Word Of The Day

While the experience of sensory overload may vary from one to another for those on the Autistic Spectrum, my own perception of it is a little like the sensation of staring at the sun.

If ever you've looked at the sun (which none of us should, because that's bad, but we're a curious species), there's that intensity in its light that goes beyond blinding, and burns at the back of your eyes.

Now imagine that overwhelming, excruciating sensation in your brain, but it's not from the sun. The source is everything around you, from what you see, to what you hear, smell, and what you physically feel. And you get it all at once, with no filter, cranked to 11. Coherent thought is not really a viable option at that point, and you risk a meltdown or shutdown, and neither of those is particlarily fun.

But that's a subject for another episode.