Experience of synesthesia anyone?

[allytjd]

DS2(8) has told me a few times about his experience of different days of the week having different colours and patterns, numbers being different sizes eg. no.10 is taller and closer, number 1 is small and far away etc.
The poor soul also has a degree of red/green colour blindness as well as light sensitive eyes.
Can't help wondering if all the extra associations his brain is making contributes to his distractability in class (his distractions tend to come from within more than outside).
Anyone else or their DCs encountered this? Am curious if it is more common among children on the spectrum (Tony Atwood seems to think it might be).

I have this -- colours for numbers, words, etc. And my sons have spoken a little of colours, and also shapes for numbers. DS2 'dislikes even numbers' because of their regular shape.

I really don't think it is distracting or intrusive. It seems weird tothose who don't have it, but it is very backgroundy and rather comfortable.

(I have no experience whatsoever of ASD etc, so can't comment on that in particular).

Also, numbers, the alphabet, and a few other things, are kind of 'located' for me: in my mind's eye they each have their own position if I think of them sequentially. And I didn't even really notice that until failry recently -- I mean, it seemed so natural that I hadn't picked it out. I still find it hard to conceive that many people don't have colours, etc.

That's to emphasise its background quality, its unobtrusiveness. (Though for all I know for people on the spectrum it could be experienced very differently and intrusively, as many of their external sensations are.)

Well, I don't have a perception of what colour a number is eg, but I do have some things that aren't typical.

If I think about certain foods I can taste them really clearly and instantly.. Lemons, Oranges, stilton, red wine, anchovies, Mint.

Other things might also have a taste. Things that aren't food.

I haven't discussed this with a lot of people, so until about 15 I didn't know that this was unusual. The few people I've mentioned it to have all looked at me as though I were mad.

my son has mild autism. is this a spectrum disorder??

MsMB, I haven't found anything saying it is a spectrum disorder as such.
Apparently synesthesia runs in families, i don't have it but I do have left/right confusion which is associated with it (not very helpful when trying to learn how to drive!).

I have it to a lesser degree now than when I was young. I love it, and wouldn't change it. I can also 'see' music. I didn't know I was thinking any different to anyone else until I asked someone about music, and how they saw it. (they didn't) Apparently artists and a great deal of creative people have it, which is the reason why they are artists, or rather, they would be less creative without it.

Threadworm: I know what you mean about the location of things, ie: the alphabet, numbers and so on.

I'm reading "Born On A Blue Day", written by a guy with Asperger's Syndrome who also has synesthesia. You could find it interesting.

I have left right confusion. It used to be very puzzling and frustrating for me but now I have a better understanding of brain function I'm much more comfortable with it and I feel it gives me just a tiny taste of those hard to rationalise things which other people (I'm thinking particularly of my son with ASD) may experience.

Isn't it the case that some of the enhanced abilities that some ASD people possess involve synesthesia? The born-on-a-blue-day man's mathmatical talents are associated with 'seeing' number shapes when performing calculations, and just 'seeing' the answer-shape.

I 'see' music, as a graph almost. It actually helps me sing and when I can see it properly (as in focus) or even better gesture the graph with my hands I sing OK; if I cant focus on that or my hands are still I sing terribly , I also have L-R confusion, see words as I say them al3ways (I 'read' them as I speak) and have 2 sons with ASD. Well,I could probably get an AS dx myself if It didnt eman speaking to a GP but am old enough now to cope mainly, as I can do small groups / individuals well its just bigger focuses I cant manage.

Seeing words as you say them, 'reading' them in your mind's eye, sounds interesting. I don't have a constant visual trail of words. Just sometimes they flash up. When the dentist told me a while back that the bill was £60, I had a very vivid explosion of blue (blue being the colour of 6 and 60).

I see nothing for music -- probably that is correlated with my lack of musicality.

I'll look out for that book.

so am i the only one who can 'taste' things when I think about them?

is that synesthesia or something else even?

It is syn, I'm sure. Just a rarer kind I think.