Hyposensitivity.

While autistic people can be ‘hypersensitive’ (over sensitive) to specific types of sensory information, they can also be ‘hyposensitive’ (under sensitive) to other types of sensory information. Autistic people can often seek out things they are hyposensitive to, in the hope of experiencing greater sensory stimulation from those things. I think my son is hypersensitive to the texture and feel of certain fabrics on his skin; if any item of clothing gets slightly wet, he has to remove it immediately. I also think he is hyposensitive to temperatures.

Therefore, while having a bath, he will often turn the hot water tap on and fill the bath with water that is hot enough to make his skin very red and feel very hot to the touch. On the other hand, he will often turn the cold tap on and sit in cold water that you couldn’t pay me enough to sit it. Because of this, bath times have to be monitored and they have become a good time to clean and tidy the bedrooms.

It has been really cold where we live recently: -15 C / 5F, but feels colder. So, today my son decided that he would try walking on snow in his bare feet! I had sent him outside with socks and shoes on (it was only about -2 C at that point of the day) but its hard for me to comprehend how he can be so numb to the cold. I can’t wait for him to be able to explain it to me one day.