Problems with Heat

by Grace
(Little Canada,MN)

I'm 21 years old and I've had SPD and autism all my life. There is one problem I can't seem to find a solution for. Part of the issue is that I am overly sensitive to touching hot things.

To give an example, water that is warm to a majority of people would feel hot to me. This inability to touch hot things without feeling pain has become problematic when it comes to cooking. I need oven mitts just to get a dish out of the microwave and cooking on a stove burner is painful because I can feel the heat radiating up from it. The same is true for getting things in and out of the oven itself. I can't even recall the last time I baked something because getting a hot dish out of the oven is such an ordeal for me. Is there anything I can do? I know that cooking is a bit of a necessity in life but it's so stressful for me! My mom does all the cooking and I feel kind of guilty about it but, to be honest, working with a stove scares me, because of bad experiences I have had with the heat. I could really appreciate some help with this.