Could Pastel have SPD?

by Rogue
(Connecticut, USA)

I stumbled across Sensory processing disorder on a google search for something else. What that was, I don't remember.

It sounds a lot like someone close to me. Her name is Pastel. She's an adult, but I've known her a long long time. For the entire time I've known her, she has been EXTREMELY sensitive to light and sound. I can't talk to her in a normal speaking voice because it hurts her. Anyone sneezes in a room, or drops something, or a phone rings, she's cringing and covering her ears. I've even noticed that she's constantly anticipating loud sounds. If a phone on a table lights up, she covers her ears before the ringtone plays. She seems to know right before someone sneezes, and covers her ears. In a store once, an overhead announcement was so much for her she nearly dropped to the floor.

Light is just as bad for her. She avoids a lot of technology because "it all glows in her face" as she puts it. She always has really really dark glasses on, even at night.

She can't drive because on comming headlights are too much, and the engine sound wears on her very quick - she usually rides with her head down, eyes closed, and with ear plugs.

On the other hand, she can't taste anything. I remember her being asked if a meal was any good "It tastes like the fork" and then asked what the fork tastes like -"It tastes like the food".
She can pick up the acidity in lemons though.
She also has a crazy tolerance for pain, heat, and cold. I've seen her accidentally mangle one of her toes and not notice till someone else pointed it out.

She deals with all of it by constantly meditating. If someone has a conversation with her, she usually has her eyes closed. People think she's ignoring them unless the know her. She also tends to cover one ear when in conversation.

Even her own voice hurts her. I've never heard her speak above a whisper, and if you try talking to her across a large room she gets very irritated that you are expecting her to shout.

I wouldn't have thought it relevant till I saw something about it on one of the sites, but...
She doesn't make a lot of extra movement. She doesn't talk with her hands, she doesn't move her head to look around unless she really has to, and doesn't swing her arms when she walks. It makes her stand out a bit.

Now that I think about it, she's either sitting up straight, or lying flat, nothing in between like most people do. (I mean, like I'll slouch back on the couch and put my feet up. She won't. I got her to try it once and she said it was torture)

So... could Sensory Processing be her trouble? She's never thought to seek treatment.
If you think so, I'll give her some of what I just read. If so, can it be fixed?

I never even thought there might be a name for Pastel's situation. I know her childhood was rough, wouldn't surprise me if her hypersensitivity to light and sound, not to mention her inability to taste, was just not noticed by her parents or just plain ignored. Thankfully, its gotten a little better with controlled exposure, but not much.