KIDCOMPANIONS - Key Persons

I've had a problem with rough fabrics since I was a little kid. I'm now in my sixties. Found it near impossible to wear a wool pullover as it felt itchy even through my shirt and vest. Trousers with any wool at all in were also a problem. Also struggled with brushed cotton pillowcases against my face. Think it's basically down to materials that have a woolly surface. Even seeing other people wearing woolly jumpers, especially against their necks, freaks me out a little. Not really been a problem since I could choose my own clothes/bedding. Interesting that it could be related to autism. I've always been a bit socially inept. Did an online test once and I was in the slightly autistic range.

My 9 yr old grandson hates to have his fingernails cut, and following the same, walks around acting like he can't touch a anything, plus he keeps running water over his hands.

My 13 year old daughter can hear the plug-in pest chaser too. My aunt didn't believe her or me until i showed her by plugging and unplugging it, & skiing my daughter if she could hear it. She got it right each time…over 15 times.

Has anyone heard of a sensitivity to paper? My son's grade 4 teacher said she had trouble getting my son to get his ideas down on paper & for some reason, he did much better typing out his answers. Fast forward to the beginning of the pandemic & remote learning & my son has a meltdown, saying that he can't stand the feeling of touching paper! I asked him if anything else bothered him like that & he said when silverware clangs together. I know he has always excessively worried about the wind. He has no tactile aversions to clothing that I'm aware of. The aversion to paper obviously makes school work difficult for him at times when he has no alternative than to write things down (math).

Hello Do you have any advice please for a 10 year old boy I work with. He cannot use pencils to draw or colour in at all but can use a standard pen to write. ts not the actual pencil its when the pencil touches and reacts to the paper. He also has sensitivity issues with some of the paper in the books he uses, he is a clever boy so don't really think this is a delaying tactic, but it is become increasingly difficult. He has just recently been diagnosed with ASD . Art and craft work leave him anxious and aggressive .

I developed hypersensitivity later in life around early high school related to stress and anxiety. I was not this way way when I was a child. I'm in my early 20s now and have many sensitivities related to my hands and face for the most part. Especially when my skin is dry, around my fingernails and my knuckles. I have been getting acrylic nails for a year or so now and have found that they really help with my hand sensitivities. I specifically don't like having things touch the area right around my fingernails and right at the top and wearing the acrylics eliminates things touching these areas. I think this issue is talked about a lot with children but rarely in adults. I am so tired of feeling like a crazy person with these sensitivities. Having to manage this and function as an adult in society is hard. You just can't scream like a child can, even when you feel like you need to crawl out of your own skin to escape. It sucks. I have a lot of sympathy for kids dealing with this because I know exactly how it feels.

My son is 7 and I am not sure if he may suffer from this disorder but I am concerned. Sometimes he will be play with his toys then he will get extremely angry and complain that he toys are sticky or wet. When I look at the toys they aren't wet or sticky at all. I am really reaching out for help.

Wow! I can't begin to say how much I regret any child having to deal with the issue of hypersensitivity of any kind. Thank you for sharing your story . I found it enlightening and informative as we are just realizing this may be just the crutch of the problems we've experienced with our little one. Never give up hope of things getting better. It is possible to yet experience joy even if only I'm increments . And prayerfully the years will bring a greater resolve to this dilemma.

I am exactly like you Emily! EXACTLY. 42 years old now and I can barely read your description because I can "feel it!", right down to the wooden popscicle sticks! I cannot wash wooden spoons and hand washing/drying dishes is AWFUL! So no ? You are not alone ?

I am 70 now and have only non-formal confirmation of Asperger's Syndrome. You sound very Aspie to me. I overcame my sensitivities pretty much of my life by just toughing it out where I couldn't make adaptations. I lived most of my life in the country for the relative quiet, but now I'm stuck in the city and someone's electronic pest repeller is killing me with sleep deprivation and constant anxiety. I'm having a terrible time convincing anyone of this semiconstant vibration through the floor. I bought a memory foam for my bed, but waiting for delivery is hell. Most of the things you list also bother me. I also have PTSD, which makes meltdowns more likely.

Hi. My 7 year old daughter has a few issues. She hates noises from paper, plastic, squeaky doors and other things. She doesn't like cotton fabrics and some wool. She says that only looking at a dry towel gives her bad feelings. I don't know how to help her. I try to buy clothes in other fabrics, but it's difficult with beddings and towels. It sometimes helps that I dress her so that she doesn't have to touch the clothes herself. In school she feels terrorised by kids walking with sneakers or boots that makes terrible noise on the rubber floor, gym class is the worst. I wish she didn't have to struggle with this. Books are hard to read because she hates to hold them. She's a great reader though, and very intelligent. I haven't found any way to help her yet. Teachers and others I've talked to doesn't seem very understanding.