Since sensory issues are one of the questions I hear most often, I thought the next few weeks, I would talk about each of the six senses and how they affect people with autism. Remember – senses can be “hyper” which means too sensitive or “hypo” which means not sensitive enough.
Because how sensitive their ears are cause Casey and Rob so many issues, I’ll start with hearing.
When Casey was younger, she kept her fingers in her ears any time we went some place new, until she knew what kinds of sounds might be present. It wasn’t just loud piercing noises that could cause her to scream in pain – even low, rumbling noises could be terrifying to her.
It took me a long time to understand why she hated certain restaurants so much. Because of her screams, we just avoided going to them, but finally, I heard it. The HVAC systems were running and she couldn’t handle the noises they made. Honestly, I could barely hear it and probably would have never realized it, if I didn’t happen to see her looking up at the vents with a terrified look on her face. It took years before we attempted those places again (thank God for drive-thrus! 🙂 )
I avoided using the air conditioning in our car when she was young because it was guaranteed to set off screams. Even on the hottest days, we left windows down. I tried once to turn it on and she panicked and tried to get out of the moving car. Again, it was years later before we used it and now, she doesn’t have any issues with it at all.
Casey was 5 when we decided to try Auditory Integration Therapy. At the time, it was best hit or miss, but her dad and I both felt like it was something we had to try. My mom and I took the three kids to Cincinnati for two weeks. Casey was 5, Mandy 3 and Rob just 9 or 10 months old. Yep – we lived in a hotel for two weeks. Casey had hour long sessions twice a day. And she didn’t like it – at all. After a few days, she settled down for them but still was happy to be out of the room.
She started on Monday. Friday evening, their dad and my dad came to spend the weekend with us. Saturday morning, my dad asked Casey what she wanted for breakfast (we always asked her questions – even when she never answered) and she said, “Donut!” I wish there had been a camera on us – four adults were in complete shock. She never answered questions! I couldn’t get her a donut fast enough – I would have given her a box of them if she would have asked.
Over the next several weeks, she needed to cover her ears less and she began to speak a little more. Her words were clear and appropriate. Her painful screams diminished. For Casey, AIT was a success. She still covers her ears at times, but she has learned what might hurt and doesn’t panic and run like she used to.
Enclosed areas with crowds of people are hard for both of them to handle. The dull roar of people talking – the sounds of people moving around – it’s just too much for them for very long.
Rob never put his fingers in his ears like Casey does. When he was little, he wore ear protection (like hunters do) everywhere. The fire drill at school could send him into a curled up ball of tears. Train whistles, parades, certain music – it was all painful to him. He wasn’t able to filter out background noise to hear what I was saying clearly, so many of his words were mixed up. Sammerich (sandwich), to-par (pop tart), and so many others that he switched like first and last letters. He simply couldn’t hear the words clearly.
As he has grown up, his words have become much clearer, but he still struggles with new things. He still doesn’t seem to hear everything correctly – I’ve discovered that by watching him try to spell things as he hears them. Again, this is constantly getting better and is rarely an issue now.
I am still very careful about loud noises around Rob. He doesn’t run from the shop vac, anymore, and doesn’t care about kitchen appliances (Casey screamed any time I used the mixer or sweeper) but loud trucks are sure to cause pain. When we went to a parade a few years ago, a bug truck blew its air horn and he about came out of his seat. He was anxious and scared, so Mandy, Cory and I took turns standing behind him with our hands over his ears so he could enjoy the rest of the parade.
I’m sure I’ve shared before that Rob is my little weatherman. I know when the barometer changes, he can feel it. He knows when rain or snow is coming. About a year ago, I finally discovered he feels it in his ears. I don’t know why or how, but that’s how he knows. His ears can feel the difference in pressure. He also doesn’t like wind – constant wind causes extreme anxiety for him and I’m sure it’s the constant sounds of it that get to him.
When your child is first diagnosed, it may be hard for you to know what is going on with their hearing. It took me a long time to realize what was going on with Casey – at that time, there weren’t a million books about sensory issues to read. Everything I did was by guess and hope for the best. I noticed it much sooner with Rob, as I was looking for it. He loved his headphones (they also provided deep pressure and he loved that) Casey has never liked headphones – whether to protect her from sounds or to listen to music. She absolutely will not use them.
The most important thing to remember is certain noises, even if you don’t hear them or they don’t bother you, are painful to people with hyper-sensitive hearing. Please, don’t tell your child to stop making a big deal of sounds. They aren’t “faking” anything, but simply trying to get away from something painful. A child with hypersensitive hearing may run from sounds, scream, keep their head covered, fingers in their ears or may refuse to go into an area that is too loud for them.
Please keep in mind that your child may have hyposensitive hearing also. They may not acknowledge certain sounds, such as an alarm, or voices simply because they don’t hear them well enough. Your child may not be ignoring you when you talk – they may not be able to distinguish what you are saying.
Everyone has certain sounds that they can’t stand (nails on a chalkboard, anyone?) but we learn to adapt to those sounds or how to avoid them. You will need to help your child adapt or avoid painful noises. You may need to offer ear protection or to avoid certain places. You may need to talk to a speech or occupational therapist for ideas. Casey puts his fingers in her ears often. Rob tends to avoid or run from noises that bother him.
Whatever else you do – just remember that your child isn’t faking. It’s hard to handle sometimes, but it’s your job as the adult to help your child adapt or avoid.