Thank you so much for this topic!! What has resonated with me most out of all the material I have digested over the last couple of years, is that HSP is a TYPE of Autism and that the Autism diagnosis needs more types as it catches up to the realities of how Autism actually shows up in non-sterotypical ways. Add "high-masking for a long ass time" and you're just not going to see the "typical" patterns on the outside with an HSP type. I have encountered people who feel offended by this, but honestly it makes the most sense of my experiences (and my bestie who is also an HSP Autist). I "respond autistically" *especially* about emotional things in the world. It's not just my regular sensory (hearing, sight, smell, touch, taste) system that is hyper-sensitive, I am also hyper-sensitive interoceptively, meaning I can get overwhelmed by other people's energy and feel it acutely in my body. My special interests usually center around people and social-emotional issues. Sometimes I am hyper verbal and sometimes I have mutism. Sometimes I am incredibly social and sometimes I cannot handle being around anyone and cannot figure out how to talk with people. I think in vivid imagery that also cascades through my internal sensory system, which can also be intensely overwhelming. I'm hyper-aware of any dissonance of what I see on the outside and what is felt on the inside about a situation or a person. I need accommodations too! Trying to find a balance between thinking about my particular patterns and if and how I belong to a group of people that share similar patterns and just being a multidimensional person and giving myself all the room to be that.
Thanks so much for weighing in. I laughed so much at "masking for a long ass time"!! I also relate to being hypersensitive to people's energy. It sounds woo woo but completely true in my experience.
I appreciate the way you're holding spaciousness around this topic! I feel a little sick to my stomach when I see the HSP label dismissed or criticized, if I'm being honest. Even if some folks go on to discover that Autism more accurately speaks to their lived experience, I don't think that means it must for everyone who identified as HSP. I'm often confused (and a little sad) when I see people declaring the supposed danger of the term. If it's used as a way to avoid or deny something, that's one thing. But I can't imagine making that assumption on behalf of someone else's chosen identity, you know? And anyway, it feels dangerously neurotypical to me to pit one identity against another one.
One last thing: I actually still identify with the label! I see myself as Autistic and HSP. Is that weird? Does it matter? From my reading and research (and therapy work), they both speak to truthfulnesses about my life.
I agree - I don't want labels to be a divisive thing, only a means to getting people support and community they need! That said, how interesting that you identify with BOTH. Thanks for weighing in :)
I found Elaine Aron’s work before I discovered I was autistic, and I did land on “I’m a HSP!” before I started exploring further and got diagnosed. But I’ve also learned that Aron is pretty biased - she’s done a lot of work to ‘prove’ that HSPs are different from (read: better than) autistic people, and she’s also written about how horrible it was to learn that two of her great nephews were autistic. Given how underdiagnosed autistic women are, whenever I hear an AFAB person gushing about being HSP, some part of my brain is always wondering what autistic traits they might be masking without even knowing it. 🤷🏻♀️
Well said! You're the first person I've come across to say exactly what I've been thinking regarding Elaine Aron. I used to identify as HSP and bought all her books and everything. Then the stuff about the autism just felt gross. Thanks for saying this. I so appreciate the validation of how I've thought about this.
Oh wow! I had no idea about her. Thanks for sharing -that does cast a new light on HSP. Perhaps she just wishfully excluded elements of ASD from HSP 🤦♀️
When I was coming to terms with my autism diagnoses (before HSP was a concept) I found it abhorrent to consider that I might be highly sensitive. I'd worked so hard to stop being sensitive that I hated the idea that it might be a permanent trait in me. That felt like greater stigma than accepting autism, which has sensitivity as a symptom, but only as one of many. It encompasses a whole lot of traits that aren't so directly associated with "weakness". Also, as you said, both hyper- and hypo-sensitivity are features of autism.
The "am I autistic enough?" conundrum does have some sting, but I've found that the more time I spend around other autistic people, and find obvious kinship with them, the less I need to question my own identification.
How interesting. I also remember hating to be told I was sensitive- it was always delivered as an insult, not a compliment. Thanks for sharing your experience 🤓
Julie, I am so glad you wrote this! I actually emailed Dr. Aron and her staff not long ago to inquire about any peer-reviewed science investigating the similarities and differences between ASD and HSP traits. I know I am HSP, but I have wondered at times if I am neurodivergent, since I come from a family in which OCD and ADHD was prevalent, and three of my children have either ASD/OCD/ADHD. Your article was helpful to me in offering clarity that ASD and HSPs really are two distinct experiences. Thank you for that.
At the same time, I hear what you're saying about what it feels like to learn this information as a person with ASD. "Am I autistic enough?" That must sting. These questions, I believe, don't have real answers, because there are so many complexities at play within each person's individual experience. I also believe it's the job of each one of us to do our part in breaking down the stigma against ASD and other diagnoses (psychological ones come to mind, too).
Thanks for giving me the impetus to write about this topic, Jeannie! I think there is so much overlap, it's often hard to know when there is an actual neurodivergence. And the fundamental question always comes down to what extent does the person need support.
Thank you so much for this topic!! What has resonated with me most out of all the material I have digested over the last couple of years, is that HSP is a TYPE of Autism and that the Autism diagnosis needs more types as it catches up to the realities of how Autism actually shows up in non-sterotypical ways. Add "high-masking for a long ass time" and you're just not going to see the "typical" patterns on the outside with an HSP type. I have encountered people who feel offended by this, but honestly it makes the most sense of my experiences (and my bestie who is also an HSP Autist). I "respond autistically" *especially* about emotional things in the world. It's not just my regular sensory (hearing, sight, smell, touch, taste) system that is hyper-sensitive, I am also hyper-sensitive interoceptively, meaning I can get overwhelmed by other people's energy and feel it acutely in my body. My special interests usually center around people and social-emotional issues. Sometimes I am hyper verbal and sometimes I have mutism. Sometimes I am incredibly social and sometimes I cannot handle being around anyone and cannot figure out how to talk with people. I think in vivid imagery that also cascades through my internal sensory system, which can also be intensely overwhelming. I'm hyper-aware of any dissonance of what I see on the outside and what is felt on the inside about a situation or a person. I need accommodations too! Trying to find a balance between thinking about my particular patterns and if and how I belong to a group of people that share similar patterns and just being a multidimensional person and giving myself all the room to be that.
Thanks so much for weighing in. I laughed so much at "masking for a long ass time"!! I also relate to being hypersensitive to people's energy. It sounds woo woo but completely true in my experience.
I know and it’s seriously science! We are wired to each others nervous systems but only some of us are viscerally aware of that connection.
I'm so glad to have discovered this Substack! Everything you say resonates with my experience and understanding of myself.
I'm so glad you found me, Rebecca!
I appreciate the way you're holding spaciousness around this topic! I feel a little sick to my stomach when I see the HSP label dismissed or criticized, if I'm being honest. Even if some folks go on to discover that Autism more accurately speaks to their lived experience, I don't think that means it must for everyone who identified as HSP. I'm often confused (and a little sad) when I see people declaring the supposed danger of the term. If it's used as a way to avoid or deny something, that's one thing. But I can't imagine making that assumption on behalf of someone else's chosen identity, you know? And anyway, it feels dangerously neurotypical to me to pit one identity against another one.
One last thing: I actually still identify with the label! I see myself as Autistic and HSP. Is that weird? Does it matter? From my reading and research (and therapy work), they both speak to truthfulnesses about my life.
Thank you for bringing up this topic, Julie!
I agree - I don't want labels to be a divisive thing, only a means to getting people support and community they need! That said, how interesting that you identify with BOTH. Thanks for weighing in :)
I found Elaine Aron’s work before I discovered I was autistic, and I did land on “I’m a HSP!” before I started exploring further and got diagnosed. But I’ve also learned that Aron is pretty biased - she’s done a lot of work to ‘prove’ that HSPs are different from (read: better than) autistic people, and she’s also written about how horrible it was to learn that two of her great nephews were autistic. Given how underdiagnosed autistic women are, whenever I hear an AFAB person gushing about being HSP, some part of my brain is always wondering what autistic traits they might be masking without even knowing it. 🤷🏻♀️
Well said! You're the first person I've come across to say exactly what I've been thinking regarding Elaine Aron. I used to identify as HSP and bought all her books and everything. Then the stuff about the autism just felt gross. Thanks for saying this. I so appreciate the validation of how I've thought about this.
Oh wow! I had no idea about her. Thanks for sharing -that does cast a new light on HSP. Perhaps she just wishfully excluded elements of ASD from HSP 🤦♀️
When I was coming to terms with my autism diagnoses (before HSP was a concept) I found it abhorrent to consider that I might be highly sensitive. I'd worked so hard to stop being sensitive that I hated the idea that it might be a permanent trait in me. That felt like greater stigma than accepting autism, which has sensitivity as a symptom, but only as one of many. It encompasses a whole lot of traits that aren't so directly associated with "weakness". Also, as you said, both hyper- and hypo-sensitivity are features of autism.
The "am I autistic enough?" conundrum does have some sting, but I've found that the more time I spend around other autistic people, and find obvious kinship with them, the less I need to question my own identification.
How interesting. I also remember hating to be told I was sensitive- it was always delivered as an insult, not a compliment. Thanks for sharing your experience 🤓
Julie, I am so glad you wrote this! I actually emailed Dr. Aron and her staff not long ago to inquire about any peer-reviewed science investigating the similarities and differences between ASD and HSP traits. I know I am HSP, but I have wondered at times if I am neurodivergent, since I come from a family in which OCD and ADHD was prevalent, and three of my children have either ASD/OCD/ADHD. Your article was helpful to me in offering clarity that ASD and HSPs really are two distinct experiences. Thank you for that.
At the same time, I hear what you're saying about what it feels like to learn this information as a person with ASD. "Am I autistic enough?" That must sting. These questions, I believe, don't have real answers, because there are so many complexities at play within each person's individual experience. I also believe it's the job of each one of us to do our part in breaking down the stigma against ASD and other diagnoses (psychological ones come to mind, too).
Thanks for giving me the impetus to write about this topic, Jeannie! I think there is so much overlap, it's often hard to know when there is an actual neurodivergence. And the fundamental question always comes down to what extent does the person need support.