Autism and noise: hypersensitivity

Are all people with autism hypersensitive to noise? No, not everyone with an autism spectrum disorder is hypersensitive to noise. First of all, it's important to know that an autistic person can be hypersensitive or hyposensitive. Secondly, these sensory characteristics can apply to various senses: hearing, touch, taste, sight or smell. Hyposensitivity is the exact opposite of hypersensitivity, i.e. the person doesn't feel things enough and will seek stronger stimulation. In the case of noise, for example, they may vocalise or move closer to certain sounds in order to stimulate their hearing. It is therefore a mistake to associate autism with intolerance to noise; you need to observe and listen to the autistic person to determine whether they are hypersensitive or hyposensitive. What exactly is hypersensitivity to noise? Auditory hypersensitivity is an intolerance or low tolerance of noise. The sounds that bother hypersensitive people may seem very ordinary at first sight and go completely unnoticed by a typical person; they may even be inaudible to most people. What's more, it's difficult for a person with autism to sort out the different noises heard and give them the right priorities, which gives them the feeling of a sort of constant racket. As you can see, autistic people with auditory hypersensitivity do not perceive sounds in the same way as others. This can be very problematic, leading to fatigue, migraines, stress and difficulty concentrating. Too much sound stimulation can also trigger seizures or render the person incapacitated for a certain period of time (up to several days). As you can see, hypersensitivity to noise needs to be taken very seriously. What help is there for autistic people with noise hypersensitivity? In their daily lives, some autistic people prefer to wear headphones. What, hypersensitive people who listen to music? Remember, I said earlier that annoying sounds can be trivial. Sometimes it's just certain sound frequencies that cause problems, so the person will listen to their favourite music to camouflage the disturbing noises. What's more, their brain will have only one sound to process, so the excess sound stimulation is eliminated. Unfortunately, this "trick" does not work in cases where the person concerned is unable or unwilling to cut off all communication, in which case other methods will have to be used. To help autistic people, there are tools such as noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs. These objects attenuate noise and help to restore inner calm and improve concentration, so they can be very useful at school or at work. Noise-cancelling headphones can be adjusted in several increments so that they can be worn by young and old alike, which also makes them practical, because by reducing them to a minimum, they can be carried very easily in a small bag. As an added bonus, these helmets have thicker-than-average ear cushions for greater comfort. If autistic people have difficulty wearing headphones, they can opt for earplugs. The main advantage of anti-noise earplugs is that they help to reduce parasitic noise while keeping dialogue clear. This is because they filter out only noises of a certain frequency. In this way, "bad noises" are filtered out and "good noises" are picked up by the person wearing them. They're also ideal for total discretion - they really do go unnoticed! Knowing whether to opt for noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs is not so simple. Some people with autistic disorders can't stand the 'pressure' exerted by headphones on their heads, while others have enormous difficulty accepting foreign bodies and won't appreciate earplugs. Unfortunately, there's no secret: everyone is different, so you just have to test.