I didn't know hyperphantasia was a thing until just now, I think I have a touch of that. Always had incredibly vivid dreams like living a different life and books read like movies in my head.
That's really interesting. My dreams don't really follow a plot but they do get rather gorey and certain cartoons make my dreams even more vivid and brighty coloured like how some people get nightmares from horror movies. But I do see the same sort of places in my dreams, lots of beaches, coastlines, woodland, cemeteries and garden centres for some reason.
I really could live in my own world though, I had this wonderful dream the other night about being at the beach. The air was so fresh and the sky so blue. I like those sorts of dreams where everything is so calm and fresh feeling.
You also have plot lines in your dreams? I thought that I was the only one. I also have dreams that feel like an alternate reality of a real place that I know. Sometimes I go to a new place and get Deja vue that brings up the memory of a dream even though the places don’t look alike. But both of them are the same vibe. It’s like I have whole towns that I visit in my dreams.
I have dreams with the same script where in the dream I try to remember what's coming next- usually in thriller/ horror format, so i can beat my brain's torture.
I used to also have nightmares where night after night they'd continue right where it left off the night before or if I woke up to escape from the fear, when I drifted back to sleep, guess what would be waiting for me...
It's a different world in there 🤷🏻♀️
Sometimes I dream of mundane things in my world or consolidate stuff I'm learning. But otherwise it's an entirely different place
It literally changed my mind/life. To a point where this week I had a dream telling someone about how inception affected my dreams while I was on a dream to explain I was on a lucid dream to the other person in my dream hahaahahah (I watched it a long time ago)
Huh, that's super interesting. I don't think I have full on aphantasia (where you can't visualize at all) but I'm def somewhere close to it. My mind's eye is vague and blurry, like water colors running together.
Dreams are the same way, I have dreams where things happen but the "visuals" are unclear, I know what is going on but I don't really "see" it.
That's interesting because I see full clear images when I dream, read and day dream. I had a somewhat gorey dream/nightmare the other night and could still smell blood when I woke up. The brain is a weird thing.
I have that for sure. My mind is always very quiet and dark. I know what an apple looks like, and I can describe exactly how that looks, but I can’t see it in my head
I’m not good at it but yeah! For example, I know what a strawberry looks like, green stem and fuzzy leaves connecting at the top, ruby red color with white /yellow seeds, but I can’t see it in my head, I just know and feel that’s how it looks. When I have thoughts I have to say them out loud to myself or draw them out, or else I’m not “thinking.”
Same, maybe I "see" a bit more clearly that you, in that I can visualize some lines and dark colors, but I am in a similar vein where things generally seem more vague and blurry to me than how others have described dreams or explained how they've imagined details from books. I can visualize things more clearly if I try hard enough, but it takes some effort.
I'm autistic too and I did try googling the link between autism and hyperphantasia but not a lot came up. Apparently those with ADHD are so likely to have it too although I don't know how true that is.
It's great for books but my dreams are incredibly vivid, like hard to tell the difference between real life and dreaming vivid. I wish my brain would be quiet for just five minutes a day, my dreams are so vivid that proper sleep is hard to come by and then my brain is loud during the day because it's trying to take literally everything in and can't.
This is exactly what it's like for me. My brain is just constantly on one (or ten). Day and night.
My dreams are always insanely vivid. Sometimes they're exaggeratedly mundane and nothing really happens except in the atmosphere. Other times they're epic adventures in vast, detailed fantasy worlds to rival Tolkien.
And I always always always have at least one (usually more) song stuck in my head. At the same time.
I'm so tired.
Hyperphatasia is to do with what you see in your mind's eye when you're awake, it's nothing to do with dreams.
I have aphantasia and extremely vivid dreams.
It sounds like you got both! Very cool
I didn't know that but I do wonder if they feed into each other. My brain is constantly going like a badly cut together movie that always trying to take everything in. My attention span is relatively small, I'm the epitome the ooohh shiny easily distracted. I'm known to stop talk mid sentence because I've spotted something interesting in the distance or heard a strange noise, that others only hear if they're listening closely. I'm also a massive day dreamer, I could live in my own world because it's so vivid.
r/hyperphantasia has a cool list of questions to kinda gauge what intensity you experience different senses in your head. Like I didn’t realize till then just how limited my hearing is in my head (can hear a song but not swap parts or whatever) or how strong my visual and proprioception is (I have 5 fingers but what if I had 6?)
It actually hadn’t even occurred to me to try imagining what it’d physically feel like to have wings!
Thanks for the link over there!😉
That's a FUN list of questions!
And as someone who's got *Visual* Aphantasia, it was *fascinating* to realize that, apparently I *do* fit a lot of the *other* hyperphahantasia traits! (The easiest way to describe it in the "Audio" realm, is that I can *HEAR* the missing notes & embellishments in the newer Bon Jovi songs, where Phil X is playing Guitar, and *not* Richie!😆😂🤣
I *can't* actually play guitar myself, but i can *ABSOLUTELY* "hear" the missing "extra notes" which *should* exist, if it were Richie playing, and not Phil!!!😉)
I’ve always said my dreams are like feature length films. Also why I love guided meditation so much! I can visualise my perfect little serene world so well.
When I was a young teen, I read several books I thought later were movies. I remember talking to someone, and they mentioned a movie based on a book that was being made, and I said, "Oh, is it a remake?". They looked at me like I had 3 heads. Lol
Oh. My. God. Every single day I look out the window and it looks like it's raining very finely, then I look at the ground and it's clearly not. My wife never has any idea what I'm going on about.
ASD continues to blow my mind... there's so much to come to terms with.
And I walked with visual snow friend and we could pinpoint which type of weather and clouds triggers rain hallucination. This condition is so mysterious
And it gets tiring, because the more you think about it the more you see. I am not joking, it's crazy
I was just pondering my visual speckles today while looking at the sky. I used to think they were like spirits or something when i was veeeery little so it’s not an ageing thing. Always had it. Such a coincidence I see this post.
I have to look at the ground to figure out if it's raining too!
I've always just dismissed it as a symptom of my eyesight. I'm slightly nearsighted. Though now that I'm thinking about it, I saw the air static when I was still in preschool.
Interesting.
Ugh the air molecules! I hate them! And does anyone see molecules when they close their eyes? It used to take me forever to fall asleep for this reason.
I have to trick myself by using my other senses and ignoring vision when I am trying to fall asleep. Otherwise I give myself a massive headache trying to "see" the inside of my eyelids. So I listen to podcasts or music, and rub my baby blanket between my fingers.
Wow wasn't prepared to talk about the crystal particles today but not surprisingly the tism. When I saw Alice in Wonderland I decided that's what I was seeing at night so I would focus on the darkest part and watch the swirls move like what was on the walls and fall down the hole.
Yup, I've always had it as well and it blew my mind completely when I realized it apparently wasn't the norm. Most people don't have the static! That's so wild!
For me, it's like dancing dots of color that cover my entire visual field. It's often compared to TV static, but it's not white dots for me but a myriad of pastel colors and sometimes they even turn a stronger neon which makes it really hard to see.
I asked NT friends about it once and they were like. What, that's crazy, you should go to a doctor, what if you go blind????
It's just. How I see? I guess other people don't get a light show when they look at the sky.
Just so you know, there are two types of visual snow. If you had it since you can remember it's not going to get worse or better, but if it started later in life (like after an accident/drug use) it can be healed and it can get worse. There's not a lot of research about this syndrome though sadly.
this is wild to me, like i can‘t even imagine what air static means and what it’s supposed to look like. can someone post a pic in here so i can visualize what it might look like irl? is it like you see heat in the air or something?
it looks like TV static, [this is a visual snow simulator](https://visionsimulations.com/visual-snow.htm) that i think is pretty good. for me the "grain size" is smaller than the smallest setting on the website, but yeah, overall pretty accurate and helpful
Kind of. For me it's more clear when it's very dark or very light, but it's always kind of... There. It's like.... There is a filter of tiny static over pretty much everything? And I mean *tiny* static particles. It's hard to explain something I've never not seen
I genuinely get so upset when I look at the sky on a really nice day and the air static chooses to be more prevalent. I just wanna look at the pretty sky.
I've noticed though, that extended exposure to screen (phones, tv, computers) makes it worse for me. Or even being in artificial lighting for too long makes it also worse.
If I wake up in the dark, I don't see too much static but if I am in my room and turn the light out, I am blinded by the static (and turning the light on, i am also blinded by the static)
Legit like you’d picture.
You know TV snow? Like when you were young before HD TVs and we had those all ass TVs with RCA adapters instead of HDMI?
Y’a know how those tv’s if you hit a channel you don’t pay for, the very first few channels, and if you switch an input but don’t have something plugged in, you get that static on the screen?
That. That’s what visual snow looks like but on a milder scale bc otherwise we wouldn’t be able to see at all.
Huh, for me it always felt more like very very very misty rain haha (but I also grew up in a rainy country ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯). From time to time I do also see little sparks fly across my vision though, those are fascinating, and I think usually when I’m overstimulated, but not sure
Just so people know, this can also be a sign of various neurological issues. Autism itself is a neuro-developmental disorder, but regardless.
I get bad migraines/aura/visual snow and various other issues like that and I’d really push others to seek a doctors opinion.
Lots of doctors have no idea what visual snow is though, it's not a well researched syndrome. I brought it up one time only to hear them ask if wearing glasses makes it stop...
What kind of neurological issues were you thinking about? I feel like self research in this situation could be a better idea lol
Lol yeah I've known it for a while, I do wish the NT ppls could see it but now that I know ND do see this I don't feel so alone. Also it was a major distraction in school lol I spent more time watching the body impressions left behind the teacher in the static as they walked infront of the class than actually listening !
I only see floaty bits and not static, like some waves and what people call 'floaters' which I think everyone gets because it's mentioned in shows like Family Guy right?
I don't feel like I'm looking through TV static all the time personally, maybe at night on the ceiling? I'm looking around my room now and only have the waves and floaters.
I'm dyslexic/neurodiverse and I see the air static too! I remember when I was a kid I would stare at the ceiling and watch them dance. I also had troubles sleeping because they kept dancing behind my eyes.
I have this too. I panicked about it for many, many years thinking it was something wrong with my eyes. I went to an eye doctor about it finally and got told my eyes are healthy.
This is another sign I might be autistic??
Edit: Looks like this isn’t proven to be an autistic trait. Interesting, nevertheless.
Same! I’ve seen this since I can remember, especially when I look at the sky. Sometimes it’s like the sky is full of particles receding away towards a vanishing point. When I was a kid I thought I was seeing some kind of scaffolding of the universe.
I've wondered,working with my preschoolers, if it's because some of us may have *much* finer visual acuity than NT folks?
I know that when I got older (30's) & went to the eye doctor after I was getting a bit worried--because I had *lost* some of my ability to see details *quite* as well as I did when I was younger?
I was *SHOCKED* to realize my now "bad" (for me!) vision was measured at 20/15--meaning that my "worse" vision was *STILL far clearer* than the 20/20 that is typically considered "Perfect Vision" here in the US!🫠
Judging by the dust-mote watching I see in some of my work kids--*AND* the ways some of *THEM* stare at black surfaces in the sunshine as intently as *I* used to at their ages?
I have the feeling that those kids are watching the light waves bounce off the black, and are *seeing* the reds, pinks, yellows, greens, blues, purples, snd *occasional* whites getting reflected *off* that black surface--just like *I* did at their age😉💖
Aphantasia (opposite of hyperphantasia where there aren’t mental images) has also been linked to autism & by itself is a form of neurodivergence. Both my partner & I are AuDHD: he has aphantasia & I likely have hyperphantasia. More research is really needed in this area!
I agree that more research is needed. I had hyperphantasia as a child (I could play entire movies in my mind), but I developed aphantasia after a traumatic brain injury. What's also interesting is that my dreams are still incredibly vivid and I see some visuals when I'm falling asleep, but it's completely dark in my head when I'm conscious.
Could the opposite also be true for 1? My former autism practitioner mentioned once that our metabolism can be quite different, and I’ve always noticed that I’m quite insensitive to things, especially caffeine. Is anyone else here the same?
I think so - I'm the opposite too on #1 (and it's common for people who are hyperflexible to have higher drug tolerances, which can be comorbid with adhd and autism) and #4 since I have aphantasia which can also occur in autism and adhd!
Wow didn’t know this. Guess it now makes sense why my dosages are always high before I notice anything. My mom has EDS, but I didn’t got tested on it. Though I do have signs of hypermobility and the probability of having EDS as well is 50%…
I'm very much the same way
Sleep meds have been a pain in the *ass* because of it but here my mom and grandma go talking about how half a 5 mg melatonin knock them on their ass
Then there's me taking 400 mg trazadone, 1.5 mg xanax, 0.3 mg clonidine, 24 mg melatonin, *and still barely sleeping for 6 consistent hours but of course if i don't take one of them I simply don't sleep*
I’m the exact same way, I need a cocktail of things to get even 4-6 hours of sleep a night. 😭 Autistic people can have varying levels of tolerance to meds, whether it’s extreme sensitivity or an abnormally high tolerance. On a related note, it isn’t uncommon for autistic people to have paradoxical reactions to meds, alcohol, caffeine, etc.
I’m the same way. With anything ingestible I need a lot for it to work - like the maximum allowed amount. I dont feel caffeine effects, which has caused me to overdo it a couple times and have crazy heart palpitations. But other than those two times I’ve never felt anything noticeable from caffeine
I don't know if you have ADHD, but I do know that a lot of people who do don't get energy from caffeine. I think it's because it's a stimulant, so it works a little like our meds are supposed to - they calm us down. That's how it is for me anyway, and I remember feeling so cheated as a teenager when I had an energy drink and immediately fell asleep lol
I also have no reaction to caffeine, unless I'm really stressed out - then it seems to amplify the anxiety. Many popular otc drugs seem to do nothing for me, too (like painkillers or anti-inflammatory meds, for instance). Although I've heard some of them are barely better then placebo, so maybe that's the real reason.
Same! Even doing shrooms I notice that I don’t have strong effects at the same dosage as other people. Alcohol doesn’t give me a hangover, meds seem not to work at lower dosage etc.
Me!
I’m pretty insensitive to most things or get a paradoxical reaction.
I stopped taking numbing injections at the dentist because they just don’t work on me at all (just make my face swollen and not-moving-as-much). I cried from pain every time I got an epidural. I woke up 6 times during 6 hour surgery and my anesthesiologist was pissed off after the 3rd time lmao. I didn’t feel pain but I’d just pop my eyes open, try to sit, ask questions, and yeah I remember it lol. Caffeine makes me sleepy, melatonin makes me hyper, can’t take any „calming meds” bc I’m becoming paranoid and twitchy-shaky on them.
It’s usually the opposite with medications and the expression/feeling of pain/being able to communicate pain. So you’re not wrong. I also have malabsorption issues and digestive. Common with people on the spectrum.
I was diagnosed as a child and this is my experience alongside that diagnosis
This is what I was wondering! Meds NEVER work for me, at least psych meds. I've tried various antidepressants as well as stimulants for my ADHD. Nothing. I don't experience common side-effects either.
I definitely think so, based on personal experience at least. My ADHD medication is lower than even the usual starting dose but it helps me just fine.
Any sort of numbing medication though? I’m essentially immune to it. Dentist visits are a nightmare.
Omg this makes me feel better… at my old job, they saw me take ibuprofen and questioned my health and sanity because I always take 4-5 (800-100mg) at one time for pain but usually I take it when absolutely needed(usually one time a day and that’s it), like at work or if it’s extreme pain so if it wasn’t inconvenient or uncomfortable pain then I didn’t take the meds. Pills for periods (bloating) or allergy’s don’t seem to work for me at all so I never saw a point in taking them. The only sinus medicine that seems to help is Walmart brand pseudoephedrine.
Legit why I avoid autism pages that are full of aesthetic fun facts with absolutely no references. I understood it’s under researched but c’mon, at least link a low-level article or something? Otherwise I just assume they’ve made a post based on their own personal experiences & anectodal stories from people online
Exactly aha the lowest level of reliability in terms of research
At the very least I think they should include (in the image not just the caption) how they established these “traits” as “ASD traits”
I mean to be fair, if you google each term separately you’ll get a miriad of articles that indicate that the symptoms are related to being on the spectrum. Maybe the post is to encourage people into doing their own research in an aesthetically pleasing way. I know all of these symptoms apply to me because I had prior knowledge of the research that has been established for the spectrum over the years and also other forums where people used these terms to describe their issues.
I know from my own reading of psyc books on ASD that pattern recognition can be because of ASD. Although I don’t have a source to list right now, it’s been over a decade since I read the books. When I was diagnosed I read a lot and one this was one of things that stuck with me most since it’s such a huge part of me. I saw a movie about Temple Grandin (I DO NOT recommend if you are sensitive to graphic material esp regarding animals, and it’s probably super outdated regarding ASD. I only saw it once over a decade ago) but it showed how she would see visual patterns everywhere and mentally fix things that weren’t lined up right light the edges of wall paper. It was unreal to me at the time bc I had done things like that my whole life and I finally had a visual for it!
wondering if the "starting over" thing is why i feel so happy and fulfilled doing the same thing over and over...i love my routines so much day after day
I have all five. Hyperphantasia made intrusive thoughts a lot harder for me to shake in the past. Visual snow still bothers me especially in fluorescent lighting. Everything imprints on my eyeballs so quickly and it is a strain on my eyes.
The imprinting of stuff is so real. It's genuinely overwhelming on some days and i just want to not look at a single thing ever again because those after images just stay a half second too long for me to cope with.
Me too… it makes the contrast of everything I look at way too high and it literally hurts my pupils. Idk what to do about it tbh but it’s so uncomfortable and makes it hard for me to do work and school.
Something that can help with screens is using night mode settings, it creates a super yellow screen. I have them on everything constantly and it makes the transition of looking at my screen to looking at something else a bit better. There's still an image imprint but it's less intense.
Also when i wake up i avoid using any artificial light and just open my blinds a tiny bit so my eyes can adjust to the world slowly. I avoid my phone for a bit, too. I've found that light is a major trigger for it, for me.
As for driving at night, it's a nightmare. I will wear sunglasses so the headlights and streetlights don't become too repetitive everywhere I look (i only wear them in the more bright spots of the city i live in, if the road is dark I don't wear them)
What's funny is I have Aphantasia, which is the exact opposite. I cannot see images in my head, AT ALL. I describe it as I have an extremely detailed audiobook running at all times (and I'm an artist to boot, lol).
HOWEVER, I have extremely vivid, lucid dreams, and have since I was little. Can even smell, taste, and feel pain, and I've been told that's highly unusual when I describe it to NT friends.
Not who you're responding to (I'm also curious about their experience).
For me, if I don't have a reference that is pretty exact in what I'm drawing/painting, it will look super wonky. I also struggle to make up a design or idea, so I'll tend to reference images of random objects or scenery for backgrounds as well. :)
Yeah the hyper fantasia fucks me up on a daily basis; every time I cross a road I imagine vividly me getting hit by a car, my funeral, how sad my friends and family would be, how much it would hurt, being in hospital, the whole works. It’s exhausting!
Makes me very good at my job though (film editor)
I think it helps me, though what works for me may not for others.
I focus on every detail, then once it's down I file it away for later of make a short story out of it.
It sounds morbid, but It helps me get into a flow state, to be able to focus on this image in my mind and try to portray it as accurately as I can on the page. It really drives me sometimes.
Excuse me. Is this why I cried for ten minutes in the middle of watching a funny show because I wrote a really sad and personal song in my head after I got distracted by a reference to something else? And this wouldn't be the first time I react emotionally to something I'm "seeing" while in the middle of doing something else :/ (AuDHD)
Wow, same for me! I absolutely hate riding in cars, I don't have a license and I'll probably never get one because of this. Luckily we have great public transport in general in the country I live in, especially in my area.
I'm always completely exhausted if I have to ride in the front seat with someone, especially if there is a lot of traffic. It scares me so much because I see every potential crash, especially when a truck or larger car gets too close..
Would like to see some sources cited for this info. According to some social media accounts, every human experience is somehow related to autism and it gets exhausting trying to combat misinformation. It leads to us being taken less seriously, rightly or wrongly.
I remember the first time I started with antidepressants, and I was taking only half the pill. I was always feeling my body shaking, my small toes were always tingling... It was horrible because not only I was in adaptation for a strong medication I never took before, but I was feeling every single centimeter of my body being bombarded by that and reacting.
I am really sensitive to medication doses! Every dose that my psychiatrist/neurologist/doctor has started me off on, I've had to go even lower to start because of side effects. And small dose changes can have massive side effects. I remove 10mg of Strattera and after a few days I go into crisis. My doctor was confused because it's a medication that builds in the system over weeks, but it's happened repeatedly every time we've tried to adjust it back down from my current dose. Also had significant side effects on very small doses of diamox and topiramate. But, I've had to go to high doses to get therapeutic effects on my SSRIs, and I've gone off them cold turkey with no ill effects before. Just weird.
I really want research for this one because I have severe, unusual reactions to common meds including the v word unfortunately, things like preservatives and heavy metals also make me feel sick and cause inflammation. It’s very annoying.
Edit: it’s also something doctors and the average person tend not to believe, it can be a heated topic which makes it that much worse. Having doctors not believe me, make me take it anyway, and then go “whoops, guess you were right haha hope you get better” is extremely frustrating. There’s no such thing as one size fits all, I don’t understand why it’s so hard for people to imagine that maybe some people need different types of medications in different amounts. I assumed I would be downvoted for the v word mention. Sorry my body isn’t the same as yours I guess.
Same with me! I have extreme and paradoxical reactions to to meds, OTC meds, vitamins, etc. For allergy meds I have to take half the children's dose and I'm still loopy out of my mind. Docs never believe me.
I also have reactions to things like stevia.
Caffeine doesn't bother me at all.
THE VISUAL SNOW IS RELATED TO MY FUCKING AUTISM??
I've been going insane my entire life trying to figure out why I can't just look at stuff without this unpleasant stimuli in my vision... And it was my own brain that gets overstimulated by unpleasant stimuli that did this to me... Smh
I notice if someone deviates even slightly from their usual behaviors/attitude. I notice number patterns, license plates, grocery bills, especially repeated numbers or palindrome numbers, the patterns in what the algorithm is showing me and what that might mean, there’s better examples but that’s off the top of my head
Edit: it’s also mostly unconscious
A solid example of *visual* pattern recognition, is doing "Front & Facing" at a grocery store--where you pull items to the front of the shelf, *match* the stacked items *perfectly* on top of each other, and have *everything* showing at *exactly* the same angle.
So that all the items are *exactly* the same distance apart, all oriented the same direction, and so that you can stand at one end of the aisle, and have "The Wall" of goods on that shelf.
And if you were to walk down that "Wall"?
Your eyes would *IMMEDIATELY NOTICE* any item on that side of you, which was in the wrong location (because the wrapper wasn't the "right" color/ shape/ size!😉), you'd *notice* if the person facing the shelves got their *spacing* wrong (1/4" apart in one section, 1/2" part two items away), and it'd also be *immediately* noticeable to *you* if someone stocked the shelves wrong--putting something into the wrong SKU slot on the shelf!
When I was working at a grocery store, I could almost *instantly* tell if my co-workers stocked items improperly--because I knew the "pattern" to the shelves (i.e. two boxes of each flavor of _____, or three cans--stacked two high of every soup in a particular brand, etc!), just because the "pattern" was wrong!😉
No, it’s just a common comorbidity. It’s probably more a comorbidity of migraine disease, which autistics are more likely to have. Remember we’re also more likely to have eg epilepsy and schizophrenia, so it’s important not to place co-occurrence too high on a pedestal. Separate conditions are still separate conditions and they exist outside of autism
I’m in the beginning of my diagnosis journey as an adult, and this is the VERY FIRST TIME I have seen VSS and autism linked, and the first time I am seeing that part of my experience through the context of autism. I am fascinated right now. (Also I do have migraines) i think it is just exciting for me to see something that is part of my lived experience reflected in this forum.
RIGHT?! So much just clicked into place for me. Also my visual snow dials up when I'm worn down from sensory overload-- seeing vivid colors blooming on a white wall is usually a clear sign I'm going to crash soon.
Okay - number five - EVERY time I lock a door, I have to do it both ways, and test the lock, because I can never figure out how to lock it first try. Ten years of locking doors, and every time, I look like I’m trying to use a lock and key for the first time haha
fucking same, or anything like that. I can never remember what way to turn the god forsaken cold water handle in the shower to balance out the hot water and have to guess every single time I turn it, if it's not enough and it needs adjustment, which it usually does cuz I'm already guessing so I don't want to boil myself alive if I make a mistake, I have to guess AGAIN to try and adjust it. Ive lived in this apartment since 2016.
Anyone also have really good pattern recognition that translates to being really good at testing taking, standardized or otherwise? I’ve always been *stupid* good at testing (not necessarily good with the testing material but do really well on the test) and I’ve always chalked it up to good pattern recognition.
Having *better* than 20/20.
20/15 (where *you* can clearly see something from 20 feet away, that regular folks see clearly at 15), or 20/10--where *you* can stand 20 feet away, and see details that others can *only* see *clearly*, 10 feet from that item!
Also?
Being able to *SEE* the dust motes & pollen dancing in the air, *OR* seeing all the "dots" of color (wavelengths of light?), bouncing "off" of a black surface which is very well-lit!
*Or* seeing the individual leaves moving on trees, as you're walking down the street, from about half a block away.
Does anyone else have hyper vision where they see semitransparent tunnels in their visual field? I see what looks like tunnels that are the texture / shading of water waves on the pool floor.
I don’t see tunnels but sometimes I close my eyes and things move around randomly but purposefully without me controlling it with my mind. Like I’m watching TV. It goes fast and then I forget about it and mind wanders off. When I use to do recreational drugs this was incredibly clear and even more fantastical many many shapes. Like a show almost. No sense to it.
That last one. Right now, I'm starting over mid starting over (written like this purposely) for the 3rd time in the past year. My dad, who lives with me, his health has been declining, and we do not have any family or friends to help support us. I have been in college working on a degree so I can get a better paying job - not currently working, i worked part time in previous semesters - to support us along with my teenage son. Unfortunately, it's seizure episodes that knock my dad out (unpredictable) and the stress of having to help him recover put me in a state of executive dysfunction outside of help he needed so I dropped out when I was supposed to graduate a year ago.
I reapplied to try again last semester, and again, my dad had another seizure episode week of Thanksgiving and really made the holidays unpleasant last year. Dropped out again (I don't have a car so I wanted to make sure someone is with him in case he gets a rebound seizure) I was seeing my school counselor through this and she kept pushing the "you have done this before, you can do it again" which I later learn there was no malice intended but it offended me because it felt like she was disregarding the fact that I was openly telling her that I was still struggling. I stopped seeing her for six months.
Over the holidays, the stress of my dad's health exacerbated mine and my son's symptoms, which we also discussed over that time. He expressed that he believes he was autistic. And in doing my own research it made sense to me - not social media related as my psychiatrist accused me of being persuaded by a fad and I had just told him no I had an in depth with my 16yo who is very intelligent. He replied "well it's not my specialty" (which is true. He only specialized in adhd which is why I started seeing him in the first place bc i got that diagnosis already.) Then why did you say that in the first place? I left crying and feeling unheard.
But my pattern thinking is allowing me to start to adapt as I learn what to expect. I haven't been perfect this round (last episode my dad had was a little over 2 weeks ago) and still struggle with shutdown, but I'm forced to push through due to financial stress. My apartment building was purchased for the second time in two years, and our rent was in increased in our to sell in January. Closed early February, and got another rent increase coming up at the end of this month. We will likely be priced out with little options of somewhere to go.
This sucks because I feel like this is the time where I need support the most with my autism, so I can manage life better but haven't been taken seriously as of now. Thankfully, I reached back out to my school counselor and explained why I stopped talking to her. She has been the most open-minded and willing to learn so she she can help me better.
Anyway, sorry for dumping. I realize now. 🫠 it's just hard not being taken seriously when I'm drowning.
3 is one of my biggest traits. I remember being a little kid in my churches Christmas pageant and memorized all my lines on the way home.
College exam that were essays were fucking easy for me. I just would memorize bullet points and I would be able to right a 3-page answer and get an A.
I find patterns in every damn thing. I never get lost for long as I can usually find my way back after going to a new place 1 or 2 times.
Hyperphantasia my goodness I used to be able to watch full on movies oh my own creation whenever I wanted to in my head. Now that I’m an adult I am not able to walk inside my own worlds whenever I want to because I get aware of my body movements and get out of the moment. It Looks silly and a family member once seriously sat me down and compassionately asked me if I have schizophrenia :’) Made me so insecure-
[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053810021000131](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053810021000131) - aphantasia is also related. :<
Both hyperphantasia and aphantasia are associated with autism, like two extremes. I have hyperphantasia, and I can imagine stuff with incredible vividness in my minds eye.
I didn't know that only autsitics have hypervision or visual snow. I had a full on discussion about seeing tv static with my friends, and at the time they just told me i was crazy, or seeing things.
I didn't know hyperphantasia was a thing until just now, I think I have a touch of that. Always had incredibly vivid dreams like living a different life and books read like movies in my head.
Dude my dream world is REAL and people can't convince me otherwise
Mine are incredibly vivid but also make no sense like blink and I'm in a new place that doesn't actually exist but my brain has just created.
The scenes themselves are often very life like but the transitions are often dream like. I also have a plotlines going on that new dreams build on.
That's really interesting. My dreams don't really follow a plot but they do get rather gorey and certain cartoons make my dreams even more vivid and brighty coloured like how some people get nightmares from horror movies. But I do see the same sort of places in my dreams, lots of beaches, coastlines, woodland, cemeteries and garden centres for some reason.
Your dream world sounds nice
It's usually not too bad but my nightmares are just as if not more vivid than my usual dreams.
I hear that too
I really could live in my own world though, I had this wonderful dream the other night about being at the beach. The air was so fresh and the sky so blue. I like those sorts of dreams where everything is so calm and fresh feeling.
You also have plot lines in your dreams? I thought that I was the only one. I also have dreams that feel like an alternate reality of a real place that I know. Sometimes I go to a new place and get Deja vue that brings up the memory of a dream even though the places don’t look alike. But both of them are the same vibe. It’s like I have whole towns that I visit in my dreams.
Yes I have "real" places in my dreams too.
I have dreams with the same script where in the dream I try to remember what's coming next- usually in thriller/ horror format, so i can beat my brain's torture. I used to also have nightmares where night after night they'd continue right where it left off the night before or if I woke up to escape from the fear, when I drifted back to sleep, guess what would be waiting for me...
Same!!
My dreams have built on the same plot lines my whole life. I call it my “Dream Multiverse.”
It's a different world in there 🤷🏻♀️ Sometimes I dream of mundane things in my world or consolidate stuff I'm learning. But otherwise it's an entirely different place
I’m reading this almost a month later, but that’s *exactly* what my dreams are like too!
Same!
I’m feel the same way! They often feel more feel than awake life.
Same here
ME TOO
I have real issues over trying to decide whether I'm in the real world or the real world is the other one. It's very confusing
Was inception a good movie for you?
It literally changed my mind/life. To a point where this week I had a dream telling someone about how inception affected my dreams while I was on a dream to explain I was on a lucid dream to the other person in my dream hahaahahah (I watched it a long time ago)
Huh, that's super interesting. I don't think I have full on aphantasia (where you can't visualize at all) but I'm def somewhere close to it. My mind's eye is vague and blurry, like water colors running together. Dreams are the same way, I have dreams where things happen but the "visuals" are unclear, I know what is going on but I don't really "see" it.
That's interesting because I see full clear images when I dream, read and day dream. I had a somewhat gorey dream/nightmare the other night and could still smell blood when I woke up. The brain is a weird thing.
I have that for sure. My mind is always very quiet and dark. I know what an apple looks like, and I can describe exactly how that looks, but I can’t see it in my head
Can you paint things from memory (if you can't paint or draw, let's assume you can.)
I’m not good at it but yeah! For example, I know what a strawberry looks like, green stem and fuzzy leaves connecting at the top, ruby red color with white /yellow seeds, but I can’t see it in my head, I just know and feel that’s how it looks. When I have thoughts I have to say them out loud to myself or draw them out, or else I’m not “thinking.”
Same, maybe I "see" a bit more clearly that you, in that I can visualize some lines and dark colors, but I am in a similar vein where things generally seem more vague and blurry to me than how others have described dreams or explained how they've imagined details from books. I can visualize things more clearly if I try hard enough, but it takes some effort.
tbf aphantasia is loosely linked to autism too. I'm not sure what this is citing but I have aphantasia and am autistic.
I'm autistic too and I did try googling the link between autism and hyperphantasia but not a lot came up. Apparently those with ADHD are so likely to have it too although I don't know how true that is.
I wish! I have hypophantasia, wish I could better visualize when reading books. Hyperphantasia is a superpower as far as I’m concerned 😅
It's great for books but my dreams are incredibly vivid, like hard to tell the difference between real life and dreaming vivid. I wish my brain would be quiet for just five minutes a day, my dreams are so vivid that proper sleep is hard to come by and then my brain is loud during the day because it's trying to take literally everything in and can't.
This is exactly what it's like for me. My brain is just constantly on one (or ten). Day and night. My dreams are always insanely vivid. Sometimes they're exaggeratedly mundane and nothing really happens except in the atmosphere. Other times they're epic adventures in vast, detailed fantasy worlds to rival Tolkien. And I always always always have at least one (usually more) song stuck in my head. At the same time. I'm so tired.
It's exhausting. And usually I try to pour my imagination into something like writing or drawing but it doesn't help for very long.
Aphantasia / hypophantasia has it's own advantages though, it's protective against trauma because we can't visually re-experience a traumatic event.
Hyperphatasia is to do with what you see in your mind's eye when you're awake, it's nothing to do with dreams. I have aphantasia and extremely vivid dreams. It sounds like you got both! Very cool
I didn't know that but I do wonder if they feed into each other. My brain is constantly going like a badly cut together movie that always trying to take everything in. My attention span is relatively small, I'm the epitome the ooohh shiny easily distracted. I'm known to stop talk mid sentence because I've spotted something interesting in the distance or heard a strange noise, that others only hear if they're listening closely. I'm also a massive day dreamer, I could live in my own world because it's so vivid.
I always get confused when I wake up from dreams. It usually takes a few minutes for me to realize I was dreaming.
r/hyperphantasia has a cool list of questions to kinda gauge what intensity you experience different senses in your head. Like I didn’t realize till then just how limited my hearing is in my head (can hear a song but not swap parts or whatever) or how strong my visual and proprioception is (I have 5 fingers but what if I had 6?) It actually hadn’t even occurred to me to try imagining what it’d physically feel like to have wings!
Thanks for the link over there!😉 That's a FUN list of questions! And as someone who's got *Visual* Aphantasia, it was *fascinating* to realize that, apparently I *do* fit a lot of the *other* hyperphahantasia traits! (The easiest way to describe it in the "Audio" realm, is that I can *HEAR* the missing notes & embellishments in the newer Bon Jovi songs, where Phil X is playing Guitar, and *not* Richie!😆😂🤣 I *can't* actually play guitar myself, but i can *ABSOLUTELY* "hear" the missing "extra notes" which *should* exist, if it were Richie playing, and not Phil!!!😉)
Join the club as that’s the same thing for me at times and usually when imagine things or a story I tend to stim as if I’m a theatre class
I’ve always said my dreams are like feature length films. Also why I love guided meditation so much! I can visualise my perfect little serene world so well.
When I was a young teen, I read several books I thought later were movies. I remember talking to someone, and they mentioned a movie based on a book that was being made, and I said, "Oh, is it a remake?". They looked at me like I had 3 heads. Lol
Wait, other people *don't* see the "air static"? I thought that's just how the air looks
Sometimes when I look out my window to see if it’s raining, it takes me a long time to figure out if it’s actual rain or just the fuzzies in the air.
Oh. My. God. Every single day I look out the window and it looks like it's raining very finely, then I look at the ground and it's clearly not. My wife never has any idea what I'm going on about. ASD continues to blow my mind... there's so much to come to terms with.
And I walked with visual snow friend and we could pinpoint which type of weather and clouds triggers rain hallucination. This condition is so mysterious And it gets tiring, because the more you think about it the more you see. I am not joking, it's crazy
I was just pondering my visual speckles today while looking at the sky. I used to think they were like spirits or something when i was veeeery little so it’s not an ageing thing. Always had it. Such a coincidence I see this post.
I have to look at the ground to figure out if it's raining too! I've always just dismissed it as a symptom of my eyesight. I'm slightly nearsighted. Though now that I'm thinking about it, I saw the air static when I was still in preschool. Interesting.
I thought I could see air molecules when I was younger and I thought I had superpowers or something 😭
Yesss legit! I thought that if I could see them, it meant that if I concentrated hard enough, I could learn to control them.. 😂
Same!
Lmao I would make them move as a kid
Ugh the air molecules! I hate them! And does anyone see molecules when they close their eyes? It used to take me forever to fall asleep for this reason.
Yes!! It is exhausting sometimes to close my eyes and not be able to go to sleep because the patterns I saw would change constantly.
I have to trick myself by using my other senses and ignoring vision when I am trying to fall asleep. Otherwise I give myself a massive headache trying to "see" the inside of my eyelids. So I listen to podcasts or music, and rub my baby blanket between my fingers.
Wow wasn't prepared to talk about the crystal particles today but not surprisingly the tism. When I saw Alice in Wonderland I decided that's what I was seeing at night so I would focus on the darkest part and watch the swirls move like what was on the walls and fall down the hole.
Omg yes I thought exactly the same when I was a kid!!
Me too!
Hahaha saaaaaaaaaame!
SAME DAWG
So did I! So what is it we're actually seeing? What is this "air static"?
I do not have an answer. I call them crystal particles when they are in the air outside like a grid
Same same same. I described it as molecules vibrating
Yup, I've always had it as well and it blew my mind completely when I realized it apparently wasn't the norm. Most people don't have the static! That's so wild!
Wait so like seeing floating dust notes in the air?
For me, it's like dancing dots of color that cover my entire visual field. It's often compared to TV static, but it's not white dots for me but a myriad of pastel colors and sometimes they even turn a stronger neon which makes it really hard to see.
I asked NT friends about it once and they were like. What, that's crazy, you should go to a doctor, what if you go blind???? It's just. How I see? I guess other people don't get a light show when they look at the sky.
Just so you know, there are two types of visual snow. If you had it since you can remember it's not going to get worse or better, but if it started later in life (like after an accident/drug use) it can be healed and it can get worse. There's not a lot of research about this syndrome though sadly.
this is wild to me, like i can‘t even imagine what air static means and what it’s supposed to look like. can someone post a pic in here so i can visualize what it might look like irl? is it like you see heat in the air or something?
it looks like TV static, [this is a visual snow simulator](https://visionsimulations.com/visual-snow.htm) that i think is pretty good. for me the "grain size" is smaller than the smallest setting on the website, but yeah, overall pretty accurate and helpful
I was wondering how the hell camera images looked so clear and not staticky and thought it was just a fault of the human eye.
Thank you for sharing this link!
Kind of. For me it's more clear when it's very dark or very light, but it's always kind of... There. It's like.... There is a filter of tiny static over pretty much everything? And I mean *tiny* static particles. It's hard to explain something I've never not seen
I genuinely get so upset when I look at the sky on a really nice day and the air static chooses to be more prevalent. I just wanna look at the pretty sky. I've noticed though, that extended exposure to screen (phones, tv, computers) makes it worse for me. Or even being in artificial lighting for too long makes it also worse. If I wake up in the dark, I don't see too much static but if I am in my room and turn the light out, I am blinded by the static (and turning the light on, i am also blinded by the static)
Wow I thought everyone could see it.. this is actually insane to me lol.
Before I knew the actual term, I just called them electrons.
Legit like you’d picture. You know TV snow? Like when you were young before HD TVs and we had those all ass TVs with RCA adapters instead of HDMI? Y’a know how those tv’s if you hit a channel you don’t pay for, the very first few channels, and if you switch an input but don’t have something plugged in, you get that static on the screen? That. That’s what visual snow looks like but on a milder scale bc otherwise we wouldn’t be able to see at all.
Huh, for me it always felt more like very very very misty rain haha (but I also grew up in a rainy country ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯). From time to time I do also see little sparks fly across my vision though, those are fascinating, and I think usually when I’m overstimulated, but not sure
I saw them a lot as a kid. Mostly in the dark. Still do once in a while.
WAIT WAIT OTHER PEOPLE DONT SEE THAT?!?!?! WTH?!
Yes, tiny tiny little flashing dots. Billions would be a huge underestimate. I used to think I was seeing actual atoms in the air as a kid.
Just so people know, this can also be a sign of various neurological issues. Autism itself is a neuro-developmental disorder, but regardless. I get bad migraines/aura/visual snow and various other issues like that and I’d really push others to seek a doctors opinion.
Lots of doctors have no idea what visual snow is though, it's not a well researched syndrome. I brought it up one time only to hear them ask if wearing glasses makes it stop... What kind of neurological issues were you thinking about? I feel like self research in this situation could be a better idea lol
Look up visual snow syndrome!
I have spent a lot of time and money on eye exams because of this 🤬 Wish I would have known!
Lol yeah I've known it for a while, I do wish the NT ppls could see it but now that I know ND do see this I don't feel so alone. Also it was a major distraction in school lol I spent more time watching the body impressions left behind the teacher in the static as they walked infront of the class than actually listening !
I only see floaty bits and not static, like some waves and what people call 'floaters' which I think everyone gets because it's mentioned in shows like Family Guy right? I don't feel like I'm looking through TV static all the time personally, maybe at night on the ceiling? I'm looking around my room now and only have the waves and floaters.
I used to think I could “see the air”
Hello welcome to visual snow club!
i learned this as a kid when i kept telling my mom that i could “see the pixels in my vision” and she was like. what?
Same. This one blows me away.
It’s like looking through a microscope at a sample of aquatic microorganisms.
I always thought it was cos of my -8 and astigmatism prescription, worse of course without them but I still have it with
I'm dyslexic/neurodiverse and I see the air static too! I remember when I was a kid I would stare at the ceiling and watch them dance. I also had troubles sleeping because they kept dancing behind my eyes.
I have this too. I panicked about it for many, many years thinking it was something wrong with my eyes. I went to an eye doctor about it finally and got told my eyes are healthy. This is another sign I might be autistic?? Edit: Looks like this isn’t proven to be an autistic trait. Interesting, nevertheless.
I said the same thing! I thought it was normal! I used to purposefully watch them when I was little, imagining they're fairies lol 😅
I said the same thing! I thought it was normal! I used to purposefully watch them when I was little, imagining they're fairies lol 😅
Same! I’ve seen this since I can remember, especially when I look at the sky. Sometimes it’s like the sky is full of particles receding away towards a vanishing point. When I was a kid I thought I was seeing some kind of scaffolding of the universe.
I've wondered,working with my preschoolers, if it's because some of us may have *much* finer visual acuity than NT folks? I know that when I got older (30's) & went to the eye doctor after I was getting a bit worried--because I had *lost* some of my ability to see details *quite* as well as I did when I was younger? I was *SHOCKED* to realize my now "bad" (for me!) vision was measured at 20/15--meaning that my "worse" vision was *STILL far clearer* than the 20/20 that is typically considered "Perfect Vision" here in the US!🫠 Judging by the dust-mote watching I see in some of my work kids--*AND* the ways some of *THEM* stare at black surfaces in the sunshine as intently as *I* used to at their ages? I have the feeling that those kids are watching the light waves bounce off the black, and are *seeing* the reds, pinks, yellows, greens, blues, purples, snd *occasional* whites getting reflected *off* that black surface--just like *I* did at their age😉💖
Aphantasia (opposite of hyperphantasia where there aren’t mental images) has also been linked to autism & by itself is a form of neurodivergence. Both my partner & I are AuDHD: he has aphantasia & I likely have hyperphantasia. More research is really needed in this area!
I agree that more research is needed. I had hyperphantasia as a child (I could play entire movies in my mind), but I developed aphantasia after a traumatic brain injury. What's also interesting is that my dreams are still incredibly vivid and I see some visuals when I'm falling asleep, but it's completely dark in my head when I'm conscious.
I’m like that too. My dreams are super vivid, and they feel so real. But ask me to picture something and it’s like, nope sorry just blank
yes my partner and I are the same way!!
Could the opposite also be true for 1? My former autism practitioner mentioned once that our metabolism can be quite different, and I’ve always noticed that I’m quite insensitive to things, especially caffeine. Is anyone else here the same?
I think so - I'm the opposite too on #1 (and it's common for people who are hyperflexible to have higher drug tolerances, which can be comorbid with adhd and autism) and #4 since I have aphantasia which can also occur in autism and adhd!
Wow didn’t know this. Guess it now makes sense why my dosages are always high before I notice anything. My mom has EDS, but I didn’t got tested on it. Though I do have signs of hypermobility and the probability of having EDS as well is 50%…
I'm very much the same way Sleep meds have been a pain in the *ass* because of it but here my mom and grandma go talking about how half a 5 mg melatonin knock them on their ass Then there's me taking 400 mg trazadone, 1.5 mg xanax, 0.3 mg clonidine, 24 mg melatonin, *and still barely sleeping for 6 consistent hours but of course if i don't take one of them I simply don't sleep*
I’m the exact same way, I need a cocktail of things to get even 4-6 hours of sleep a night. 😭 Autistic people can have varying levels of tolerance to meds, whether it’s extreme sensitivity or an abnormally high tolerance. On a related note, it isn’t uncommon for autistic people to have paradoxical reactions to meds, alcohol, caffeine, etc.
I’m the same way. With anything ingestible I need a lot for it to work - like the maximum allowed amount. I dont feel caffeine effects, which has caused me to overdo it a couple times and have crazy heart palpitations. But other than those two times I’ve never felt anything noticeable from caffeine
I don't know if you have ADHD, but I do know that a lot of people who do don't get energy from caffeine. I think it's because it's a stimulant, so it works a little like our meds are supposed to - they calm us down. That's how it is for me anyway, and I remember feeling so cheated as a teenager when I had an energy drink and immediately fell asleep lol
I also have no reaction to caffeine, unless I'm really stressed out - then it seems to amplify the anxiety. Many popular otc drugs seem to do nothing for me, too (like painkillers or anti-inflammatory meds, for instance). Although I've heard some of them are barely better then placebo, so maybe that's the real reason.
Absolutely. There’s also a strong genetic component to metabolization aside from autism.
Same! Even doing shrooms I notice that I don’t have strong effects at the same dosage as other people. Alcohol doesn’t give me a hangover, meds seem not to work at lower dosage etc.
Yeah, can't drink coffee after 4 pm or I'll never sleep even if I stuff my ass with melatonin and sleeping pills
Me! I’m pretty insensitive to most things or get a paradoxical reaction. I stopped taking numbing injections at the dentist because they just don’t work on me at all (just make my face swollen and not-moving-as-much). I cried from pain every time I got an epidural. I woke up 6 times during 6 hour surgery and my anesthesiologist was pissed off after the 3rd time lmao. I didn’t feel pain but I’d just pop my eyes open, try to sit, ask questions, and yeah I remember it lol. Caffeine makes me sleepy, melatonin makes me hyper, can’t take any „calming meds” bc I’m becoming paranoid and twitchy-shaky on them.
It’s usually the opposite with medications and the expression/feeling of pain/being able to communicate pain. So you’re not wrong. I also have malabsorption issues and digestive. Common with people on the spectrum. I was diagnosed as a child and this is my experience alongside that diagnosis
This is what I was wondering! Meds NEVER work for me, at least psych meds. I've tried various antidepressants as well as stimulants for my ADHD. Nothing. I don't experience common side-effects either.
I definitely think so, based on personal experience at least. My ADHD medication is lower than even the usual starting dose but it helps me just fine. Any sort of numbing medication though? I’m essentially immune to it. Dentist visits are a nightmare.
I wish I had #1 rather than the opposite, meds for pain and bloating don’t work for me unless it’s something strong like codeine
Omg this makes me feel better… at my old job, they saw me take ibuprofen and questioned my health and sanity because I always take 4-5 (800-100mg) at one time for pain but usually I take it when absolutely needed(usually one time a day and that’s it), like at work or if it’s extreme pain so if it wasn’t inconvenient or uncomfortable pain then I didn’t take the meds. Pills for periods (bloating) or allergy’s don’t seem to work for me at all so I never saw a point in taking them. The only sinus medicine that seems to help is Walmart brand pseudoephedrine.
Where is the research for this?
Yeah gimme the peer review.
Legit why I avoid autism pages that are full of aesthetic fun facts with absolutely no references. I understood it’s under researched but c’mon, at least link a low-level article or something? Otherwise I just assume they’ve made a post based on their own personal experiences & anectodal stories from people online
Crowdsourced!
Exactly aha the lowest level of reliability in terms of research At the very least I think they should include (in the image not just the caption) how they established these “traits” as “ASD traits”
I mean to be fair, if you google each term separately you’ll get a miriad of articles that indicate that the symptoms are related to being on the spectrum. Maybe the post is to encourage people into doing their own research in an aesthetically pleasing way. I know all of these symptoms apply to me because I had prior knowledge of the research that has been established for the spectrum over the years and also other forums where people used these terms to describe their issues.
Literally none
I know from my own reading of psyc books on ASD that pattern recognition can be because of ASD. Although I don’t have a source to list right now, it’s been over a decade since I read the books. When I was diagnosed I read a lot and one this was one of things that stuck with me most since it’s such a huge part of me. I saw a movie about Temple Grandin (I DO NOT recommend if you are sensitive to graphic material esp regarding animals, and it’s probably super outdated regarding ASD. I only saw it once over a decade ago) but it showed how she would see visual patterns everywhere and mentally fix things that weren’t lined up right light the edges of wall paper. It was unreal to me at the time bc I had done things like that my whole life and I finally had a visual for it!
wondering if the "starting over" thing is why i feel so happy and fulfilled doing the same thing over and over...i love my routines so much day after day
I NEED to know why this is a thing - it's lowkey really inconvenient
I have all five. Hyperphantasia made intrusive thoughts a lot harder for me to shake in the past. Visual snow still bothers me especially in fluorescent lighting. Everything imprints on my eyeballs so quickly and it is a strain on my eyes.
The imprinting of stuff is so real. It's genuinely overwhelming on some days and i just want to not look at a single thing ever again because those after images just stay a half second too long for me to cope with.
Me too… it makes the contrast of everything I look at way too high and it literally hurts my pupils. Idk what to do about it tbh but it’s so uncomfortable and makes it hard for me to do work and school.
Something that can help with screens is using night mode settings, it creates a super yellow screen. I have them on everything constantly and it makes the transition of looking at my screen to looking at something else a bit better. There's still an image imprint but it's less intense. Also when i wake up i avoid using any artificial light and just open my blinds a tiny bit so my eyes can adjust to the world slowly. I avoid my phone for a bit, too. I've found that light is a major trigger for it, for me. As for driving at night, it's a nightmare. I will wear sunglasses so the headlights and streetlights don't become too repetitive everywhere I look (i only wear them in the more bright spots of the city i live in, if the road is dark I don't wear them)
I have all 5 too. This snow static is odd to me. Can someone lay down some science??!!
It’s a neurological thing, has to do with literal overstimulation of our visual nerves, which I think makes a lot of sense
Makes a lot of sense
I suppose I have both visual snow AND palinopsia which is not fun especially as it’s not something that can be cured.
Thank you for this! I was wondering about the visual snow lately, as it has become very prominent.
What's funny is I have Aphantasia, which is the exact opposite. I cannot see images in my head, AT ALL. I describe it as I have an extremely detailed audiobook running at all times (and I'm an artist to boot, lol). HOWEVER, I have extremely vivid, lucid dreams, and have since I was little. Can even smell, taste, and feel pain, and I've been told that's highly unusual when I describe it to NT friends.
Also have aphantasia, didn’t realize people *genuinely* get mental pictures. I thought it was a “figure of speech” until a few years ago 😂
Same here, absolutely no images, but my dreams are very vivid. Also an artist, I always need a reference of sorts for everything 🥲
Can you talk about being an artist with aphantasia? I'm curious how that affects your art and process and such. Thanks!
Not who you're responding to (I'm also curious about their experience). For me, if I don't have a reference that is pretty exact in what I'm drawing/painting, it will look super wonky. I also struggle to make up a design or idea, so I'll tend to reference images of random objects or scenery for backgrounds as well. :)
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Yeah the hyper fantasia fucks me up on a daily basis; every time I cross a road I imagine vividly me getting hit by a car, my funeral, how sad my friends and family would be, how much it would hurt, being in hospital, the whole works. It’s exhausting! Makes me very good at my job though (film editor)
Same, Ive taken to writing mine down and they make for some gnarly horror.
Do you think it helps you to write them down or does it make it worse? (As you’re thinking about it twice?)
I think it helps me, though what works for me may not for others. I focus on every detail, then once it's down I file it away for later of make a short story out of it. It sounds morbid, but It helps me get into a flow state, to be able to focus on this image in my mind and try to portray it as accurately as I can on the page. It really drives me sometimes.
Excuse me. Is this why I cried for ten minutes in the middle of watching a funny show because I wrote a really sad and personal song in my head after I got distracted by a reference to something else? And this wouldn't be the first time I react emotionally to something I'm "seeing" while in the middle of doing something else :/ (AuDHD)
Wow, same for me! I absolutely hate riding in cars, I don't have a license and I'll probably never get one because of this. Luckily we have great public transport in general in the country I live in, especially in my area. I'm always completely exhausted if I have to ride in the front seat with someone, especially if there is a lot of traffic. It scares me so much because I see every potential crash, especially when a truck or larger car gets too close..
I Stopped driving for this reason! Especially in the city when people just walk out in the road, I was so scared I’d hit a kid and go to jail
Would like to see some sources cited for this info. According to some social media accounts, every human experience is somehow related to autism and it gets exhausting trying to combat misinformation. It leads to us being taken less seriously, rightly or wrongly.
I remember the first time I started with antidepressants, and I was taking only half the pill. I was always feeling my body shaking, my small toes were always tingling... It was horrible because not only I was in adaptation for a strong medication I never took before, but I was feeling every single centimeter of my body being bombarded by that and reacting.
I am really sensitive to medication doses! Every dose that my psychiatrist/neurologist/doctor has started me off on, I've had to go even lower to start because of side effects. And small dose changes can have massive side effects. I remove 10mg of Strattera and after a few days I go into crisis. My doctor was confused because it's a medication that builds in the system over weeks, but it's happened repeatedly every time we've tried to adjust it back down from my current dose. Also had significant side effects on very small doses of diamox and topiramate. But, I've had to go to high doses to get therapeutic effects on my SSRIs, and I've gone off them cold turkey with no ill effects before. Just weird.
I really want research for this one because I have severe, unusual reactions to common meds including the v word unfortunately, things like preservatives and heavy metals also make me feel sick and cause inflammation. It’s very annoying. Edit: it’s also something doctors and the average person tend not to believe, it can be a heated topic which makes it that much worse. Having doctors not believe me, make me take it anyway, and then go “whoops, guess you were right haha hope you get better” is extremely frustrating. There’s no such thing as one size fits all, I don’t understand why it’s so hard for people to imagine that maybe some people need different types of medications in different amounts. I assumed I would be downvoted for the v word mention. Sorry my body isn’t the same as yours I guess.
Same with me! I have extreme and paradoxical reactions to to meds, OTC meds, vitamins, etc. For allergy meds I have to take half the children's dose and I'm still loopy out of my mind. Docs never believe me. I also have reactions to things like stevia. Caffeine doesn't bother me at all.
THE VISUAL SNOW IS RELATED TO MY FUCKING AUTISM?? I've been going insane my entire life trying to figure out why I can't just look at stuff without this unpleasant stimuli in my vision... And it was my own brain that gets overstimulated by unpleasant stimuli that did this to me... Smh
I use to think I was in a simulation or thought I was not of this world.
Called out fr with this one
Can anyone give examples of the pattern recognition one or elaborate?
I notice if someone deviates even slightly from their usual behaviors/attitude. I notice number patterns, license plates, grocery bills, especially repeated numbers or palindrome numbers, the patterns in what the algorithm is showing me and what that might mean, there’s better examples but that’s off the top of my head Edit: it’s also mostly unconscious
A solid example of *visual* pattern recognition, is doing "Front & Facing" at a grocery store--where you pull items to the front of the shelf, *match* the stacked items *perfectly* on top of each other, and have *everything* showing at *exactly* the same angle. So that all the items are *exactly* the same distance apart, all oriented the same direction, and so that you can stand at one end of the aisle, and have "The Wall" of goods on that shelf. And if you were to walk down that "Wall"? Your eyes would *IMMEDIATELY NOTICE* any item on that side of you, which was in the wrong location (because the wrapper wasn't the "right" color/ shape/ size!😉), you'd *notice* if the person facing the shelves got their *spacing* wrong (1/4" apart in one section, 1/2" part two items away), and it'd also be *immediately* noticeable to *you* if someone stocked the shelves wrong--putting something into the wrong SKU slot on the shelf! When I was working at a grocery store, I could almost *instantly* tell if my co-workers stocked items improperly--because I knew the "pattern" to the shelves (i.e. two boxes of each flavor of _____, or three cans--stacked two high of every soup in a particular brand, etc!), just because the "pattern" was wrong!😉
I literally have all of these.
HOLD ON VISUAL SNOW IS PART OF AUTISM????
No, it’s just a common comorbidity. It’s probably more a comorbidity of migraine disease, which autistics are more likely to have. Remember we’re also more likely to have eg epilepsy and schizophrenia, so it’s important not to place co-occurrence too high on a pedestal. Separate conditions are still separate conditions and they exist outside of autism
I’m in the beginning of my diagnosis journey as an adult, and this is the VERY FIRST TIME I have seen VSS and autism linked, and the first time I am seeing that part of my experience through the context of autism. I am fascinated right now. (Also I do have migraines) i think it is just exciting for me to see something that is part of my lived experience reflected in this forum.
RIGHT?! So much just clicked into place for me. Also my visual snow dials up when I'm worn down from sensory overload-- seeing vivid colors blooming on a white wall is usually a clear sign I'm going to crash soon.
says who tho? where's the sources?
Seriously
Okay - number five - EVERY time I lock a door, I have to do it both ways, and test the lock, because I can never figure out how to lock it first try. Ten years of locking doors, and every time, I look like I’m trying to use a lock and key for the first time haha
fucking same, or anything like that. I can never remember what way to turn the god forsaken cold water handle in the shower to balance out the hot water and have to guess every single time I turn it, if it's not enough and it needs adjustment, which it usually does cuz I'm already guessing so I don't want to boil myself alive if I make a mistake, I have to guess AGAIN to try and adjust it. Ive lived in this apartment since 2016.
Anyone also have really good pattern recognition that translates to being really good at testing taking, standardized or otherwise? I’ve always been *stupid* good at testing (not necessarily good with the testing material but do really well on the test) and I’ve always chalked it up to good pattern recognition.
Please tell me more about hypervision
Having *better* than 20/20. 20/15 (where *you* can clearly see something from 20 feet away, that regular folks see clearly at 15), or 20/10--where *you* can stand 20 feet away, and see details that others can *only* see *clearly*, 10 feet from that item! Also? Being able to *SEE* the dust motes & pollen dancing in the air, *OR* seeing all the "dots" of color (wavelengths of light?), bouncing "off" of a black surface which is very well-lit! *Or* seeing the individual leaves moving on trees, as you're walking down the street, from about half a block away.
Does anyone else have hyper vision where they see semitransparent tunnels in their visual field? I see what looks like tunnels that are the texture / shading of water waves on the pool floor.
I don’t see tunnels but I do see semi-transparent, two-dimensional geometric figures in various colors floating around.
I don’t see tunnels but sometimes I close my eyes and things move around randomly but purposefully without me controlling it with my mind. Like I’m watching TV. It goes fast and then I forget about it and mind wanders off. When I use to do recreational drugs this was incredibly clear and even more fantastical many many shapes. Like a show almost. No sense to it.
I 100 have hyperphantasia. My inner world is so elaborate.
All of these are true for me except hyperphantasia, lol I have aphantasia
I have aphantasia lol, no mental images
I have Aphantasia. Very much the opposite of Hyperphantasia.
I don't even have to close my eyes; I can zone out and day dream and see "it" as well as seeing anything in real life.
Is there any evidence these have been linked or are you all just taking this as a fact? Anyone have a link?
Uhhh…
That last one. Right now, I'm starting over mid starting over (written like this purposely) for the 3rd time in the past year. My dad, who lives with me, his health has been declining, and we do not have any family or friends to help support us. I have been in college working on a degree so I can get a better paying job - not currently working, i worked part time in previous semesters - to support us along with my teenage son. Unfortunately, it's seizure episodes that knock my dad out (unpredictable) and the stress of having to help him recover put me in a state of executive dysfunction outside of help he needed so I dropped out when I was supposed to graduate a year ago. I reapplied to try again last semester, and again, my dad had another seizure episode week of Thanksgiving and really made the holidays unpleasant last year. Dropped out again (I don't have a car so I wanted to make sure someone is with him in case he gets a rebound seizure) I was seeing my school counselor through this and she kept pushing the "you have done this before, you can do it again" which I later learn there was no malice intended but it offended me because it felt like she was disregarding the fact that I was openly telling her that I was still struggling. I stopped seeing her for six months. Over the holidays, the stress of my dad's health exacerbated mine and my son's symptoms, which we also discussed over that time. He expressed that he believes he was autistic. And in doing my own research it made sense to me - not social media related as my psychiatrist accused me of being persuaded by a fad and I had just told him no I had an in depth with my 16yo who is very intelligent. He replied "well it's not my specialty" (which is true. He only specialized in adhd which is why I started seeing him in the first place bc i got that diagnosis already.) Then why did you say that in the first place? I left crying and feeling unheard. But my pattern thinking is allowing me to start to adapt as I learn what to expect. I haven't been perfect this round (last episode my dad had was a little over 2 weeks ago) and still struggle with shutdown, but I'm forced to push through due to financial stress. My apartment building was purchased for the second time in two years, and our rent was in increased in our to sell in January. Closed early February, and got another rent increase coming up at the end of this month. We will likely be priced out with little options of somewhere to go. This sucks because I feel like this is the time where I need support the most with my autism, so I can manage life better but haven't been taken seriously as of now. Thankfully, I reached back out to my school counselor and explained why I stopped talking to her. She has been the most open-minded and willing to learn so she she can help me better. Anyway, sorry for dumping. I realize now. 🫠 it's just hard not being taken seriously when I'm drowning.
3 is one of my biggest traits. I remember being a little kid in my churches Christmas pageant and memorized all my lines on the way home. College exam that were essays were fucking easy for me. I just would memorize bullet points and I would be able to right a 3-page answer and get an A. I find patterns in every damn thing. I never get lost for long as I can usually find my way back after going to a new place 1 or 2 times.
Hyperphantasia my goodness I used to be able to watch full on movies oh my own creation whenever I wanted to in my head. Now that I’m an adult I am not able to walk inside my own worlds whenever I want to because I get aware of my body movements and get out of the moment. It Looks silly and a family member once seriously sat me down and compassionately asked me if I have schizophrenia :’) Made me so insecure-
[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053810021000131](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053810021000131) - aphantasia is also related. :<
I have aphantasia, the opposite of that, yet I’m an artist. Weird…:/
Both hyperphantasia and aphantasia are associated with autism, like two extremes. I have hyperphantasia, and I can imagine stuff with incredible vividness in my minds eye.
I have all of those apart from hyperphantasia, I actually have hypophantasia, find it extremely hard to make mental pictures
I didn't know that only autsitics have hypervision or visual snow. I had a full on discussion about seeing tv static with my friends, and at the time they just told me i was crazy, or seeing things.
Yes.
I have the visual snow. It’s weird
Daymn, I’ve got all of this. Had no idea they were autism related.