Ask An Autistic: Sensory Overload/ Over Stimulation and How I Deal With It 

Not being ashamed of stimming was the greatest thing for me. Stimming is so helpful that I get angry now when people try to teach autistic children not to stim.

I'm actually doing my graduate paper about "How to increase the social acceptance of stimming in the workplace" Like, why do we think it's normal to use a stress ball, but do we give side glances to people using a chew necklace? Maybe there should be workshops to help normalise it and reap the benefits of employees being able to stim in the workplace. Maybe there should be a box of stim toys in the office supply room for every organization...

I have sensory overload because of my ADD, and sometimes it even hurts to hear people speak. Thank you so much for the tips!!

The irony of me trying to watch this while my dad is watching Terminator on the big TV behind my PC screen, on speaker, very loudly is not lost on me

I just wanted to mention...there is a website called Sensory Goods that sells many different goods related to relieving different kinds sensory issues. Sometimes they will have sales and specific goods will be cheaper.

Omg I thought I was the only who picked at their skin. My family always yells at me when I do it

The technology Bose uses to cancel noise hasn't changed significantly since they started the quietcomfort series, so you can get earlier models for cheap, used or like new, and they work just as well as the expensive stuff. Also for people who need pressure but don't like compression wraps (like me) there are also weighted lap pads or weighted stuffed animals (mostly on Etsy) that aren't 20 lbs but still satisfy that need.

I can hardly cope without my ear plugs. I use the kind you use at a shooting range. I put those in and play your podcast on my TV loud enough for me to listen through them, so I don't have to hear my crazy ass neighbors at all. Totally blocked out. My doctor has drastically reduced my anxiety meds, so it's been a life-saver. Also my friend and I started making weighted blankets a year ago and have never finished them. Oops.

I've never heard of compression wraps, that is a birthday wish right there!

Thank you for making this and normalising stimming. I rock a lot and don't realise. But when I do notice, or people point it out I get self-conscious. Hearing somebody else talk about it is great for me to be able to accept who I am.

I have a plastic/silicone scrunchy hair tie thing (its supposed to be better for your hair) that I keep around my wrist at all time and its GREAT! I can twist it, stretch it, shrink it, chew it, roll it between my hands and my new favourite thing is to put both my hands/arms in it and spin them around! They come in different colours and patterns and looks like bracelets, definitely recommend it!

Thank you for this! My youngest son has ASD and SPD and I never knew about the wrap things. I'm going to have to go get him one. He likes to pile all his blankets on himself at night, probably craving the weight. We couldn't ever afford the weighted blanket so the wrap would be useful. Lol@ "happy autistic burrito" 😂

This is such a great vid! I have anxiety/PTSD and get sensory overload fairly regularly. Noise in particular bothers me, so I'm looking at getting better headphones to block out sound. When I feel myself starting to get overwhelmed, I usually go find a small, dark quiet place and curl up for a bit. The bathtub is a favorite because its nice and cool.

My daughter said her transition lenses have been super helpful for her because light causes a lot of sensory overload for her. She has amblyopia (sounds similar to what you are describing with your eyes) so only has one “good” eye too and ASD :) love all of your recommendations!

I'm so glad you exist and that you're making videos. Seriously, you should know how awesome and impactful you are. ❤

"...and your little dog, too." You are fantastic, man. :)

Thank you for this video again. I came and said hi to you at the conference which was very difficult but I am happy I did it. This video was helpful to find new things, I use a few of the things you talked about. Being accepting of stimming is very needed even in safe spaces. I had troubles at the conference with over stimulation and the things I need to do to help I was looked at strangely by some people but some people were very nice and helped me get to where I wanted to go. It was very nice getting to meet you again, thank you for making great videos and talking about being trans and having an ASD diagnosis.

yess wearing sunglasses instantly calms me I love it

This video just made me realise that picking at my skin is actually a need for stimming so thank you for pointing that out.

"i will walk over you, and your children, and your little dog too"

Most of these I’ve never actually thought of! Tysm Aaron, you are really making a diff as ASD representation and personally help me sm navigating stuff as a ace trans guy w ASD and SPD and chronic pain. You are the representation we need :)

I really want to make a "Sensory Pack" now to sell so people don't have to spend an exhausting amount of money just to get each individual item. Maybe in the future if I have the resources to get help with it. :P I couldn't include the weighted blanket cause that would make the price sky rocket but I would like to include 3 pairs of ear plugs 1 pair of noise cancelling headphones 2 compression wraps A fidget spinner A fidget cube A stress ball One of those detanglers (idk what theyre actually called?) lol Maybe a small stuffed animal too (Stuffies help me personally) And I wanna add some more sensory stuff that are kinda cheap? I wanna make like a "starter pack", idk what else to call it. Just something so people can figure out what they like the best. And then if they like something particular they can invest some money into maybe a more expensive or abundance of something rather than spending their money on something that they don't know if they like or not sensory wise. Comments on what others think about this too would be hella helpful.

My partner got me a weighted blanket I'm amazed how much it has helped with all my anxiety and all my triggers

I got new stim toys today. Coincidental best timing. I'm still waiting for an ASD diagnosis (the waiting list is 2+ years) but I've had sensory overloads at school so school are like "oh shite. You have problems. What can we do?" So now I'm allowed stim toys and I've come up with a card system so I can nonverbally tell a teacher if I need to get out of the class or if I need to just be left alone (doing all their work for them be like). Thank you so much for this advice. As someone who is fairly new to healthy coping strategies for my ASD, these are really useful and it's also really useful to have someone else I can see who experiences similar things to me

I grew up in a house where you can hear everything and a father who always watched tv while I did my homework on the dining room table, which, seeing as my house was tiny, the living room, dining room, snd kitchen were all one long room that made up the first floor. so I had to learn to be able to focus despite visual and audible overstimulation. instead of getting rid of stimulation, I just replaced it with familiar stimulation. certain music I know well enough that my brain recognizes it and drowns it out since it's predictable and not new. once I got the noise out of the way I just forced myself to myperfocus on my work, and I solved my problem. That was my strategy

Hi Aaron!!! I’m so sorry you have to deal with so much crap!!! You are so damn brave!!! I admire you so much!!! Lots of love and hugs!!! ❤️❤️❤️

I also get headaches all the time every day always and sunglasses truly can save a life.

im so happy you posted this! much luv

Great video Aaron!

*hears about rocking* *notices that I’m rocking*

I wasn't diagnosed with autism, i don't think i was tested for it but I have problems with loud noises too especially toward screaming children. I absolutely cant stand being around them and sometimes I'm actually stuck around them at work and it's torture as a cashier because i can't LOOK annoyed or uncomfortable, it would be rude, i cant plug my ears or walk away, that would be rude. it makes me upset, but i cant show it because to customers, im a grown person (do they consider me a person though?) who should be able to handle it but i can't

Thank you so much for this video. This was so insightful and helpful!

I love the way you give affordable ways of dealing with sensory-overload scenarios and encourage to face these struggles. Fantastic video! 😊

Thank you for making videos. I am so happy I can be educated on topics I know very little about. You are very intelligent and funny and your content is so important !:)

You're awesome Aaron, thank you for videos to help with daily things that need to be hushed one way or another, the things you show and share are saviors, and I'm thankful that you let us know about cheaper yet still effective alternatives! Thank you for this video! Thank you for YOU too :)

My ADHD oftentimes gives me sensory overload. I so appreciate these tips! Thanks Aaron!

I'm autism spectrum, and loud public spaces are really rough, esspecially amusnent parks. I lived in California when I was little and my family had a local pass thing for Disneyland. We would go in the morning but always left by about 1: 30 beacause I would get over stimulated. Well we have since moved, but my mom and I recently took a trip back to go to Disneyland again. Sure enough, come 1: 30 I was not doing well. But, Disneyland offers some great services for disabilities so we went to the town hall on Main Street to get access to them. Their workers are super friendly, and you just ask them what they offer and tell them what you need and the basics of why. They don't require any paperwork or proof. And they don't make you justify yourself. Then I went to the nearest first aid building and they gave me ear plugs. I stayed the rest of the day until the park closed. One thing that stood out to me was an interaction I had getting on the autotopia ride. Your pass isn't labled with a disability, just what accomodations you have access you. The cast members at autotopia didn't assume I was able bodied just because I'm young and not in a wheelchair and they offered me the elevator instead of the stairs. I don't have physical disability myself, but I liked that they don't make assumptions based on how you look.

Ilysm plant daddi💜

all my favs are uploading today

I rock and don’t notice lots of times that I’m doing it but it means like a lot to me that you brought that up

I love your videos Aaron!!!! I support adults with Autism and learning disabilities (mostly severe) who often aren't able to put into words what living with Autism is like. So it's really helpful hearing from an Autistic person what it's like (obviously every Autistic person is different, but it gives some insight). ❤

Thank you so much for sharing those tips. 😊

I've noticed a lot (If not all of these) are also really great for anxiety. I've got Multiple Sclerosis and I have sensory issues as a result, as well as chronic anxiety. I use all of these coping stills and it makes a HUGE difference!! I'm glad you've been able to find tools to help with your disabilities. Thank you for working towards breaking the stigma surrounding disabilities.

i have generalized anxiety and i also get sensory overload! especially with auditory stuff and touching. i've found that passive noise cancelling headphones work better for me personally, and they're also a lot cheaper (i got mine for about 30 dollars or so). they don't cancel everything, but it's a lot quieter than not having them. my favorite stimmy thing is this weighted crab toy thing i got at a toy store for like 4 bucks. it fits in the palm of my hand and has a really nice weight to it. it's filled with small glass beads and the outside fabric has a great smooth texture. it's nice and soothing to bounce it or toss it back and forth between my hands!

Thank you! I think this will help me a lot dealing with the sensory overload due to my ADD.

"Autistic Burrito" I am still laughing, but that is such a good comparison. Love this video, such good tips. You are so insightful and full of knowledge! I admire how you get on with life and wish you all the best. Watching your videos has helped me so much with dealing with people. I work in a customer facing position and I meet a lot of people with special needs, and watching your videos has helped me deal with them and meet their needs and not be condescending or talk down to them or get annoyed.

What a sweet guy. Thank you for your truthful video. I love someone who isn’t autistic but has sensory issues and as her mom thank you.❤️

aaaaaaa thank you so much for this. i needed this so much right now and it helps

This was so insightful. Thank you so much

I really appreciate videos like this. I am legally blind and also have anxiety so I experience sensory overload pretty much daily. So finding ways to help with that is great. Thank you for sharing what works for you.

This makes me feel so represented and happy thank you for the tips!! Also for making your own weighted blankets, I recommend using poly pellets!!

Thank you so much for all this useful advice! I don't have autism but do have a sensory-processing issue in addition to my EDS and other physical disabilities so a lot of these little advice tidbits greatly intrigued me. I was especially excited to hear your opinion on the weighted blanket, as someone with anxiety and EDS who's been trying to make a decision on whether or not to purchase one for literally months now. You actually directly addressed my concerns and I think I'm going to try that little wrap thing first now that you've made me aware of its existence. So again, thank you!

Not even 2 seconds in and that was literally the cutest thing ive ever seen :) hiiiii

thank you so much, ive recently been diagnosed with autism and every day i seem to get over stimulated at school. this is the most helpful things i’ve found

I'm curious if active noise canceling headphones will set off tinnitus? I get it really bad (and migraines) when I'm overwhelmed and background noise tends to make it worse. Fidget cubes (the real kind, not knock offs) are LIFE SAVERS as well. I've started rocking myself a lot too- I used to just bounce my legs or like... Wring my hands/mess with my piercings/pick at my skin but rocking really helps the most as long as nobody is watching me cuz that just makes me anxious lol. I have ADHD and severe anxiety, ptsd, panic attacks etc and haven't gotten officially dx with ASD but my doctor thinks I'm on the spectrum, I'm looking forward to figuring that out. Thank you for being so open and explaining this stuff, it's SO helpful!!

So grateful for you mentioning about allowing yourself to stim and not being ashamed cuz I've struggled with that alot, particularly becuase I rely heavily on oral stimming and I'm always at least a little ashamed of what other ppl might be thinking.

Thank you thank you, Aaron!! I totally wish I had someone like you to look up to when I was younger and didn’t understand my sensory processing disorder. It’s comforting to know that this information is out there for lil baby sensory processing disorder kids!! Also? I had no idea about the sunglasses thing?? I’m gonna have to try it out soon.

This was so helpful thank you! I am always so embarrassed to walk around with my headphones and sunglasses on or sit constantly flipping my grounding stone but just hearing you chat about this kind of stuff has made me feel a little more okay with it. Also thank you for showing your compression wrap, I have thought I would find them helpful for a while now but also I get very panicked if I feel trapped so have never really have looked into them thinking they would be 'trappy' but this one looks like a snuggley blanket loop so I might look for one like this. Thank you so much :)

Such a useful video! Thanks

That helped a lot! I have adhd and ocd and i also struggled with sensory overloads. Also fidget toys help helped me a lot.

Awesome vid. Finally saving up and Getting my first pair of truly wireless noise cancelling ear buds! I cant wait ! :)

Aww thank you for sharing about the rocking❤. I have always been that way when I was little and recently have allowed my self to do it again. I would always call the feeling it gave me the marshmallow feeling because I felt warm and safe and calm. It was kind of picked on for it as a kid(I was born in early 90’s, and a lot about stemming and adhd, autism, processing disorders were new and were not handled well, especially female) I know now though that the guilt I felt was a problem with society and not me.

So, I just realized a thing about myself watching this... A pretty big thing. I never really had anxiety as a kid, I had depression and other shit going on, but no real anxiety to speak of. As I got older kids made fun of me because of my stimming, so I learned to suppress it. Fast-forward 20 years later and now I'm a anxiety riddled mess that can't leave the house unless it's to go straight to work, but hey, at least I don't rock, or pace, or flap("excessively") or twitch my nose anymore, right?😑🙄😞

Thanks so much for this video. I'm nearly 31 and don't have any way of affording a doc to officially diagnose me with anything, but because of videos like this and others it's helping me come to terms with some of this kind of stuff. That compression wrap looks amazing. Sometimes I wear tight clothes underneath my normal ones because it helps me feel calm. and I'm getting some noise-cancelling headphones for my birthday soon and I'm so excited because my last experience in an airport was living hell.

I used to stim a lot as a kid-- tapping my feet, chewing on pens and pencils, moving all over the place, etc. I got some p heavy anxiety a few years ago and made a weighted blanket which is really nice for everything, and I've been finding myself more and more using my noise cancelling headphones just to take the world from an 8 to a 4 so I can handle it. I'll have to look into a compression wrap, that looks like something I can use in class under my clothes

U are a blessing plant father 🌱

Thank you so much, again. Your videos really help me. For family reasons, I've never been diagnosed. And have felt ashamed or embarrassed about my stims.

Thank you A LOT! I'm not diagnosed but have some certain traits, and some things you mentioned I used just without knowing why. Now I's much clearer why did they help me.

Thank you so much for this. As an allistic person who loves a person on the autism spectrum this was a really helpful video.

I have eye problems and coordination issues, (due to BPPV) and not to mention my legs are terrible, but I use a cane so I can use that to find out where things are when I can't stand properly or see right due to my sunglasses :^) We're much more similar than I thought.. I resonated with everything you said, including what you mentioned about autism, skin picking, etc. Thanks plant daddi !!! This vid will definitely help me 🌱

Great video - and good reminders for me as I pack for vacation. Over earplugs & under my headphones, I wear a hoody. It's comforting to me & keeps the headphones from bothering me. I'm mildly synaesthetic, so noises & touch are connected. Rocking helps me get to sleep (sometimes) as does holding silly putty. My primary stim is doodling. Pretty shapes if I'm "ok" & fast hatch marks or flat out scribbling if I'm "less ok". My sister often says "you're humming - here's an envelope" (to draw on). This is turning into an essay, I had eye surgery in 40's. They adjusted the muscles & gave me depth perception - a hard transition but it's amazing what the brain can figure out. Stairs are still ridiculous (I feel like I'm falling the whole time) & if I'm tired or have a migraine, the images split again. I'm glad you have such good coping skills. Your videos really warm my heart.

I have ADHD and a lot of issues with sensory overloads and just wanted to thank you for those tips!

Noise bothers me sooo much! Any place with clapping, scream-talking, and music with extreme bass. Strobe lights: I can't deal with that! It's over-stimulation. After a few hours of a social event, I get stressed and anxious because of the noise and being in a room full of people. Once the event is over, I'm makes so exhausted, sleepy, light-headed, and unsteady on my feet. My friends are so helpful when I'm in this state. Giving me a ride home, sometimes they need to help walk me to their car as well as walk me to my front door, unlock the door for me, take my shoes off, and get me into bed! At that point, my body is just so done it's as if it's telling me, "All resources are depleated. Prepare for a total system shutdown."

Loved this video!! I have autism and ADD and struggle with sensory overload. I love my specialised earplugs and noise-cancelling headphones (mine were a gift too). I don't like wearing sunglasses though, because then things look too different for me. I love the idea of a nice blanket, I might have to look into that!

I bump into things and trip over myself constantly even though I have perfect vision so you're not alone.

Thanks for this video! I have PTSD and ADD and I've noticed I've been dealing with sensory overload lately. I've been using noise-canceling bluetooth headphones by AKG for about $150 by Samsung. I love an infinity cube to fidget with. I loveeeeee the idea of the sensory loop. I'll have to try to find the same one on Amazon! Thanks again for sharing! Take care!

That burrito blanket is genius. I wish I could get one rn and use it all the time^^ In the meantime, I find that those tight and thick beanies are really comforting. It's like a constant hug and make some feel really grounded, so if anyone finds one in a fabric they like, maybe it helps^^

These are such useful tips i wish i knew sooner. I got a new apprenticeship which means I'm away from home for 21 weeks (about 5 months) and that's stressful but then so is my course and it's all gets too much. I do have some stim toys thankfully but they're mostly the same kind which is hand ones. (Most of them are just the same thing in different colours because something the colour matters, and a few of them have different textures) I'm gonna have to try to get some of them tho as being in classrooms all day with a lot of people is hard enough but not having a familiar place to relax and not having all my teddies and blankets and everything i have at home that i can just lay on top of me to help, makes it worse. I need a compression wrap thing

Happy ears. Best ever

I'm looking into one of those wraps right now thank you I didn't know about those! 💖

Oh wow, nice timing! I was super sensory overloaded after a shopping trip yesterday so I basically ended up reading with a pillow over my ears all afternoon...

Ahhhhh I have amblyopia/strabismus too!! It's so cool to meet other people who do!

Love that wrap! When it’s hot and I can’t have my blanket around me the sleep just doesn’t come 😩

Well Hello and Thankyou! I'm not sure what I'm dealing with psychologically and physically , but being out and over stimulated sensory is creating huge anxiety! Your tips helped 🙏

I have an anxiety disorder and never knew it was the cause of my sensory problems. I just thought something was wrong with me. Thank you so much

So interesting thank you. I was looking for tips to cope with sensory overload. I am not autistic but I have been really struggling especially now that I am a mom and there is constant sound and touch in my life. I didn't know what stimming is, but I also rock and I sometimes pinch the skin on my arm or hand. I also suffer from migraines and now I think that is probably linked.

Thank you so much for this video bc I can’t get noise canceling headphones but now I have alternatives

Yeah, I’ve dislocated joints many a time while under my weighted blanket. Shoulders and wrists are the main ones. Yay EDS and ASD

Thank you for this. Idk if I’m anywhere on the spectrum (some speculate I am) but I’ve always struggled with sensory processing. This was helpful

Earplugs, mp3 player, sunglasses, book to read, tight heavy shoes so I know where my feet are.

Aaron maybe colored lenses could help instead of sunglasses? For example I get overloaded when there's too many colors and lights so I use green glasses that just make everything in hues of green, so I can still see well but it's not so much color noise. They also sell sunglasses of lower tints, maybe they'd help?

noted, keep buddy near me for sure if aaron is wearing sunglasses xD

I have the Sony MDR-ZX770BN, which are noise cancelling, but not as expensive as the Bose, but they are good. Not as good as Bose, but good enough for me (I am half deaf on one ear, so maybe that plays into that. Maybe that is a good alternative for people?

I can attest to the cheap ear defenders on amazon. I have a cute yellow pair and they work great for my needs. You can definitely still hear loud stuff (including talking) but it does muffle everything. It helps. They totally quiet smaller sounds (like the ticking of a clock for example) and sometimes that's enough. For me anyway. Personally I have a small bag that I keep in my backpack and it's full of stim toys. -fidget cube -tangle -chewy necklace -one of those soft furry keychains that are really popular right now -a bracelet made for stimming -and a squishy cat paw This is a good variety for me because some of these things are better for straight up fidgeting while the soft and squishy things are good for relaxation.

I experienced this A LOT as a kid, into my teens, and both my parents gave me Hell about it. There were even times they threatened to take my things away, ground me or cause a scene. I don't like wearing turtlenecks or necklaces that rub against my throat because it causes anxiety; Same with wearing long sleeves. I can wear long sleeves if I need to but if I am indoors it causes anxiety.

I've never been diagnosed with SPD or autism, I'm 27, but I have psychotic depression/anxiety/PTSD so it probably covers it in there somewhere. I'm watching this in the dark in the bathroom because a bit ago I got done helping my son put together his new toys (birthday), which was a lot of colors and instruction checking while having two kids squeal and jump around, and my brain doesn't like that especially with my physical issues (fibro, seizures, migraines), and then when I went to our room to get a break, my SO started playing his guitar. I dashed in here crying. Sometimes even the kids laughing is horrible sounding and I have to put headphones on. But I have a new medical team that wants to do as much with therapy as possible and my insurance said a max of five meds a month...so I've lost a lot of my go-to stuff now. It sucks. I feel like people think I'm either exaggerating or a weakling when I just cannot deal with stuff that, on some days, I could deal with. :(

It was a big thing in the 90ies to represent more openly, when on the Autism spectrum. So glad, that you said, we need more representation to normalize us. After all, stimming like the rocking or handflapping or even vocalizing might be strange for the onlookers, but it harms nobody, and would help reduce stress in the ones doing it instead of repressing and having to wait, until alone or in a safe environment. Trying to be invisible with stims is such a drain for energy levels.

You can also make your own weighted blanket if you know how to crochette. My mom very lovingly crochetted a big blanket for me and it's *heavy,* so that worked out well :-) It certainly helps when I'm away from home, anxious, and in need of a "hug."

I’ve got a really bad anxiety disorder so I get overloaded very often I’m definitely gonna try some of these things (didn’t even know compression blankets existed!)

You should talk about the topic of seeing with one eye