Hi Everybody!

This forum has been really great for me. I never knew what sensory processing disorders were until now, and now I'm thinking I have some kind of sensory problem. Can any of you help me to understand this better? I will list some of what I think may be sensory problems:

--picky eater: I am very afraid of trying new or unknown foods. certain mushy textures or strong tastes really put me off. I can't eat spicy foods no matter how much I try (except for that time I burned my tongue really bad :)) As a result, I eat very bland, basic foods, and it's scary to try new foods. I eat the same things every day. It has been difficult socially when at someone's house or when someone buys me a gift of food.

--touch: I am extremely particular about how people touch me. I can't stand it when someone rubs my skin or grabs me with too much pressure. There are so many "no touch" zones, like my belly button. At the same time, I often find it comforting to press my fingers together and feel the pressure between my fingers, or to squeeze soft things or other objects. I find that I do this quite often.

--hair: as a child the mere sight of a comb could induce crying. I still cry if I go to the hairdressers and she or he is "heavy-handed". Actually I've given up on that and do it myself. it still hurts, but at least I have control over it.

--clothing/fabric: I need everything to be soft. I hate tags. I tend to wear the same clothing day after day once I find something I am comfortable in. Things that seem soft to other people feel scratchy to me.

--noise: i can't stand sudden loud noise, like the fire alarm or an alarm clock. for this reason i don't use an alarm clock. I even bought a fancy dawm/dusk alarm that plays bird noises and the bird noises are disturbing to me in the morning. Conversely, I love to blast my iPod on full volume, I enjoy loud crowds and sporting events.

--visual: I seek visual stimulation. I love bright colors, and I am most comfortable around bright colors. Times Square is like heaven.

--motor: I enjoy rocking chairs, and pushing myself back and forth in rolling chairs (office chairs), it helps me focus.

--smell: I am very sensitive to smells that smell bad to me, like body smells, bad breath, rotten food, etc. I am somewhat obsessed with my own personal hygiene, and the smell of my living space. This is sometimes difficult in relationships because breath or body odor that is even slightly less than fresh can be a total turnoff. Conversely, I seek strong smells that smell good to me, like air freshener, body wash, mouth wash, perfume and febreeze. I love strong floral scents.

I'm not really sure what any of this means, if it means anything at all. If any of you have any similar issues, how do you deal with them so that you can make your interaction with the world more pleasant?

ETA: another problem I have is that other people's little habits and tics really REALLY annoy me, especially any kind of poor table manners and impolite eating habits. A lot of the time I just have to look down or distract myself or leave the situation if I'm with someone who eats in a way that is unnerving to me.

I have Sensory Integration Disorder and most of what you're saying sounds very much like it...yes it does indeed

Hi Everybody!



--touch: I am extremely particular about how people touch me. I can't stand it when someone rubs my skin or grabs me with too much pressure. There are so many "no touch" zones, like my belly button. At the same time, I often find it comforting to press my fingers together and feel the pressure between my fingers, or to squeeze soft things or other objects. I find that I do this quite often.

--visual: I seek visual stimulation. I love bright colors, and I am most comfortable around bright colors. Times Square is like heaven.

--motor: I enjoy rocking chairs, and pushing myself back and forth in rolling chairs (office chairs), it helps me focus.

--smell: I am very sensitive to smells that smell bad to me, like body smells, bad breath, rotten food, etc. I am somewhat obsessed with my own personal hygiene, and the smell of my living space. This is sometimes difficult in relationships because breath or body odor that is even slightly less than fresh can be a total turnoff. Conversely, I seek strong smells that smell good to me, like air freshener, body wash, mouth wash, perfume and febreeze. I love strong floral scents.


ETA: another problem I have is that other people's little habits and tics really REALLY annoy me, especially any kind of poor table manners and impolite eating habits. A lot of the time I just have to look down or distract myself or leave the situation if I'm with someone who eats in a way that is unnerving to me.
Touch: I also have issues with touch. Being touched a certain way, or grabbed at. It makes me feel like a kitten being manhandled by a child.. and I actually fear having kids for this reason... low tolerance for children hanging off me, or all over me all the time. I also have issues with squeezing, or scratching textures... fresh bread (squeeze or flatten it) some frosted alcohol bottles (scratching)

Noise: There are certain noises that I cant stand. High pitched birds chirping in my ear... the sound of someone chewing (irritates me to the point of anger) certain ways that people talk..(extreme tones in their voices) as well as a dog barking constantly. I hate them all. Especially someone sucking their teeth. Its like nails on a chalkboard to me.

Visual: Bright lights bother me. Street lights, or car head lights at night in my eye anger me as well. It just an extreme discomfort I feel each time it happens. As well, I hate to bland colours especially in food. I LOVE my food to be all the colours of the rainbow on my plate.

Motor: As a child to put myself to sleep (i was never tired) I use to rock myself very very slightly, or shake my foot or leg untill I would fall asleep. and I love napping in a moving car, waterbeds, etc..

Smell: I am also more sensitive to other peoples bodily smells. Bad breath, bad hygiene I can smell strongly from other people, and they have turned my stomach once or twice. Even the person I was with couldnt smell it when I asked her later.

Hi Spacedout:)

I finally have enough time to answer your question properly! I have SID as well as ADHD and mild tics and I can totally relate to what you're going through.

Eating: As a child I used have a lot of problems eating and my diet was very limited to arrowroot biscuits, sausages, bread and milk which I could eat without any sensory issues, it took me 17 years to eat mashed potato comfortably without gagging, now I can eat almost anything so this part has improved for me.

Touch/Tactile: I can handle 'heavy' touches, I can handle loose hugs but I hate bear hugs and light 'feathery' touches, I hate heavy clothing, pantyhose, tags etc etc

Hair: The only way my hair is getting brushed is if I do it myself, I HATE anyone touching my hair it's just such a horrid feeling, my mother on the other hand (who has suspected SID) LOVES getting her hair stroked and brushed and often asked me to brush it for her when I was a child....I think it all depends on how SID affects one.

Noise/Auditory: I LOVE loud music and I like dull noises, I can handle nightclubs but I loathe crowded shopping centres, I hate sudden noises as they make me nearly have a coronary..lol so my tolerance of noise really depends on what kind of day I'm having.

Sight/Visual: I don't really have any sensory issues regarding visual stuff but extremely bright lights can be painful.

Movement/Motor: This is my biggest issue, I move constantly, yes I should invest in a rocking chair, everytime a particular song comes on I must move , I also love chairs go round and round but I have to be in complete control of the pace of the movement, I love train and bus rides due to the contant moving.

Smell: I don't have any real sensory issues regarding smell and my sense of smell is underactive so for me to smell anything, I'd be lucky.

As for being annoyed by poor table manners and impoliteness....I think nearly everyone gets annoyed by that!!

It does sound like you have sensory issues if not the full blown disorder itself and if you check google, yahoo etc etc then you'll find heaps of websites on the subject and you find some great information and products that help the sensory integration system.

I hope this has helped

Take Care
Selena:)
Hi Everybody!

This forum has been really great for me. I never knew what sensory processing disorders were until now, and now I'm thinking I have some kind of sensory problem. Can any of you help me to understand this better? I will list some of what I think may be sensory problems:

--picky eater: I am very afraid of trying new or unknown foods. certain mushy textures or strong tastes really put me off. I can't eat spicy foods no matter how much I try (except for that time I burned my tongue really bad :)) As a result, I eat very bland, basic foods, and it's scary to try new foods. I eat the same things every day. It has been difficult socially when at someone's house or when someone buys me a gift of food.

--touch: I am extremely particular about how people touch me. I can't stand it when someone rubs my skin or grabs me with too much pressure. There are so many "no touch" zones, like my belly button. At the same time, I often find it comforting to press my fingers together and feel the pressure between my fingers, or to squeeze soft things or other objects. I find that I do this quite often.

--hair: as a child the mere sight of a comb could induce crying. I still cry if I go to the hairdressers and she or he is "heavy-handed". Actually I've given up on that and do it myself. it still hurts, but at least I have control over it.

--clothing/fabric: I need everything to be soft. I hate tags. I tend to wear the same clothing day after day once I find something I am comfortable in. Things that seem soft to other people feel scratchy to me.

--noise: i can't stand sudden loud noise, like the fire alarm or an alarm clock. for this reason i don't use an alarm clock. I even bought a fancy dawm/dusk alarm that plays bird noises and the bird noises are disturbing to me in the morning. Conversely, I love to blast my iPod on full volume, I enjoy loud crowds and sporting events.

--visual: I seek visual stimulation. I love bright colors, and I am most comfortable around bright colors. Times Square is like heaven.

--motor: I enjoy rocking chairs, and pushing myself back and forth in rolling chairs (office chairs), it helps me focus.

--smell: I am very sensitive to smells that smell bad to me, like body smells, bad breath, rotten food, etc. I am somewhat obsessed with my own personal hygiene, and the smell of my living space. This is sometimes difficult in relationships because breath or body odor that is even slightly less than fresh can be a total turnoff. Conversely, I seek strong smells that smell good to me, like air freshener, body wash, mouth wash, perfume and febreeze. I love strong floral scents.

I'm not really sure what any of this means, if it means anything at all. If any of you have any similar issues, how do you deal with them so that you can make your interaction with the world more pleasant?

ETA: another problem I have is that other people's little habits and tics really REALLY annoy me, especially any kind of poor table manners and impolite eating habits. A lot of the time I just have to look down or distract myself or leave the situation if I'm with someone who eats in a way that is unnerving to me.