Adult Asperger’s Video 10. Living in a Bubble – Living with Asperger’s Food and Clothes (Repetition and Routine)
Living with Asperger’s Food and Clothes (Repetition and Routine)
I am a creature of habit. I have worn the same outfit for fourteen years. I don’t mean that literally. I have different versions of the same outfit: a black polo neck top and black trousers, black shoes, black socks, black coat and sometimes a black hat. I also wear the same underwear, same T-shirts and the same socks. I just like them. I feel comfortable dressed like this. I have never been into fashion, so this way, I don’t have to think too much about my clothes, I just wear what I think looks good. Over the years, I would often say, “If you’re onto a winner, why change!” It’s only when I was thinking about speaking with the ASD expert that I actually noticed this. I looked at a photo of myself from years ago and I was wearing exactly the same outfit as I was at that moment.
Ripping tags
Another thing which I have often done over the years, which I didn’t think was significant, at the time, was to rip out the tags. They would often irritate me and make me itch. Often I’d rip out the tag with such force that it would leave a hole behind! I never cared about that though. As long as the tag was gone, I was happy. I didn’t realise that this was also a symptom of ASD.
Food and the same meals
Similar to the clothes, I also have the same pattern when it comes to food. I have never had an issue with eating the same meal every day. In fact, if I liked the meal, I often enjoyed having the same meal every day! I never really thought about it, however, many times people around me would point it out and encourage me to eat something else, even though, I actually just wanted to eat what I wanted to eat.
Routines
We all have patterns of behaviour. I notice that I alter mine according to the stresses and experiences of the day. It’s almost as if I have an ‘ideal day’ set of behaviours and I have a ‘stressful day’ or more accurately a ‘disturbed day’ routine.
Official Perspective
Clinical Psychologist Dr Elizabeth Shea claims why we have these habits and unusual sensitivities:
“Differences in the way the brain processes information are also documented in autism … For example, cognitive rigidity and the ‘desire for sameness’ may result in an adherence to particular routines or rituals around food, such as having to have the same utensils, with the context being often the first predictor of whether a food is safe… may explain why these children notice the ‘local’ details of a food, such as a black mark on a crisp, at the expense of the ‘global’ or overall appearance of the food. This can also explain why foods are rejected if the packaging changes.”
Clothes can often be just as important as food for people on the spectrum. Colour, pattern and texture can affect sensitive people on the spectrum greatly. Many people on the spectrum don’t follow fashion and will wear the same style clothes for years or what might appear to others, as “all the time”.
Advice and Tips
Food
1) Eat what you want (within reason) Eat what your body needs. Don’t stress too much about food or what other people say!
2) Eat consciously If you’re going to eat odd types of food or only particular types of food then you should look into its nutritional content. This, at the very least, is an intellectual exercise. It’s useful to know how the food is grown, harvested and produced. This will help you in understanding what you consume and how it affects you.
3) Restaurants: eat where you are comfortable and happy. Wherever you eat, at home or in public – be happy be comfortable. Tell friends and family in advance of your sensitivities. Include them and request their help. Communicate your fears and challenges so this can be factored into choosing a restaurant. If you’re going on a date or out with somebody new then use humour, in advance to inform them, like, “I just want you to know that I have strange eating habits but you can eat what you want and I want you to be comfortable.” People want to feel included and informed.
4) Be philosophical Be philosophical about food and consumption. Know that if you really want to, you could change at any time so it’s okay to break out of those habits sometimes. Note: If you have serious challenges with food then you should seek medical advice. It is better to get help from an expert who is trained and can help with the specifics of your particular case. This is the case with all areas of life.
Clothes
1) Keep it simple. Clothes are an expression of who you are. And when it comes down to it, you can change your look at any time. Don’t stress; keep it simple and functional. Your attitude and how you carry yourself is more important than anything you wear. I worked with an individual who had over £100 million pounds and he dressed exactly the same way I dressed at home, but messier. It doesn’t, ultimately matter! But what you wear can make you feel good.
2) Vary the theme As you know, I like to wear black and I love to wear black turtle neck sweaters but what also can work is varying the colour, so it’s the same clothes but a little different.
3) Shopping I hate shopping and I hate busy shops. When I shop I know what I want and walk in and walk out, rarely trying it on. This is totally fine. If you need to, shop online or ask a friend to shop for you. Do whatever works for you.