Sensory overload - sound instead of touch?

This is my first post in these forums so I'm sorry to say that it'll be one of those 'do I have Asperger's or am I just overreacting?' things.

I'll make it as brief as possible: I have read the symptoms, and I have read about AS and I still don't know whether or not I have it. Certain symptoms are spot-on - others are completely lacking, especially in the sensory department. A lot of AS people mention touch-sensitivity, which doesn't really fit me.

Symptoms I have:

Social:

1. I am hyperaware of any and all eye contact I make. I have to consciously select whether to look away or stare at a person, and it always feels too long/too short.I end up staring them right in the eyes and it makes them uncomfortable.

2. I have difficulty relating to others' emotions. I can understand them from a logical point of view, but more often than not, my response to others' emotions is annoyance.

3. I have no drive to make friends/form social groups. I make 'friends' at work and school as a bare minimum, and to have people to form teams with for projects/etc. I am much happier being alone, being left alone.

4. Can't handle small talk at all. Don't know when to start it or stop it. Avoid at all costs.

Physical:

1. I am touch averse. I don't like to be held. I don't like to hold hands with anyone. I don't like to be touched lightly. I am extremely ticklish. I do enjoy harder touches, like backrubs, but only in certain areas.

2. I don't know if this counts for clumsiness, but I have trouble with corners? (Okay, this sounds really strange...) I can't turn corners very well if I am distracted. I always end up ramming my shoulder/hip/sometimes head into it. I don't know why I can't just swerve like normal people BUT.

3. I really like matte-finish feels or like, smoother, non-polished surfaces... I like stroking them. I rub receipt paper against my face.

4. I love repetitive music, and I consider this my 'stimming'. Does anyone know of the ten-hour-long youtube video from Doctor Who's The Master? I love that thing. I put on my noise-cancelling headphones and listen to it. I have several such soundtracks, which are just repetitive low-tone, usually drums. Calms me down like nothing else.

5. I don't flap or anything - a few times, I had some episodes and I rocked back and forth for about an hour at a time, but that was an extreme. My most common thing that can be considered a stim is bouncing my heels or chewing. I love chewing things. If I can't do anything about my energy, I end up chewing my hand.

Symptoms I lack:

1. I can figure through people's facial expressions. I don't know whether this is just a learned thing or whether I can actually do it intuitively.

2. Social anxiety - I dislike being with people, but I am not afraid of them? I become uncomfortable in social situations. I don't think that counts as 'anxiety'. I don't get panic attacks. Actually I'm like, one of the most chill person of my friends. I do everything they're too shy to do.

3. Tags in clothes don't bother me. (Sometimes my mom would cut off the tags and then the remains would be all ragged and itchy and that sucked more than the tag itself) Most foods don't bother me. I definitely have strong preferences (try to avoid 'dry' foods like popcorn and chips and crackers) but then again, who doesn't?

4. I don't have a schedule. Change doesn't bother me. I don't care whether or not I have a plan for my day, as long as I know what I need to have done. The only thing that bothers me is when people try to insert their own plans into my day. I like to schedule social events way ahead of time, and I hate it when people are late. Hate it hate it hate it.

Sense and sound:

I become overloaded a lot more easily when there is too much sound going on. Like, those mosquito tones that tvs make and electronics make drive me up a wall.

Sometimes, my roommate has friends over and they play Halo and I always have to leave the room because they're so loud, and there's shooting, and they're all screaming incoherently, and I feel like I'm going to be flattened by their bulldozer and I leave.

I can sleep literally anywhere I please, and I am the best sleeper, except when there is noise. I grew up in a house with very little white noise. I can't fall asleep if there are noises around that I'm not specifically used to (street noises like cars passing by are fine, because I've been hearing it all my life). I hate sleeping with someone because they touch me and also because people usually snore, and it disturbs me to the point of tears.

I have no legit troubles with feeling-based sensory perception.

Sorry, that ended up being longer than I intended...

Anyway - for peeps who don't want to hear about the latest DIAGNOSE ME shebang, does anyone else have sensory issues with things that are NOT touch? Like smells? (My sense of smell is really strong too but I can hold my breath for like a minute and 15 seconds so I can avoid most bad smells, so who cares)

Hi! I'm not really a professional or anything (I haven't even been officially diagnosed myself, but am currently trying to set up an evaluation), but it does sound like a possibility? I can sympathize with a lot of your symptoms, and I think your physical ones do show that there might be something there. Also, about the corners thing, I've read that a lot of people with AS have trouble with body awareness, which is possibly why it's harder for you to swerve. I've often experienced similar problems myself, and tend to bump into or fall over things a lot.
As for the sensory problems, touch isn't the only sense to be sensitive too! For me, the biggest problems are sound (like you mentioned), light, and texture. I always keep sound levels to a minimum, get blinded sometimes even on cloudy days, and can't wear certain clothes. I've heard that smell sensitivity is also possible as well.
So while I am also sensitive to touch (don't ever try to massage me ever), it's light, sound, and texture that are bigger problems for me.

you might have PDD-NOS (pervasive development disorder - not otherwise specified), in other words be somewhere between AS and NT. i'd suggest you take as many tests as possible. this will give you as good an indication as possible. as for sounds, i hate electric motor dirven fans. unfortunately, i've had tinnitus for several years now, and that annoys me too.

Hi there VertebrateCrossing,

I don't have AS - I am the NT partner of someone who we also think has AS and like you he doesn't totally fit the bill, and in lots of ways you have described.

He can read people but doesn't empathise - he is good at body language and facial stuff but yes I would say his over ridding emotion is disinterest or annoyance unless it is to do with me. He has "friends" at work but very very very few outside - he is capable on a day to day basis but he overloads easily and needs time and space to "calm" down again - he withdraws at this point until he has found some balance.

The thing that struck me most was your comments about sound - we are aware that sound for my partner is a HUGE factor and the more he is struggling on a day to day basis the more sound bothers him.

I can't comment about the other possibilities mentioned but given that I have read them I will investigate but I have come to learn that AS isn't a terrible possibility at all - it's just different - no rights or wrongs - just requires a different set of "rules", a different approach....

Not sure this will have been any help but thought I would share.

Miss K