I developed parosmia (distorted sense of smell) after catching Covid. I know it's not just an autistic thing but I keep wondering if it is more common if you are autistic. Previously I had a very acute sense of smell.

Thank you so much for writing this. Having just been diagnosed I feel expresses so much of what I want to tell people about what it is like to be autistic and undiagnosed (especially the overwhelming empathy)

Yes I find it incredibly useful for helping me to order ideas and categorise them when I am brain storming. Also for times when I need to write a quick reply to something but social anxiety would normally take over.

Whilst research into the use of noise cancelling headphones is necessary it is important not to dismiss sensory sensitivities as something that can be cured by increased exposure to sound. For many people the exact opposite is true.

Over the last couple of years noise cancelling headphones have become life-changing for me, by reducing anxiety allowing me to tolerate being in noisy environments for longer I have been able to return to doing more.

I became a lot more sensitive to noise after lockdown. It made returning to everyday things really hard and caused a lot of anxiety.

I have always had the problems hearing conversations when the background noise is too loud. I either physically leave noisy places or mentally check out. At primary school I was sent for hearing tests because I had trouble hearing in noisy classrooms.