Welcome to my blog
This is where I’ll be sharing some of my insights and my journey as well as some fun stuff along the way.
Are you HSP, Autistic, or both?
Are you an HSP or autistic or both? If you’re one but not sure about the other , or just generally then this post might help. There is definitely an overlap between the two traits, and for me, being HSP didn’t explain everything, but nor does being autistic. Only when I put the two together does it all make sense. That’s why I’m claiming both HSP and autistic labels for myself.
Is it controversial to say I’m an HSP and autistic? An autistic HSP? As I write this in February 2025, I honestly don’t know. If I use one or the other as descriptors or labels, it doesn’t quite hit the spot for me.
Finding out about the HSP trait nearly 15 years ago was life-changing, for sure. It explained a lot. But although the majority of people are not HSP, it’s not exactly rare, with 20 to 30 per cent of the world’s population thought to have the HSP trait. So why did I still feel different to most, and why did I feel like I was an ultra-sensitive HSP? Why did I seem to struggle with so many aspects of life more than at least one fifth of other people?
My autism diagnosis in 2024 made everything make sense. My absolute need for ritual and routine, my information processing differences, my bottom-up thinking, my sensory sensitivities, and how very good it finally feels to stim (when I remember to allow myself this freedom – I guess it’s been almost completely conditioned out of me). My inability to lie, my love of alone time, and the list goes on and on…
BUT I also love the HSP label, because I FEEL things so very deeply, I’m an empath by another name. Although my empathy can look different to neurotypical empathy. I know many other autistics have this experience. And I’m also a seeker, I have a deep soul need for a spiritual life, for spiritual connection, sometimes above all else. So far, I haven’t seen much written about autism and spirituality, but I know it’s often part and parcel of being an HSP.
I also love a Venn diagram, and so I put this one together. All credit where it’s due, I adapted these slides from Venn diagram about autistic children and HSP children by Dr Megan Anna Neff. I found it on a website called Neurodivergent Insights, as part of an article she had written (Is My Child Highly Sensitive, ADHD, Autistic, or Anxious?). It’s interesting. There doesn’t seem to be anything like this already in existence for adults, which seems like an omission, and one I want to start addressing.
I would love to hear how other autistics, HSPs and those who are both see this too. There’s probably lots more to add, and I am SO happy to do that – so let me know here or on Instagram @janeelizabethaston