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The original was posted on /r/autism by /u/Cookie_Storm20 on 2023-08-12 01:28:46.
Recently my school has started again, and this year we can’t eat anywhere other than in the cafeteria or have headphones/ earbuds on in common areas. I have a lot of sensory issues, and I can’t handle being in the cafeteria. It’s incredibly crowded, loud, and there is a lot of different smells from peoples food. Yesterday I went in the cafeteria for maybe two minutes with some friends who were looking for the rest of our group. After being in there for that short of time I felt like I was dying, and was tearing up. Last year I was able to eat outside, where it’s quieter, and since it’s banned this year I have no solution but to not eat, which then hinders my performance in school. I have two classes Im allowed to eat in but they are both very quiet and I don’t feel comfortable eating in a quiet space because I feel like I’m being too loud and I get very stressed when people eat in otherwise quiet spaces, since the noise gets overwhelming. Im working on getting loop earplugs, but I don’t know if they’re allowed and I could only get the engage ones, which may not be able to block off enough sounds and it won’t help with the smell issue. I don’t have any formal diagnosis since my family isn’t great so I don’t know if I could get any accommodations if I asked. I don’t know what to do about this and any advice would be greatly appreciated!