4 Things I Want People to Know About My Autistic Self

1) My sensory experience is vastly different than your own.

When I complain that the lights are too bright, noises too loud and overwhelming, tastes bitter and unpleasant, touch too ticklish—I’m not exaggerating. I experience the world in a near-constant barrage of sensations. I am very hyper-sensitive to nearly all sensory input.

I grew up with a lot of internalized embarrassment and shame surrounding my over-sensitivity. At the time I wasn’t diagnosed but I felt different and weird. I was the only kid who covered their ears and cried during fire alarms, always squinted in the sun on the playground, jumped at sudden loud noises, and absolutely refused to eat bitter or spicy foods.

I wish people had understood growing up that I’m not “weird”—just different. My sensory experience is different than yours, but that doesn’t make it wrong or even fully negative. When I am at home and can…