10 Quirks That Might be Autism: Clothes Feel Wrong
Part 4: Many shades of autism show in these 10 quirks about me.
This post is part of the series 10 Quirks About Me.
I’ve thrown away shirts becuase sometimes clothes feel wrong, and that’s just one of 10 quirks about me that might be related to my autism. In the last post of this series, I talked about sensory processing differences and their effect on intimate relationships. This time, I present two slightly lighter topics: an aversion to clothes and the inability to recognize faces. The first is related to sensory processing issues, while the second is a visual processing disorder.
I am sharing these stories in the series 10 Quirks About Me to help people understand autism spectrum disorder and its effects. But these traits do not make you autistic. If you believe that you would benefit from an autism diagnosis, please seek one from a qualified professional. You can get more information about autism spectrum disorder from the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and advocacy groups such as Autism Speaks.
Now, more of the 10 quirks about me from autism.
#7 Forever in Blue Jeans
There are days when I cannot get comfortable in my clothes. An aversion to clothing is common in autism and is a result of sensory processing differences, which I wrote about in my post about avoiding intimacy. Nothing changes in my size. Instead, clothes feel wrong. By feeling wrong, I mean that shirts feel too big, too small, too tight, or too loose. I don’t like the way the material feels, or the way the neck cuts, or the length of the sleeves. Pants will be too long, too short, too tight, or too loose. It happens with socks, shoes, underwear, coats, gloves, hats, and even a scarf. I’ll start to play with whatever doesn’t feel right, and soon I’m distracted until I change.
For years, I held onto old clothes that always felt right and rejected buying anything new. Eventually, however, clothes wear out. Five years ago, the zipper broke on a 20-year-old fleece pullover that I got in 1999 for being part of the Campus Programming Committee at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. I loved that fleece even though it was always at least a size too big for me. That sweatshirt brought me peace and satisfaction. I still grieve over the loss of that sweatshirt.
That’s not all. Because clothes can feel wrong both before and after I buy them, it’s also hard to replace them. For example, I might buy a pair of shorts because they feel right trying them on, but then they never feel right again. As a result, I own 12 pairs of jeans in different sizes so that I have something that feels right on a given day. Because of this, I also have lost many articles of clothing over the years as I’ve donated them or thrown them out.
#8 Another Face in the Crowd
There’s a good chance that I will not recognize you if I see you out of context. In autism, the lack of facial recognition can be a result of visual processing differences or communication challenges. In other words, I will not know who you are outside of the environment in which I normally see you unless I am expecting to see you. For example, if I work with you and we meet for lunch, I’ll (probably) recognize you when I get to the restaurant. But if I see you at the mall, I will not recognize you unless you say something to me.
I can think of many examples. For exmaple, I was shopping in a supermarket when my aunt saw me. This was in 2007 in Westminster, Maryland. I looked right at her but didn’t recognize her. I even said “hello” as I passed and then turned the corner. My aunt turned around, walked up behind me, and then bumped into me on purpose to get my attention. I jumped about 10 feet, but she had a good laugh.
In 1997, when I was working at an office supply store in Washington, Pennsylvania, I was checking out a line of customers when the pastor of a local church walked up to the register. I considered him a friend, and yet I rang up his transaction without once noticing that it was he. The pastor said, “Hi, Matt.” I was wearing a name tag, so that still didn’t phase me even though he had a trademark British accent. I said “hi” and just kept ringing his items. He finally said, “Matt, it’s Jonathan.” That’s when I realized who I was looking at. I was embarrassed, but he just smiled and laughed.
Catch the rest of the series: 10 Quirks About Me