
An evidence based guide to anxiety in autism [pdf] - DanBC
https://www.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/466039/Anxiety-in-Autism-A5-guide.pdf
======
ascur
I have no reason to think that I have any form of autism, but growing up I did
(and still do to some extent) experience severe anxiety regarding sensory
perception.

I'd give anything to have had my parents follow that sensory guide toolbox
when I was a kid. I couldn't explain why it "hurt" to make physical contact
with people, why seemingly arbitrary things would give me head to toe shivers
that I couldn't shake off. This was all dismissed as me being dramatic or
wanting attention. But the worst was the ways I found to cope:

I found that eating a lot of paper and chewing (and I'm ashamed to say,
eating) fabric helped me a lot. I'd secretly walk to a department store to buy
bath towels and I'd "eat" one in about a month. Of course it was a gross
habit, but it was an unstoppable compulsion. And everyday I hated myself when
I'd excrete this shredded up fabric.

A classmate called me out in 8th grade, when in the middle of class, she said
"Ascur it's disgusting how you're always eating paper" and it was just a
horrible moment, I didn't even consider that other people would notice.

So things came to a head when I was 19 and got food poisoning, and was scared
that the fabric had gotten stuck somewhere in my digestive tract. I told my
parents we needed to go to the hospital and the whole situation, and of course
it was just a whole mess of shame and being unable to explain myself.

Even after they found out, I'd still continue in secret, it was all I could
look forward to on a day to day basis. I've since done CBT and discovered
resources on dealing with this, but yeah, I just wanted to share how weird and
hard it can be. So I really hope that kids today have access to these
resources.

~~~
amelius
That is a remarkable story. Curious, did you ever find out what it was in
eating specifically paper/fabric that helped you? And how did you discover
this?

~~~
ascur
I liked the blandness of it, and I would try to put as much in my mouth as I
could reasonably chew on, and just chew on it as long as possible.

I've looked into oral fixations, iron deficiency (pica is a symptom), and I
can't really explain it except that I found it soothing and a way to cope with
other sensory things that I found overwhelming. Now I think of it similar to
cigarettes, like a hypothetical pleasing vice that I may be tempted by but
feel no compulsion toward.

------
sudosteph
> In the context of sensory hypersensitivities, resources such as ear
> defenders or tinted glasses may also be useful to reduce the impact of the
> sensory stimulation the individual finds distressing. When facilitating
> desensitisation, it may be possible to gradually withdraw such resources as
> the individual builds tolerance to the relevant sensory stimuli. More
> generally, gradual exposure to sensory stimuli is important when
> facilitating desensitisation.

As an adult on the spectrum, I actually find myself reaching for ear plugs and
tinted glasses increasingly often as I get older, even though I should have
been "desensitized" by all measures. Sure, I know can spend a ton of energy
trying to pretend like I'm not bothered by a noisy environment - but it's just
not worth it any more. I don't really care if I look goofy, I'd rather have my
mental well-being preserved later on.

I feel like we're taught that that our options are to just deal with and be
very uncomfortable at every restaurant, movie, or otherwise loud public space,
or avoid those settings altogether rather than make other people feel slight
unease from seeing a person in public with earplugs or tinted glasses. I
realize now it's not really a big deal to wear those things in public, and
it's much easier for the people around me to get over a slightly silly-looking
accessory than it is for me to "get over" sensory overstimulation.

~~~
davidbanham
A set of in-ear Bluetooth earbuds and a pair of sunglasses can be a good low-
key option.

------
kreetx
Anyone else having trouble opening this pdf?

------
ncmncm
Considering how much anxiety 'spergies suffer, it is astonishing how few ever
get prescribed sertraline ("Zoloft").

I can say here it worked a near miracle, for my son. This was after a quack
was trying to put him on antipsychotics.

~~~
DaiPlusPlus
I’m in the spectrum and I responded to amphetamines atypically and I believe
since starting on Addersll and Vyvansein my late-20s practically cured my
life-long anxiety issues. It’s because my mind naturally wandered into anxious
thought areas and got stuck there, trying to reason with myself (and you can’t
use reason to stop thinking about death, one’s mortality, existentialism, etc)
- whereas these stims allow me to choose what to think about, and I choose not
to think about those things now. ...and the fact they’re also euphoriants
helps too.

------
ptidhomme
Can't open the pdf. Am I the only one ?

~~~
hyperman1
Neither can I. linux's file identifies it as PDF document, version 1.4, but
KDE's okular says:

Syntax Error: Invalid XRef entry Internal Error: xref num 229 not found but
needed, try to reconstruct<0a> Syntax Error: Invalid XRef entry Syntax Error:
Top-level pages object is wrong type (null) Command Line Error: Wrong page
range given: the first page (1) can not be after the last page (0).

Seems like it is damaged but some readers deal better with it than others

~~~
bp0017
Doesn't work on Acrobat, Win 10 either

