I genuinely open up about this matter.
All my life, movies have usually beaten my senses whenever I watch them somehow.
Anyone could yell and it would affect me but not anyone else whether they have autism or not.
Wherever I went, a movie or show would be playing and people would make me deal with it by refusing to turn it off over other people.
Never mind the things I disagree on with each movie or show…all of them genuinely affect my senses and they always did even right now.
I am autistic myself…does anyone else with autism know how to handle this situation?
I’m sorry to hear that people aren’t respecting your needs by turning down/off the TV when you’re visiting. It sounds like you respond a lot more strongly than most to sensory input and particularly the combination of visual and auditory styles used in TV and movies. I definitely do not respond as strongly as you, although am still quite sensitive to visual and auditory input.
Could you clarify whether you’re seeking assistance with managing the sensory input, or in trying to explain the impact it has on you to other people (so that they don’t have the TV on in the background, for example)?
Thank you. More like I am explaining the impact I have on others because I happen to be very opinionated in what I like and don’t like.
I grew up on movies and shows like anyone else (even in treatment) but it was always a painful experience because I don’t like actors yelling or making faces and chewing the scenery, not to mention the other reasons I despise movies and shows which does tie with how opinionated I am with most of them.
If I even see one clip of a movie I loathe, all bets are off, but thankfully my parents understand what I do and don’t like and I can politely explain why I don’t like that one clip.
Some movies and shows in particular (like Pixar) are universally loved yet they hurt when I watch them because they ‘make you cry’ as they say because they pander to your emotions so much when all I would rather do is if not watch an actual movie, then read a book or a comic because I handle that better.
I figured as a genuine autistic person I could explain myself here and be understood.
Plus, I decided to volunteer as a moderator and upload more content for this instance.
I think I understand. It sounds like “family” movies or shows with emotional content are particularly intense for you (I don’t think they “pander to your emotions” as such, just that NTs experience and regulate their emotions differently and these films are not made with the autistic experience in mind). Books and comics are likely much easier to process since it’s just visual sensory input (and typically not intense input at that) without the auditory nor all the body-language cues.
One of my relatives (now deceased; he was never diagnosed but in retrospect some of the traits are obvious) always struggled with shows and movies aimed at children and families - he found them too emotional - where as crime shows, mysteries and documentaries were far more palatable. Certain scenes in films are overwhelming for me as well (emotional montages are often the most likely trigger), but usually it’s the just overall volume level or if there’s a lot of visual flashes/flickering that is taxing for me.
I can’t be sure what will work for you, but based on my past experience, people have less familiarity with the sensory issues associated with autism than they do with individual sensory issues (e.g. flickering lights and epilepsy, or sounds and hearing/balance complications). Perhaps you could mention that you have sensitive hearing and that loud noises like shouting are painful, or rapid movement/visual flashes are very distracting. What have you tried thus far when trying to explain the issues to people around you?
