Insights from Sensory World

I remember when Akshat started expressing by typing, I had asked him his experiences about the get together we organized at our place. That was for the first time he had shared that the noise, crowd and the 'filthy smell' was unbearable for him. He was jumping, running and screaming all the time during the get together.

After almost three years (he shared those insights in March ' 20), he came up with the same revelations but the difference between then and now is that he has developed a 'coping mechanism' and knows how to 'redirect' himself.

Also, he is sharing in the conversation that how the 'smell' of others is the reason of his restlessness but if 'loud music' is there, he's able to cope up with that.

Apart from the sensory revelations, this conversation also points out how he can be a part of any social event (although he doesn't like socialization much) provided 'loud music' is there.

All these conversations are like learning lessons for me and teach me how to make his life a bit better...


Sharing another interesting conversation...

26-12-2022

M. So, you had another social event, a Christmas celebration on Friday, how was your experience?

A. Yess… that was good.

M. Ohhk… But there were also a lot of people, noise, chaos etc. Didn’t you feel overwhelmed, as you felt in the hotel, the other day…

A. Smell was there but it was tolerable.

M. Hmm…So, in the hotel it was not tolerable?

A. Yes.

M. Hmm...How it became tolerable here in the Christmas function? Was the smell less intense?

A. No…Because of high music.

M. Ohh…So, you redirected yourself to loud music to avoid smell…Isn’t it?

A. Yes.

M. That's such a revelation… So, in the hotel people were talking and there was music but on a low volume, that’s why it was not tolerable…

A. Yess.

M. Does deo work to suppress the outside smell?

A. Yess.

M. To what extent…

A. hmm… to a great extent.

M. Hmm…Still you need to redirect yourself to music…

A. Yess.

M. Hmm… Does the smell comes from the environment or from a particular person?

A. From the person.

M. Ohh…And you feel it so intensely…my god!

A. Yess.

M. Ohhk…So, is it like you feel the smell from every person you meet…

A. Yess.

M. Is this the reason you avoid socialisation?

A. no. I don’t like socialisation.

M. Hmm…But this Christmas function was also a type of socialisation and you willingly went there, sat for an hour and I think enjoyed too…

A. Yes… Because of loud music.

M. Hmm

Comments

  1. Pratiksha Kush 's mammaJanuary 12, 2023 at 3:42 AM

    Thanks to you Ritu ma'am for sharing the conversation . Although the people on the autism spectrum are different from each other , but more or less those who have sensory processing issues face such difficulties. We start judging them ,. Your conversation gives a deeper insight into what actually happens with our people.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ritu Ranka RassayJanuary 19, 2023 at 2:06 AM

    You are right Pratiksha...They only know it coz they only experience it...

    ReplyDelete

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