Is it possible to have a low level of SPD but still be autistic?

[mrdude91]

Hello, So I've read a decent amount about autism and the one thing that I don't really relate to (strongly) is the idea of sensory processing disorder.
If somebody is banging a nail with a hammer I have a natural reaction to blink and I do feel a bit scared, or if somebody drops heavy weights in the gym like deadlifts it will shift my attention fully to the sound and feeling of the weight slamming the ground. There's a few other examples I could give but that's just 2 that I could think of fast.

I guess my question is, can you be autistic but not struggle that much with SPD? I relate to so many traits of autism, just not that strongly (in my mind) to SPD.
Is there a scale with SPD that goes from low to high kind of like autistic spectrum disorder?

Let me know if I made no sense

, Thanks

 

[Crossbreed]

Yes. SPD is a common low-level* co-morbid but it is not intrinsic to ASD.
It is more common to have hypo-/hyper-sensitivity; that is, over-sensitive sometimes and under-sensitive at other times.

*Low-level co-morbids, like face-blindness, are co-morbids one can have and still remain ASD1. More severe co-morbids (or a combination of them) can increase one's severity level.

 

[Rodafina]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I’ve heard several people here speak about not having too many sensory issues. I am not one of them, but you are in good company here and among folks who will understand.

 

[AdamG]

I am highly sensitive in all my senses (especially sight/hearing) which is probably what makes me such a good cook (taste/smell). But if I'm not in a bad mood, it doesn't affect me too much. I cannot be somewhere too noisy, or with consistent low-level non-white noise sounds for an extended period (a highway is fine, but not a highway exit - the brakes and horns) - I once lived close to an exit that occasionally made the windows shake. I was ALWAYS overloaded.
.
I hadn't even thought of it much until I self diagnosed and looked into it. I know at least one person who hears colors and vice versa in person.
.
I'm still autistic, though I don't have many issues with the sensory stuff (unless, like I say, I'm really pretty low and the sounds/light take over).

 

[Atrapa Almas]

Is there a scale with SPD that goes from low to high kind of like autistic spectrum disorder?

Let me know if I made no sense

, Thanks

There is not an scale of autism. The scale is about how much support does a person need.

And there is not an scale of sensory issues. So they are not well linked yet.

The co-occurence of neuro divergence and sensory processing divergence is there because both are part of the "neurodivergence" stuff. Very much like motor coordination, an other stuff. And it happens with all the "similar" or "related" neurodivergences, like ADHD, autism and giftedness.

The sensory processing divergence goes from hipo (low) to hiper (high) sensitivy for every sense, external (like hearing, seeing, touch) or internal (like hunger, equilibrium, temperatures).

From the perspective of autism being an illness we use the word co-morbilities, like both the autism problem and the sensory problem being related in many but not all cases.

From the perspective of autism being a neurodivergence we use co-ocurrence, like autism and sensory different profiles tend to happen at the same time in may but not all cases.

When you focus on it being a divergence and not just a problem/illness, you open yourself to detect many autism and sensory divergences that are actually good and maked you different in a cool way.

Examples:

Being so concentrated (hyperfocus) on your special interest (obsession for those who see autism as an illness) that you forget to eat (inner hunger sense at lower than normal level).

Using your fingers to redirect a flow of watter that does a super cool visual pattern can be so rewarding (touch, visual and pattern recognice functions working at higher than normal levels) that you forget about time (time sense working at lower than normal level) while you are supper happy (emotion fixed in black and white mode, all or nothing).

Its not necessary to suffer to have a divergent sensory profile as it is not necessary to need help to be autistic.

It happens that the studied cases of both autistic and sensory divergent populations were suffering, so the studies are biased towards people who suffer. And thats why people who dont suffer are under diagnosed or directly rejected to be part of the autism community by health professionals.

Very much like "wanting" for freedom was considered a mental illness of black population in the USA some years ago. They just studied slaves, who happened to be black and want freedom... So their studies and conclussions were biased.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drapetomania

 

[kenaij]

So I quickly made this bad image in paint. It kind of represents of how I think about it. Each color represents an aspect of something generally associated with autism. Behaviour has interests, repetativeness, structure. Social speaks for itself? And Sensory. Each line of blocks inward out represents a sub catagory of the thing in the middle.
The way I see it. Every single person can color in the blocks. None colored in is when they do not do anything or do not experience anything. All the way to the edge is extreme discomfort with the thing. Once all catagories reach the red line (or go over it) you can say someone has autism. So in your example. you might score 3-5 blocks everwhere. But only score 2 or 3 on the SPD blocks. So you can still have autism if one or more just barely reach the red circle.
I hope people can understand what I mean. I did not have the time to make the image more detailed. But sometimes I draw it on a piece of paper to show people why they might not see certain aspects in me. Because how I see it, it is very close around the max a NT person would experience it.
If other people totally don`t agree with this, because it is way of. Please let me know. Because I`ll stop using it as an example.

 

[AdamG]

View attachment 104403
So I quickly made this bad image in paint. It kind of represents of how I think about it. Each color represents an aspect of something generally associated with autism. Behaviour has interests, repetativeness, structure. Social speaks for itself? And Sensory. Each line of blocks inward out represents a sub catagory of the thing in the middle.
The way I see it. Every single person can color in the blocks. None colored in is when they do not do anything or do not experience anything. All the way to the edge is extreme discomfort with the thing. Once all catagories reach the red line (or go over it) you can say someone has autism. So in your example. you might score 3-5 blocks everwhere. But only score 2 or 3 on the SPD blocks. So you can still have autism if one or more just barely reach the red circle.
I hope people can understand what I mean. I did not have the time to make the image more detailed. But sometimes I draw it on a piece of paper to show people why they might not see certain aspects in me. Because how I see it, it is very close around the max a NT person would experience it.
If other people totally don`t agree with this, because it is way of. Please let me know. Because I`ll stop using it as an example.

I like your visual analogy

 

[AspieChris]

I once knew a young woman who was born completely deaf and non-verbal Autistic. No auditory sensory issues there.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

What is SPD?

 

[AdamG]

What is SPD?

Sensory processing disorder

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Picky about music, do not like certain types. Rush Neil pert voice Jimmy Hendrix distorted Guittar playing.
Same time have exceptional colour vision. steady hands could shoot really well when younger. Is this all part of being an Aspie?

 

[Progster]

Picky about music, do not like certain types. Rush Neil pert voice Jimmy Hendrix distorted Guittar playing.
Same time have exceptional colour vision. steady hands could shoot really well when younger. Is this all part of being an Aspie?

Hmm a lot of people don't like Geddy Lee's voice. But yes, it's common for people on the spectrum to be especially sensitive to high pitched sound.

 

[Crossbreed]

Hmm a lot of people don't like Geddy Lee's voice. But yes, it's common for people on the spectrum to be especially sensitive to high pitched sound.

(The OP thought that his lack of SPD disqualified him from an ASD diagnosis...)

I guess my question is, can you be autistic but not struggle that much with SPD? I relate to so many traits of autism, just not that strongly (in my mind) to SPD.

 

[Progster]

(The OP thought that his lack of SPD disqualified him from an ASD diagnosis...)

I was answering @Ronald Zeeman 's question.