Sensitivity to Electricity and Wireless Devices?

[AspieK]

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum... in fact this is the first time I have posted on any forum!
I just found out I have Aspergers earlier this year (self diagnosed after 30+ years of confusion!), and all of a sudden my life makes sooo much more sense, and I am finally feeling like I am getting a handle on things that have been a challenge my whole life!

I have a question for all the others out there with Aspergers and Autism though:
Is it common for people with ASD to be hypersensitive to Electricity as well as Cell Phones (and other wireless devices)?

I have had fairly extreme reactions to being around cell phones, wireless internet, and microwaves (among other wireless devices) in the past 10 years or so (since it became more mainstream)...
and since I was a kid I have had issues with electricity... I hear a high pitched sound when my electric toothbrush is charging and it drives me nuts, and sitting too close to a stove or a fridge while it's on can give me a bad headache and make me want to get out of there asap, using a cordless phone makes my head hurt and one side of my face and ear go super bright red, and don't get me started on the annoying buzzing and flickering and screatching from florescent lights (which I know at least that one is common among many of us with Aspergers )...
For me I hear the high pitched humming or buzzing of electrical devices even when no one else can... Even if something is charging at the opposite end of the house (3 rooms down) I often get agitated and hear it as soon as it is plugged in, even if I don't know it's on until I go investigate, and sure enough one of my family members has plugged something in to charge, or turned on their cell phone...

I get everything from headaches, to trouble forming coherent thought, to slurred speech and stuttering, to anxiety and stress, to what I now suspect is a meltdown from over-stimulation (although this usually only happens when I am out shopping and there is a combination of too much 'electrical noise', as well as crowds of people, florescent lights, sounds, etc and it just get's to be too much)... in one instance the worst reaction I had back in 2012 was, I passed out cold on the floor after spending a couple of days house-sitting for someone with wireless internet and cordless phones (before I figured out what was causing my issues)...

So my question is, is this something that others who have ASD are also dealing with EHS (Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity), or is this just an annoying 'superpower'/'super-challenge' that I have to continue to deal with alone?

Anyways, thanks so much for reading my question, and I look forward to participating in this forum! Looking back over my life I realized that the only people I have ever truly connected with and felt totally relaxed with were either diagnosed with Aspergers, or very likely had it and just didn't know it yet like me, but unfortunately most of my wonderful Aspie friends have long since moved on (we lost touch after school), so I am super excited to join this wonderful online community of like minded souls if you will have me!

Thanks for reading my post!

 

[Isadoorian]

Welcome to the Forums! I hope you make new friends and enjoy your stay in the process!

 

[ghostie]

Welcome AspieK!

That sounds like a hard thing that you've gone through and I'm glad to hear it sounds like you're keeping high spirits!

I can't say that I share your sensitivity to electricity and waves of all sorts, however I can definitely identify with the meltdowns from over-stimulation. I hope that you're able to find a quiet spot at home and really relax, it's hard enough when you have to be feeling that all day, but it's nice to have somewhere to unwind after.

 

[Wolfnox]

Hello.

 

[Tom]

I haven't heard of this specific thing before, but many report high sensitivity to things like noise, light, temperature, touch, etc.

 

[Progster]

The faint noise from electrical devices on standby can be a problem for people with ASD because of sound hypersensitivity. I can 'hear' my phone before it rings, my desktop speakers make these faint high-pitched noises which are irritating and the only way to stop it is to play music.

 

[Streetwise]

Hi everyone, I am new to this forum... in fact this is the first time I have posted on any forum!
I just found out I have Aspergers earlier this year (self diagnosed after 30+ years of confusion!), and all of a sudden my life makes sooo much more sense, and I am finally feeling like I am getting a handle on things that have been a challenge my whole life!

I have a question for all the others out there with Aspergers and Autism though:
Is it common for people with ASD to be hypersensitive to Electricity as well as Cell Phones (and other wireless devices)?

I have had fairly extreme reactions to being around cell phones, wireless internet, and microwaves (among other wireless devices) in the past 10 years or so (since it became more mainstream)...
and since I was a kid I have had issues with electricity... I hear a high pitched sound when my electric toothbrush is charging and it drives me nuts, and sitting too close to a stove or a fridge while it's on can give me a bad headache and make me want to get out of there asap, using a cordless phone makes my head hurt and one side of my face and ear go super bright red, and don't get me started on the annoying buzzing and flickering and screatching from florescent lights (which I know at least that one is common among many of us with Aspergers )...
For me I hear the high pitched humming or buzzing of electrical devices even when no one else can... Even if something is charging at the opposite end of the house (3 rooms down) I often get agitated and hear it as soon as it is plugged in, even if I don't know it's on until I go investigate, and sure enough one of my family members has plugged something in to charge, or turned on their cell phone...

I get everything from headaches, to trouble forming coherent thought, to slurred speech and stuttering, to anxiety and stress, to what I now suspect is a meltdown from over-stimulation (although this usually only happens when I am out shopping and there is a combination of too much 'electrical noise', as well as crowds of people, florescent lights, sounds, etc and it just get's to be too much)... in one instance the worst reaction I had back in 2012 was, I passed out cold on the floor after spending a couple of days house-sitting for someone with wireless internet and cordless phones (before I figured out what was causing my issues)...

So my question is, is this something that others who have ASD are also dealing with EHS (Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity), or is this just an annoying 'superpower'/'super-challenge' that I have to continue to deal with alone?

Anyways, thanks so much for reading my question, and I look forward to participating in this forum! Looking back over my life I realized that the only people I have ever truly connected with and felt totally relaxed with were either diagnosed with Aspergers, or very likely had it and just didn't know it yet like me, but unfortunately most of my wonderful Aspie friends have long since moved on (we lost touch after school), so I am super excited to join this wonderful online community of like minded souls if you will have me!

Thanks for reading my post!

Get the physical side of your problem checked ,specifically lack of magnesium, it’s very common and causes hearing problems mine used to be a lot worse until I started taking vitamin b Who knew

 

[Autistamatic]

EHS is not commonly reported by autistic people, and as you likely know, it is a rare phenomenon with a very controversial history. This was exploited as a plot point in "Better Call Saul" a couple of years ago.

Sensitivity to the sounds generated by electrical devices is quite common though, with fluorescent lights, "silent" speakers and background computer hums being prominent examples. Sensory hyper and hyposensitivities are quite normal for autistic people.

 

[AspieK]

Thanks so much for the warm welcome everyone! I really appreciate the video and some of the comments too!
I was pretty sure I wasn't alone as far as florescent lighting and some of the other more obvious hyper-sensitivities, but it sounds like there might not be many of us with this annoying hypersensitivity to Wireless devices? Keep posting if you have your own hypersensitivities to Wireless or Electricity though! I'm super fascinated by all of this!!

It appears that my new 'special interest' has become Asperger's and Autism, and I am positively fascinated by all of the information that keeps giving me all of these little 'aha' moments! It's amazing to start realizing that I am not alone, it's just that many of the people who surround me filter and process the world differently than I do... I am actually finding this process mostly very positive and enlightening to finally be becoming aware of why certain things came easily to me when others struggled and visa-versa where I struggled to handle what for most seemed simple and second nature....
It's actually been really neat for me to stop focusing on the things that are a challenge for me, (not to stop doing them, but to give myself some understanding that it's just going to be a challenge for me and that's ok, but I don't have to put myself down for it!), and to start focusing on the things that I am good at and that I love!