Written in October 2025
I’ve written about the experience of being autistic in the heat, which you can read here, and it’s now the perfect season to cover being autistic in the cold.
Some autistic people are more badly affected by the heat, and some find the cold weather to be more difficult to deal with. My core body temperature runs slightly lower than the norm, so I generally found the winter easier to deal with than the summer. That was until I got older and developed certain health conditions.
My particular experience also involves Raynaud’s, osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia, so I can be quite badly affected physically by the cold and the damp, on top of the sensory and autonomic effects of being autistic.
Clothing
Sensory processing differences are one of the major diagnostic criteria for autism, so clothing is often a big deal for us. I can’t stand anything tight round my wrists or ankles, so tight gloves are out, as are some socks. I have luckily found my ideal winter sock, but before that discovery this was a concern for me in the winter.
I have to ensure my gloves are not too tight around the wrist, nor too loose so they tickle as they have to come off then, and if my hands get cold the circulation goes (thanks, Raynaud’s), and that is painful. If the circulation goes in my toes it can take several hours for all my toes to regain sensation and circulation.
Layering clothing is often a great way to stay warm in cold weather and it allows you finer control over your temperature, but this can be problematic for autistic people. The feeling of a long sleeve rucked up under another sleeve is something many people find annoying, but for autistic people this can be intolerable. Personally, I find having to remove and don layers of clothing stressful (especially when you’re out and need to do something with your bag(s) while you wrangle a jumper and coat) as it’s a transition task that comes with a mental and physical barrier.
Some of us also find wearing a hat difficult, and a scarf which brushes around your lower face can be just as bad. We haven’t even got to the part about wool being itchy! Coats can be overwhelming and feel suffocating, but at the same time some of us enjoy the weight of a heavy coat, and might wear one in the summer as well.
Motor/proprioception
Walking boots, wellingtons and other winter footwear can be difficult to transition into due to the extra weight on our feet, and the extra demands that places on our proprioceptive sense…
And on the subject of proprioception and motor skills, the winter is often a windy time. I find windy weather overstimulating and difficult to cope with for long. I feel easily knocked off balance, and the effect of strong winds on my face (possibly making my hair fly around my peripheral vision) is also disorientating. Happily, I am fine with hats so I can solve this problem easily, but for others it’s not a quick fix.
When the ground is icy underfoot I also have to demand more from my proprioceptive and varioceptive senses (co-ordination and balance) and this puts a significant strain on my brain. I can usually hold a light conversation while walking, but in icy weather I need all my processing power for remaining upright.
The brain drain
Coping with the extra sensory input, the extra demands on my sensory processing and the physical pain on top of that from my other health conditions makes going out in the winter incredibly draining. The summer, as we know, has it’s own drawbacks, so autumn (fall) and spring are the better seasons for my particular profile.