Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight: What to Do If You Are Sensory Defensive in an Overstimulating World

My copy of this book just arrived yesterday. So far it is excellent. The best part is that it specifically addresses sensory defensiveness in adults--including issues with intimacy and managing in the world, trying to function as an adult. It is written for a range of sensory defensive people from mild to severe, has a lot of suggestions for help with sensory integration and so far makes much more sense than The Out of Sync Child for this time in my life. I am making my way through it and will have to read it several times to digest everything, and I can't say I agree with all their theories on why people become sensory defensive, but what do I agree with 100%? I really like that they point out people with SI issues are constantly sent to therapy to work on their emotional issues, but at some point all the behavioral therapy and skill building and all the 'trying' in the world just isn't going to help manage sensory overload because it isn't about behavioral modification. Sometimes 'I can't' really does means 'I can't', not 'I won't'. This is so validating for someone who is constantly putting 200% effort in managing, but at the same time when even thinking about approaching certain situation (ok, many, many situations). I 'see black', shut down, and I really, truly 'can't.' It is not about laziness or even avoidance. However this book is not at all about giving up and being helpless. It gives many, many tools for creating a 'sensory diet'--plus it is written by someone who has dealt with sensory defensiveness herself. I want to convince as many people in my life as I can to read this book so they can have more understanding on why I can't just "grow up and be 'normal'."

This book has been a big help explaining why I am the way I am. Now I understand why I was not like other kids, teens and adults while I was growing up. Why noise, certain lights, clothing and touch bothered me. Though I loved to be touch in comforting ways. The things that grounded me and what led me to where I am today. I currently have several autoimmune conditions and I can see where my sensory issues led to dis-ease which in turn helped leave me vulnerable to disease. I highly recommend this book to people having various sensory issues or family & friends of people with sensory issues. This book explains it very well then gives you ways to cope and deal with your condition. My husband is also reading this book so he can better assist me with what I am dealing with.

This book is great - not just for kids, but adults too, who find that life is just too much at times. Does your child hate tags on clothing, anything with long sleeves, even in winter, anything tight that's not thin and soft? Hates too bright lights (mushroom cave preferred), or any loud sound that isn't theirs? I have an 18 yr old with Asperger's, and I wish I had this book years and years ago. Then I might have "gotten" what upset her. Why she wants quiet at all times. Why she goes ballistic if the pets/her sister start running around the house, thumping. Why she removes all tags, wants only certain clothes, and has a brown room (brown sheets, blankets, and dark posters/pictures). I found an old black metal sign with a bat on it, and she loved it. This book helps you to understand the child's needs, and why they seem so outrageous at times to you. And you may find yourself in the book - I did, and realized my reactions to things fit as well. Great resource for any parent with out-of-sync children, autistic/Asperger's, or those who are just not fitting into the skin of the world.

My son has a serious sensory processing disorder- most every stimulus is too much for him. I learned very early how to make the world work for him most of the time, by only choosing comfortable clothes, allowing him to avoid noisy settings, accepting his strong food preferences and aversions (NEVER have even slightly soft egg, for example), adjusting the temperature to meet his comfort level,and letting him wear sunglasses when it is too sunny or the lights are too bright and ear phones when life is too loud. What I did not know is that there are therapies to help my son integrate the world around him in a less stressful way instead of needing to have the world constantly adjusted for his comfort. That there are treatments to make life easier for him. This was a very exciting book for me to read. The only negative- like many books of this type, the net is widely cast- it presents itself as a fix for "almost everything that is wrong with you". The things you read could apply to a lot of people that may not actually have a problem, and this diagnosis can cause many different problems in life, not all of which are actually related to a sensory processing issue.

As a mother of a HSP, this book was a treasure to help me understand the difficulties of her sensory processing. I highly recommend this book to anyone parenting or struggling with their own issues with sensory overload. Easily readable and can finish in a day or two.

This has been such a great book for me not only because I am a teacher with students who have sensory needs, but I myself have lived a life of sensory defensiveness without the resources or information provided in books such as this one. This book can help focus on a sensory behavior, figure out the cause, and provides some tips of ways to help someone adjust to it or change the environment to better suit those needs. I find myself using this book as a resource that I go to time and time again to help each individual student with their sensory needs. I highly recommend this book for educators and parents of children with sensory defensiveness and also for people who themselves are sensory defensive.

I found this book while looking for ADD information. I am so glad that I did. I just recently found out about Sensory Integration Dysfunction. This book is very informative in explaining how this disorder is woven into your life and how it plays out in different people. When reading it I found myself saying, "That sounds just like me". The language is a little hard to understand with some of the technical jargon but the sample stories to show how people live with this disorder are great and help the reader to understand what it means. This is overall a good book but I find it just a little to long. If it was more direct and more in layman's terms I would have found it to be better. All in all though, it is good for someone who needs more information on the disorder.

I didn't even know what sensory defensiveness was until I was 32, even though I've battled with it all my life. When I did finally discover it, I was given all the books about sensory integration (dysfunction) for parents and children, which were not that helpful. It was hard to apply the information for a 5 year old to my 32 year old life. This book was exactly what I needed. So glad I found it... even more glad that she wrote it! I've been unable to find any occupational therapists anywhere near me who work with adults and sensory issues. I thought I was doomed to struggle with this on my own until I found this book. It's no substitute for OT, but it's better than nothing. It has opened my eyes to a whole new way of life, and whole new level of functioning. It's not just for moderately or severely defensive people, either. There's something here for every sensitive person who's sensitivity gets in the way of their joy, I believe. I highly recommend it. And yes, the cover is sort of a sensory nightmare (to me), but then... that's what grabbed my attention. I may not have found this book without it.

excellent. have had sensory processing all my life, this book explained a lot!! I cope much better with the world around me now. good read. will help parents with kids who have some 'odd' things like only wearing certain fabrics because others itch.

This book had many helpful suggestions for managing a very sensitive person like myself who is easily overwhelmed by noise and lights. There is no magic solution however this helps with tools to use.

Love this book. Really helped me understand

Spedizione sempre puntuale. Il libro è molto interessante, sono felice di averlo trovato e ricevuto molto rapidamente!

Libro para comprender el procesamiento sensorial y obtener pistas sobre como mejorar la calidad de vida de las personas con TPS.