Weirdly Successful
Dedicated to helping you understand, navigate and enjoy your weird & wonderful neurodivergent life.
ARFID stands for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. It is characterized by highly selective eating habits, often to the point of nutritional deficiency. Unlike anorexia or bulimia, ARFID is not driven by concerns about body image or weight. Instead, it's typically related to sensory sensitivity, fear of adverse consequences (like choking or vomiting), or a lack of interest in eating.
Interoception is the ability to notice and identify feelings inside one's body, like thirst or hunger. It also includes the ability to notice and regulate temperature changes or notice pain.
Alexithymia is the inability to assign names to feelings, describe them to others or talk about them. It is considered a separate neuropsychological condition but has significant overlaps with autism.
Sensory avoiding, also known as sensory under responsivity, refers to a pattern of behaviour where individuals actively try to avoid or minimize exposure to sensory stimuli. These individuals may have a heightened sensitivity to sensory input and may find certain sensations overwhelming or discomforting. As a result, they may engage in behaviours such as avoiding …
Sensory-seeking refers to a behavioural pattern or tendency in individuals where they actively seek out and engage in sensory experiences or stimuli. Individuals may have a heightened desire for sensory input and actively seek activities or environments that provide intense or stimulating sensations.
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is a neurological condition that affects the way an individual's brain processes and responds to sensory information from their environment.
A feeling of immense distress, a sensory overwhelm / autistic overwhelm is a strong reaction caused by the compounded effects of stress, exhaustion, lack of safety, a sense of danger, unmet needs, too much information, noise, sights or sounds, smells or touch.
Stimming (also known as self-stimulating) is a common sensory-seeking neurodivergent behaviour. It means stimulating yourself in a repetitive manner to self-soothe, regulate, or express excitement. Stimming is common both in ADHD and autism.
Stimming movements, however, are common in all human beings. Everybody stims, whether it's chewing the end of a pencil while you think, swaying back and forth to the rhythm of the music while you're standing in line, or swinging your legs when they can't touch the ground.
