the morning.
00:47:22
Speaker
have some breakfast, go to lunch, talk to some people, come back home, talk to your girlfriend, boyfriend, spouse, family, and then go to sleep after watching some TV. I feel like sometimes I feel like if I can't do that, I am also quite hard on myself in that way because I feel like there is
00:47:47
Speaker
It's not, it's not necessarily an expectation from other people. It's just, I want to be able to do what other people do. Yeah. And you compare yourself as well. It's so easy to compare yourself and we shouldn't, but you think, oh, if they're doing it, you just, I don't know, it's annoying. I get that. So you, you found that taking breaks and stuff can be very helpful.
00:48:15
Speaker
And I know we've talked a little bit about the fidget toys and the headphones and stuff. Those are all great ways of helping with sensory difficulties. In adults, of course, there's different things that you can try. One of the things that I've come across recently is this company called Fidget Bomb. Oh, I think I saw your video.
00:48:41
Speaker
yeah i'm hoping i'm hoping to uh have to have them on the podcast um i think tomorrow actually i don't know okay um but it will be uploaded like a little bit later but yeah they they make these i can't really describe it it's the best way that i could describe it without showing someone would be a bed sock okay so it's sort of like a
00:49:08
Speaker
thing that you put around your mattress and you zip it up at the side and then you get in it and it's just this it's this sort of pressurized stretchy fabric okay so it's kind of like a tight sleeping bag round you but kind of over your mattress yeah and it's it's easy to get out and you can it's it's very different to like these weighted blankets that you have where you feel sort of it's a bit muggy and warm and stuff and
00:49:35
Speaker
Yeah. I sleep with one every night, but in the summer I can't. So something like that might work better. Yeah.
00:49:43
Speaker
i find sleeping really hard and i have to at least toss and turn like a lot and i think that that's a big part of sensory stuff for me as well like trying to wind down yeah i have to stretch i have to i cut so i can't sleep in one position and then fall asleep i can't like lay in one position
00:50:07
Speaker
It's never like that. It's always, I've got to change position about 20 times, stretch a few times. Yeah. I do envy those people that can just fall asleep. Just fall asleep, I like that.
00:50:24
Speaker
Yeah, me too. But yeah, I tried way too much, it's the tough, but it's really cool and it helps me a lot. It's just the whole pressure thing, pressure being quite a big way of alleviating tension for autistic people.
00:50:42
Speaker
Definitely. I found that that has helped quite a bit. I've slept in it two nights so far. Both nights, really nice. I can sort of lift my legs up if I want as well, just sort of bend them. That's good. It puts a bit more pressure on my legs and stuff, which is nice. It sounds less restrictive as well than, yeah, like a weighted blanket where you are. You're sort of caught in one position and you have to lift it up every time you turn, so that does sound quite good. Yeah, it's really nice and I think
00:51:13
Speaker
with with any sort of sensory differences normal things can be more difficult and I think sleep is one of those things as well. So we talked a little bit about what changes you can make, things that you can do, the benefits, all that. Is there anything that other people can do? Is there anything that larger society or companies can do to coax autistic people in?
Corporate Awareness and Community Support
00:51:42
Speaker
Yeah, I think, I think we're going in the right way in terms of I don't know if you've heard about the like the sunflower like lanyard schemes. I don't know how I feel about it, but I feel like it is a step in the right direction in terms of, you know, I'm not sure if we should be kind of, you know,
00:52:03
Speaker
I can see that you know wearing the lanyard might kind of highlight to someone that you might need some help but I don't know in terms of you know having someone come up to you and talk to you if that would be helpful or just you know you know helping someone to be redirected around a store but I think
00:52:19
Speaker
the more aware sort of neurotypical people are, the better, you know, things will become, you know, things like loud repetitive noises, unexpected touch, new food, strong snails, like, that list is just goes on and on. And I don't think people realise that these things make us quite uncomfortable and overwhelmed. And I feel like companies are maybe just starting to jump on to that sort of thing. I don't think they've got it quite right yet. But
00:52:50
Speaker
know, I've seen a lot of talk about like these lanyards and stuff online. And you know, what is you know, how helpful can someone be in a supermarket, but I think, you know, just that there's more awareness is a good thing. I don't know. I don't know how you feel about it.
00:53:04
Speaker
I think that it's nice that they're trying to do something, but I feel like that lanyard thing is geared more towards going back to pre-DSM5, more classic autistic people, people who are a bit more low-functioning. In terms of people who are more high-functioning, I don't think there is much that
00:53:34
Speaker
that companies and stuff can do with that. I think the main source of comfort is having people around you that
00:53:47
Speaker
understand that areas are difficult. Like it can be very endearing, like very nice to hear when someone will turn to you like in a busy restaurant or in a busy part of town when one of your friends turn to you and say, are you all right? It's a bit busy and noisy in here. It's like just little things like that. Just make it
00:54:10
Speaker
just make it not easy and you don't feel like you're on a complete different wavelength to everybody. Yeah, just just nicety, really, human niceness towards each other and compromise.
00:54:28
Speaker
And I think, and like you say, just, I find like, if someone asks me if I'm okay, I'll be like, yeah, I'm fine. But if someone wants to say, you know, are you a bit overwhelmed at the moment? Should we go outside? Or, you know, the way people kind of say things, you know, rather than just saying, oh, are you okay? If they're more specific and say, are you a bit overwhelmed or do you need to take five?
00:54:52
Speaker
then i'll be more likely to kind of divulge some information so yeah just being nice to people like you say yeah yeah and if you are you know if anybody out there is listening and you do have friends or partners who are autistic
00:55:08
Speaker
sometimes yeah just letting them know that that you're thinking about them and not just going to places or social events completely ignorant of any sort of experience that autistic people may be having.
00:55:27
Speaker
Yeah, just showing that common niceness and asking questions about what can be done better or differently, just to accommodate a little bit more. That stuff can go a long way, definitely.
00:55:42
Speaker
even if it's just going out doing something a bit busy going to a restaurant i'm sure many people on the spectrum can cope with it if they know that they're going somewhere that's busy for you know a couple of hours an hour or so depending on the person and then maybe doing something a bit more chilled out and less busy less less noisy and stuff i think all of that stuff can be
00:56:12
Speaker
really helpful, especially in terms of building a relationship with them as well. Because if you understand someone's different experience, then you've got its bottom. Yeah, massively. I agree. So this is always a little bit of a difficult question because you'll have to think back at what we've talked about.
Understanding and Support Networks
00:56:34
Speaker
Okay. But what three things that we've mentioned or you've mentioned that
00:56:42
Speaker
you think are most important to take away from this podcast, just for anybody who's listening.
00:56:49
Speaker
think maybe both of us kind of saying that you know we come in all sort of different packages in terms of sensory seeking and sensory defensive you know no no two autistic people are the same or you know people with Asperger's like you're never going to have someone you're never going to find the same sort of autistic person so just understanding that
00:57:12
Speaker
we are all different and we kind of have our own different strengths and weaknesses. I think that's one kind of main thing that I would take away. I'm trying to think as well another thing. I think maybe just kind of that one of the things I said was that you know
00:57:33
Speaker
children and toddlers who are autistic or sensory they're gonna grow up to be autistic and sensory and you know just helping them to go through because childhood's difficult and you know adulthood is you know not plain sailing um so you know just being able to support your child you know through that and you know like my parents have been super um supportive and understanding
00:57:59
Speaker
Yeah and they know my strengths, they know my weaknesses, they know what I need help with in terms of living and stuff like that so that is great you know and I know not everyone has that and I know support services are a bit stretched in you know places like the UK so I know it can be difficult but if you can find a support network somehow I think that's really important in being able to cope as you know
00:58:23
Speaker
someone who is neurodivergent in the world. Yes, that's another thing I think I take away. Last point? Last point. Oh, good question. I don't know. I think in terms of sort of like sensory aids, it's definitely like worth looking around to see what works for you, like you saying about the fidget bum thing and me saying about weighted blankets and stuff. It's worth trialing these things.
00:58:51
Speaker
Um, the company I got my way to blanket from, they gave me a trial with it. So, you know, companies are understanding that, you know, we, you want to test something out as a sensory or like autistic or a spurt, you know, you want to, you want to try something before you buy it. And I know a lot of kind of sensory items are quite expensive and, you know, a lot of kind of people are making their own way to blankets and stuff like that. So there's different options and things, but yeah, I think.
00:59:20
Speaker
Things like that are really helping us cope in the world better, you know, helping us to get better sleep, which is really important because like you say, it's difficult to switch off at night. You know, your thoughts are like racing and yeah, you'd kind of fidget a lot and stuff like that. So I think that's another thing I take away. Um, yeah, I hope those were two, um, brilliant things. Yeah, brilliant. And, uh, obviously, uh, noise counseling headphones.
00:59:46
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, those sort of sensory aids are so good. Yeah, I'm not sure I'd be able to function without them, to be honest. Me neither. I sometimes even put them on in my own home. Right, I've got them on now. I'm listening to you with noise cancelling them now. It's like bliss, like being on a beach. It's nice, isn't it? It's when you take it off and you're back in the real world, you're like, oh. All this background noise. Yeah, you just don't realise.
01:00:13
Speaker
No, no, it's not quiet. It's never quiet. Never quiet. Yeah. Cool. Um, so this is the sort of last question, something that I ask everybody who comes onto the podcast, well not everybody, but specific people. What does autism mean to you?
01:00:35
Speaker
So I think it means that I'm different but not less. So I have different strengths to sort of neurotypical people. And even though I do find things difficult to deal with in this like really sensory world, I'm learning every day to cope better with things.
01:00:52
Speaker
And I also think autism to me is like a sense of community because we are, I don't like to use the word spectrum or like scale, but we are all on this kind of big kind of line and we're all so different. But the fact that we can come together and support groups kind of in real life and online as well, which I think is really kind of taking off is like a really huge thing to me. So yeah, I hope that's a good enough description of what it means. Yeah. The autism community. Yeah. Brilliant.
01:01:23
Speaker
Cool. So yeah, I think that's the end of the questions. Do you want to give everybody some links to follow up on anything? Social media or?
01:01:38
Speaker
Um, yeah, so, um, my Twitter and Instagram are the same. They're both at 21 and sensory. And, um, my blog is 21 sensory dot where press.com. So that's where you'll find me online. I'm kind of more, um, if you want to keep up with me more day to day, Instagram's probably the place to find me.
01:01:59
Speaker
Hmm, and you have a sort of a link tree Link as well where you have your podcast on there and stuff. So all of your stuff is very streamlined I need to take some some tips from you Show me how to do that that link tree thing Definitely
01:02:22
Speaker
Cool. So yeah, today we've talked a little bit about sensory things. I hope that everybody out there has got something from this episode. Emily has, you know, Emily, you've been great. And you've given a lot of your own personal experiences. And it's awesome to hear that you're in a in a good job and you're finding new things and
01:02:52
Speaker
and that you're a part of the autism community now, so. Very thankful for that. Hooray! If there's anybody out there who has any ideas for the podcast, anybody that you think would be good to come on, maybe it's yourself, maybe you have some stories that you can offer, anything like that, get in contact with
01:03:19
Speaker
the email at Asperger's Grove, no not as. That's your social media, it's all good. Social media is at Asperger's Grove, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
01:03:34
Speaker
Yeah, get in contact with email asperdishgrowth at gmail.com, YouTube channel asperdishgrowth, of course. And if you want to get in contact with me about anything, let me know on those those links. I'll put them in the description along with Emily's links. But yeah, Emily, thank you so much for coming on to the podcast. Have you enjoyed it?
01:04:00
Speaker
Yeah, I really enjoyed it. Thank you so much for having me. It's been nice to just have a kind of nice chat. Cool. Yeah, thank you very much for watching, everybody. And I will see you in the next episode of the 40 Autie podcast. See you later, peeps. You can say goodbye as well, by the way. Bye, everyone. I always forget to mention that. I'm like, shall I be quiet?
01:04:31
Speaker
Goodbye!