This article discusses the challenges that autistic people face during the Christmas season. From sensory overload to social pressures, Christmas can be a stressful and exhausting time for those on the autism spectrum.
Christmas is meant to be a time for having fun and relaxing. But for some, it's one of the hardest times of year.'Everybody is out and about, the streets are so busy, and there's Christmas music blaring from all the shops,' adds the 24-year-old Sydney resident.Christmas brings large crowds onto the streets that can overstimulate neurodivergent people. (The Age) Autism is a neurological and developmental difference that impacts how people communicate, behave, and experience the world.
Sensory issues - higher or lower-than-usual awareness of sounds, light, textures, and food - are common. But for people like Alex, the extra sensory stimuli of the festive season can be distressing and exhausting. 'I can't stand the full volume of being outside,' they explain, describing being amongst large crowds near shops during Christmas. 'I use headphones to muffle the noise.' But Christmas shopping is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the challenges autistic people can face at this time of year.'Fun and exhausting at the same time' For Alex, 'task-switching', or the ability to move between different tasks flexibly, is particularly challenging at this time of year. 'Things like Christmas shopping, cooking, all of it just hangs over me when I'm trying to do the rest of my life,' says Alex.Adam Guastella is a clinical psychologist and head of CAN research. (Dr Adam Guastella/ The University of Sydney) 'People on the spectrum will often worry in advance about what's going to happen,' says head of the Clinic for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Research at the University of Sydney, Professor Adam Guastella. 'So even the build up to doing things like shopping or having Christmas events could be filled with worry and anticipation of the struggles of engaging with others, and what's going to happen.' Extra social obligations and navigating complex family dynamics can also be more stressful and tirin
AUTISM CHRISTMAS SENSORY OVERLOAD SOCIAL PRESSURE NEURODIVERGENCE
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