AUTISTIC NICK ABANDONS HIS SENSORY BOX

AUTISTIC NICK ABANDONS HIS SENSORY BOX

Autistic Nick’s sensory items lay dormant in their box.

They had struggled in recent months to provide a genuine sensory experience and there was inner fighting amongst the various items.

One blamed the other and then some ganged up to confront others whilst some remained quiet, and others just didn’t care.

In previous weeks when the sensory box had been opened nothing inside it had resonated with Autistic Nick and he had abandoned it.

Preferring a pebble tea coaster. The coaster is basically pebbles collected from a beach and then hot glue gunned together to form a coaster to place hot or cold drinks on.

These are usually sold at local markets for $10 or more.

Those dormant items had recently noticed that Autistic Nick had picked up his word search book and began to see the sensory delight that it bought him.

Hope for them they felt was on the horizon but sadly they were wrong.

If they can’t explain it then somehow, I doubt I can.

I’m at a loss as to why it’s taken me so long to reach a genuine sensory experience with those items inside my sensory box.

Usually when I open said box, I can spy an item that can bring me sensory pleasure and no questions are asked.

It’s obviously an item that had worked in the past, I know the item and what sensory need it fulfills but recently it’s been a blah response when I pick something up and look at it and I’m like yeah whatever.

Finding solace in other things I don’t think is the answer here.

I think I’m going to have to reassess those items and maybe either throw some of them away or go out a buy some new items.

Other routes to head down are writing a pros and cons list.

Examining each item individually and noting it’s sensory worth.

This could be like on a sensory scale this item whatever it maybe me brings me a sensory experience of say 6/10.

Or this sensory item is a 2/10 and then that maybe must be replaced with something else.

It’s been a real struggle to even muster up the energy to even bring myself to open the sensory box in the first instance.

I have like I said at the beginning of this article taken out my word search book recently.

Causing fractions within the sensory box.

I took a drink outside and placed it on the pebble coaster (yes, I know).

I sat outside in the sun on a chair in my garden and opened the word search book.

The virginal white crisp pages that had been untouched by a pen stared back at me smiling, willing me to place a line through the first word on the list.

I did four.

I always did four puzzles.

When I was travelling to work by train, I would do four heading into Perth and then four on the train on the way back home.

I sat there in silence.

I took in the quiet and reserved nature of the day.

I took my time and allowed myself to relish the sensory joy that this had once bought me.

A thought has just occurred to me, maybe I’ve outgrown those sensory items that had once been beneficial to me, and it was merely only a matter of time before I reached this conclusion and that all along this was what was happening.

I do think that a trip to a sensory store is going to need to happen at some point.

Maybe that’s why my mood and to some degree my sleep pattern have been affected lately?

I’m not a scientist but it’s something to think about.

Also, any sensory food that I had inside my sensory box and I’m talking lollies wrapped in paper etc not chocolates (because they’d melt in this heat). Haven’t been doing their job either.

Usually when I would chew on a lolly say for example mint chews.

Mint chews have that sticky toffee like quality. When you chew them, you get most of it stuck to the inside of your mouth or teeth and it’s that part that’s the sensory sensation for me. Trying to dislocate that chew from either one of my teeth or the roof of my mouth.

So, in conclusion I guess what I’ve learnt from this is that I shouldn’t be so hard on myself and put a lot of unnecessary sensory pressure on myself to force a positive sensory experience when there may not be one to be had.

It’s ok to seek other items such a pebble coaster for example.

If there isn’t a sensory experience to be had then an alternative then needs to be found, don’t beat yourself up if that takes some time like I clearly have been doing!

Also, one sensory experience for one Autistic person isn’t the same as it is for another.

And that finding those sensory items may take some time and resources.

Be kind to yourself with this.

There is never a quick sensory fix.

CARRY ON THE CONVERSATION

As always, I can also be found on Twitter:@AutisticNickAU and on the Autistic Nick Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/AutisticNickAU/

Thank you for reading and I will see you next time for more thoughts from across the spectrum.