touching/feeling and autism - Autism Spectrum Message Board

iyami · 12-26-2006, 09:29 PM

so, i ahvent been officially diagnosed but im getting there, and both of my parents have extremly autistic-traits, my dads social problems and OCD, and my moms .. everything But social problems, which i seemed to get from both of them.

aspergers to be specific.

and i noticed how i touch things
no w ihate beng ouched, mostly, but thats nto what i mean

liek if i am at a book store, i am very art obsessed i freak over it, so i touch my fingers over all of the books, i know why and hwo i do it but i dont know how to say it

i also painted my dads store window before christmas with snow piles and freyed-snowflakes and i walked up to it and touched each snowflake i could reach without astool, and he kind of stared at me and asked what i was doing and i wasnt sure what to say

is that an autism thing? if it is, why do i touch things like that?

messee84 · 12-27-2006, 04:16 AM

I dont think there has to be a reason why you do it but yes it does sound like an autisitc behaviour trait. One of the diagnostic criteria I work with is prolonged use of touch to explore objects and often this is coupled with a visual fixation on the object. It is often one sort of object so in your case this is things connected with art, with other people it might be objects connected with trains or simply objects that are yellow.

JoJoLEE · 12-27-2006, 02:02 PM

I'm not a professional but maybe I give an opinion. It could be a sensory thing and/ or a OCD thing. I know of some OCD people that have rituals where they have to touch certain items over and over.

Maybe its how you find your center in life. All people do these type of behaviors like: twitch there legs, talk with there hands, bitting their nails, and such things to find there center. That would be their way of concentrating and staying focused.

If you don't like what you are doing and would like find a better way to "find your center" (meaning: finding a way to deal and cope when you are over stimulated) You can always see a therapist who can help you. These things are fixable.

I hope this information can help you some. Like I said I'm not a professional.

iyami · 12-28-2006, 10:55 AM

everything i touch definitly has to do with art, usualy i dont conciously notice im touching it, or if i do i dontthink its weird until someone asks me "what are you doing?"

i always twitch my leg, and talk with my hands, and i am a germ-phobe-practically, so i would never ever bite my nails. but i do paint my nails and then chip the nailpolish off over and over, and i pull on my hair.

one otehr question

last night my dad was complaining saying i shouldnt say me or my brother ar ebeing tested for "autism" becuase people will "laugh in my face" becuase normal people take it as "something horrable where someone just rocks back and forth and never speaks"
well then WHAT am i suposed to say?
there is mor ethan one type of autism, and if someone Doesnt know it i can just explain cant i?

someone else (who was dyslexic, practcially spit in my face) told me i shouldnt tell anyone if i ahve any "problems" becuase if i TELL soemone im making an excuse for myself (i dont think aspergers is a Problem, i think its a different way of thinking)
and i MUST not care about who im talking to or what i am saying if i dont spellcheck every single thing i type online
but everyone dyslexic i know, and i know alot, has perfect typeing, becuase the hard part for them is spelling
the hard part for ME is wording, i try very hard to say what i mean the way i mean it (not always successfully) and i figure if im trying that hard and id ont ahve time to ontop of that spellcheck Everything, how is that so bad and not careing?

it seems like people want me to just keep it to myself
but i dont understand why
my friend lanie does, she only told me after i told her, but lanie is a quiet and cynical person, she doesnt tell most people anything at all, so i understand why she would
should i?

JoJoLEE · 12-28-2006, 08:23 PM

I think its good that you can express yourself and except who you are. No one is perfect and no one is the same. Every single one of us has some sort of Autistic trait and/or some disorder. You like to touch art. Great!

If you are fine with it and your not harming anyone else, then who are they to judge?

Take this time in your life to find your likes and desires. Make something with your passions and stay focused on being happy. Try not to worry about what others think. Maybe if people see that you are happy and that you accept who you are, then they will too?

P.S.
Tell people what ever you are comfortable saying. Remember, who are they to judge you. Everyone on this earth has some sort of problem.