The Craftiest Workshop

I just read “House Rules” by Jodi Picoult. It is about an eighteen year old boy with Asperger’s that is obsessed with forensic science. I felt a kind of kinship with this boy when he lists things that bother him.

Shortly after finishing the book, I watched the series “Atypical” on Netflix. It is about another teenager with Autism who liked things a certain way, followed a strict schedule and really likes Antarctica.

I would recommend both the book and the Netflix series. They give you some insight on how someone with Autism might behave or react in certain situations.

All of us have our little quirks.
Some people can’t stand snakes or spiders.
Others hate the texture or taste of certain foods.

Here are some of the things that bother me.

Touching Certain Textures

Even as a young child I recall hating the feel and sound of the car interior. That felt-like cushion stuff that was on the interior of the car roof. It would make me cringe if someone ran their fingers along it.

Thinking about cotton balls makes me nauseous. When I have done kids crafts using cotton balls, I tried to get someone else to lead the activity or I used tongs or tweezers to pass out the cotton balls.

I get a similar feeling from those white Halloween spider webs. Of course, where I worked, my supervisor used it not only for Halloween decorations but also at Christmas as snow.

Swiffercloths or Norwex cloths. There is something about the dryness of the material of both that I just cannot handle.

I remembered that I also don’t like the feel of a Sherpa blanket. The feeling of the wool side is horrible for me. Unfortunately, when a parent passes you a baby wrapped in it, you can’t exactly hand it back.

Hearing Certain Sounds

Styrofoam: imagine unpacking Christmas decorations where the ceramic pieces are all encased in styrofoam. The sound it makes as it squeaks against another piece makes my skin crawl.

Low Bass: I cannot handle when the bass is turned up. When I have to wait at a stop light with someone playing that loud bass with the window open, I start to sweat. It goes from making my stomach hurt to extreme anxiety.

Dry napkin: My husband was wiping his greasy pizza fingers on a dry napkin the other day and the sound was sending shivers up my spine and I had to ask him to stop.

Being Touched by Strangers

I am not a big fan of hugging people other than family or close friends. I don’t go out of my way to touch others when talking to them or initiate contact.

Not Having things in order

I prefer to keep movie titles, games and books on our shelves in alphabetical order. I like having clothes in my closet separated by colour. If I see a drawer in someone’s house that is chaotically arranged or full, I want to sort it.

Not being on time

I feel a heightened sense of anxiety if I end up late for something or someone is later than they said they would be.

Not Following the Rules

I am a stickler for doing what I am supposed to. Our apartment lease says we can’t leave the door to the air conditioned hallway open. On hot days I am more mentally comfortable following that rule and sweating to death than propping the door open to feel comfortable and be anxious.

I am not suggesting that I have Aspergers. I don’t have meltdowns or shutdown when things bother me (unless I am Hangry) but I can understand how certain things can bother a person and make them uncomfortable or upset. Half the battle is figuring out how to cope with the things that do bother you, We also need to have some awareness and empathy for those around us.

Does anyone have any of their own quirks they would like to share?