08-14-2011, 12:00 PM
My sister loves to goes to the movies. I don't like it so much for many reasons, all related to SPD. But I break down and go with her every now and then. My husband was out of town last week and I needed to get out of the house, so I went with her to see Cowboys and Aliens. I insist on going to an early show on Sunday. I can't stand crowds. I also never want to see a brand new release, too many people. I wore my earplugs. I can still hear everything perfectly with earplugs in. Either I have really amazing hearing, or they have the volume up so loud it is rediculous! The only thing I can't hear in the theater with my earplugs in is my sister when she leans in to whisper comments to me. I need to train her like I did my husband in restaurants, to look me in the face when she talks so I can read her lips. I am a great lip reader. I think it is a huge part of my SPD coping mechanisms. I notice that I can't "hear" people, even in normal conditions when they turn their head away. I have to see a person talk to hear them. Weirdly though, I listen to podcasts and understand just fine. This doesn't really make sense to me. Maybe it's because I listen to Podcasts in boring environments, like cleaning the kitchen, where there are not a lot of sensory destractions competing for my attention.
