Asperger Sense

‘There are links between autism and auditory sensitivity. If you have autism, you may either overreact or completely ignore many ordinary sensations, smells, sights and sounds. It’s thought that this is because your processing information from your senses differently than others not on the spectrum. For instance, you might not filter out noises that are irrelevant, or you might find that certain sounds can be very uncomfortable and distracting. If you’re autistic, there are various different types of noise sensitivities you may experience, including:

 

Misophonia – this is characterised by an emotional reaction, such as rage or anger, to certain sounds. The trigger for this is usually a soft sound that’s often related to breathing or eating, and can be connected to people who are close to you. For example, you may be driven to distraction by the sound your significant other makes when they chew their food. However, a similar noise made by someone else may not even bother you in the slightest.

 

Phonophobia – also called sonophobia or ligyrophobia, phonophobia is an unusual and persistent fear of either specific or general environmental sounds. If you suffer from phonophobia, you may try to avoid ever exposing yourself to the sound’s your scared of, and could in time end up being housebound due to your anxiety.

 

Hyperacusis – often accompanied by tinnitus, hyperacusis is an intolerance of everyday generalised environmental noise. Hypersensitive hearing at certain frequencies. This issue often goes hand in hand with autism. When you’re suffering from this, it’s likely that you’re able to handle most sounds, as long as they’re at a regular level. However, this changes when the sounds change frequency, particularly when they rise above 70 decibels – say when you hear a vacuum cleaner running.

 

Recruitment – this is a sudden painful and shocking increase in the perception of sound directly related to dead or damaged hair cells within the ear. As you’ll likely realise, these noise sensitivities can be incredibly life altering and upsetting to both the affected individual and to their friends and family. That’s why it’s incredibly important to find ways to reduce sound sensitivity and implement sound solutions for home, work and play.

 

For example – Create open space – the further sound waves have to travel, the quieter they sound

Put mass between your ears and sound – dense items will absorb or block sound waves.

Stop something from vibrating – dampen vibratory noises with sound reducing materials like vibration isolation feet, Vibra Block sound deadening strips and Green Glue. Plugging leaks – Seal window and doors with soundproof caulking. Since it’s not always feasible or cost effective to add more space to a room, Soundproof Cow offers detailed soundproofing guides incorporating premium, acoustic materials most DIYers can install.’

‘When you want to stop sounds from bouncing around inside a room, use soft materials e.g. Curtains, underfelt, carpets etc designed to absorb and attenuate sound waves. Minimising reverberation causes sound waves to dissipate faster. This reduces echo and increases clarity in the space. Sound absorption products are great for open floor plans and areas with high ceilings.’