TWAP013: What Everyone Should Know About Autism And Noise Sensitivity

“Sudden loud noises hurt my ears – like a dentist’s drill hitting a nerve…High-pitched continuous noise, such as bathroom vent fans or hair dryers,are annoying.I have two choices: 1) turn my ears on and get deluged with sound or 2)shut my ears off.”  Temple Grandin, article, An Inside View of Autism.

This thread on Wrong Planet is over four pages long.  It all started when someone asked, “Is sensitivity to noise a part of Aspergers Syndrome or could it be something else?”

I have odd sensitivity to noise…. On the TV spoken word needs to be at a higher volume…. anything with a high bass needs to be low volume, I can hear my roommates walk barefoot down a carpeted hallway, but half the time I cannot hear if someone is calling my name from 2 feet away.

Led Zepplin can be blaring in my earbuds, but I can still hear the conversation being carried out 20 feet behind me. Along with paper shuffling and tapping.

An audiology research journal article quoted a study [Stiegler, L., & Davis, R. (2010). Understanding sound sensitivity in people with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 20 (10), 1–9] which stated that one of the most commonly reported challenge for people with autism spectrum conditions is hypersensitivity to noise.  Anthony Ianni described being unable to attend birthday parties as a child because of noise overwhelm.

A Small Sample Of What Noise Sensitivity Can Be Like For People With Autism

Watch this video, posted on the National Autistic Society website, understanding that each person’s experience is different –

For example, one commenter wrote:

I have Asperger’s and SPD and don’t see my sensory problems expressed in this video. The sensory reality that leads to overload is chaotic, unpredictable, confusing and meaningless… whereas this video is rhythmic, predictable, an ordered pattern, almost like music (not pretty music, but still). Whoever made this  couldn’t resist the temptation to make music  when given a multitude of sounds to play with:-)   That is understandable, but it doesn’t illustrate sensory overload.

Why Are People With Autism Sensitive to Noise?

On the one hand, audiologists haven’t been find many differences in the peripheral or central auditory of people with ASD as compared to their peers.  On the other hand, imaging studies suggest that, for people on the spectrum, researchers have found differences in the temporal lobe of the brain, the cortical area that helps with auditory processing.

Other researchers hypothesize that strong avoidance to certain sounds and noises may be learned responses that are either fear or annoyance based.

Audiologists have found that people on the spectrum may have enhanced perception to certain sounds, impaired perception of other sounds, or a combination of hyper (overly sensitive) or hypo (unable to pick up on) sensitivity to sounds.

Someone who is hyposensitive may only hear sounds in one ear; may not acknowledge certain sounds; or might seek out loud, crowded, and noisy places.

Someone who is hypersensitive may hear sound as magnified, and the sound may become magnified and distorted; may be super sensitive to a certain sound or sounds at a distance; or may have a hard time concentrating because s/he is very sensitive to background noise.

Dealing with Autism and Noise Sensitivity

Take a Break from Sound