04/16/2025
Differences between neurotypical kids and kids with ASD have been seen on scans in utero (before birth).
"Autistic brains produce 42% more information at rest (than neurotypicals). Our brains have LOTS more neurons, SEE IMAGE.
When we say we See More, Hear More, Smell More, Taste More, and Feel More, it's NOT an exaggeration or figure of speech!
We get MORE of ALL the senses. THIS is why we get Overloaded. This is why we have MELTDOWNS.
To you, it's a grocery store. To us, it's: VISUAL Overload (from the sheer number of items we see); COLOR overload (all the labels, plus all the colors of clothing people wear); MOVEMENT Overload (the people moving, the baskets, the forklifts, the cart returns), at All Times, Every Second We're In The Building;
SOUND overload (people talking, wheels squeaking, babies crying, boxes being sliced open, scales moving, forklifts beeping, beep goes the checkout scanners 100's of times a minute), and we HEAR IT ALL, at all times, at dozens or hundreds of times LOUDER than You hear it;
SMELL Overload (we smell every shampoo, conditioner, lotion, shaving cream, soap, deodorant, spice, fruit, vegetable, laundry detergent, and cleaning supply for sale- plus all of that for every individual person in the store!), and we Smell it dozens if not hundreds of times stronger than you smell it;
LIGHTS Overload, aka Photosensitivity. The lights are LITERALLY dozens, if not Hundreds, of times Brighter for US. Some lights are worse than others- and those long tube lights in grocery stores are Number One for Photosensitivity Overload.
DECISION PARALYSIS- Which way to go to start, what item was I getting again? What aisle was that on? How much money do I have to spend today? Oh that person is coming at me, should I slow down or speed up, are they turning, am I blocking what they're getting? Did I want chips? Wait- I have a list. Where's the list? What was I getting again?
Only ALL OF THAT hits in the FIRST TEN SECONDS of entering the building, leaving us FROZEN and UNABLE to proceed. Think of it like LAG, when you ask your electronic to DO TOO MUCH, TOO FAST. That is Decision Paralysis, and it's often brought on, not Just by all those questions (and more) listed, it's brought on because those thoughts are happening WHILE all the OTHER SENSORY items are Overloading our circuits!
This SHUTS DOWN our Executive Function- which is the ability to do things (like drive, get dressed, follow a recipe- grocery shop), and also causes Task Paralysis, the inability to START.
There's going to be a period of Nothing Happening, just Leave Us Alone during this time, and If Left Alone, we'll "catch up" in our brain and be Able to proceed. We may need to Stim during this time, or move our body to calm down- rocking, wringing our hands, twiddling fingers, twirling hair- leave us alone to stim, it's how we self regulate and are able to navigate the Drastic Changes we just experienced."
-Michelle Mason
