Autism and Auditory Processing Disorder (APD)

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

Leading on from my previous post about autism and sound sensitivity, this week I’d like to take a look at auditory processing disorder or APD.

So what exactly is APD?

APD, also known as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), is a condition where a person doesn’t fully process the sounds they are hearing. There is generally nothing wrong with your hearing ability, but a neurological issue in interpreting the meaning of that sound. People with APD often struggle to understand spoken instructions, sentences where they’ve missed words, thick accents, words that sound similar, and understanding conversations that place in noisy environments. For example, if someone said the word ‘dog’, you would hear the word perfectly, but might struggle to retrieve the meaning of the word.

So how is APD linked to autism?

APD’s are very common in autists, but the link is unclear. One of the leading theories however is that the hippocampus is immature and underdeveloped in the autistic brain. This part of the brain is responsible for processing auditory and other sensory information, so if the region is not properly developed, autists will struggle to process sensory input like sound. Other research suggests that autists are hearing and processing sound properly, however, they are processing this information at a slower level than their peers due to delayed development of the auditory cortex in the brain.

An interesting behavioural study proposed that autists are actually processing sounds correctly, however, they are choosing to not pay attention to certain sounds or speech due to variations in their attention span.

Some researchers have also linked difficulties in auditory processing to impairment and delays in language development in autism as the ability to process sound efficiently is critical to language formation.

To help autists struggling with APD to better process sound, it’s recommended that you:

Try to talk face to face
Avoid covering your face when speaking
Repeat or rephrase words if they are struggling
Reduce background noise in the environment
Avoid long and complicated sentences
Try not to speak too fast or too slow
Use pictures and text for younger autists

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend! 🙂

Aoife

December 17, 2022 0

Autism and Noise Reducing Earplugs

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

Leading on from my previous post about sound sensitivity, this week I’d like to explore the subject of noise reducing earplugs. In recent weeks, I’ve been getting a lot of Facebook ad’s for noise reduction earplugs, so I finally decided to take the plunge and buy a pair to see what all the fuss is about.

So how exactly do these noise reduction earplugs work? Isn’t the whole function of earplugs to reduce noise anyway?

Noise reducing earplugs are different to your garden variety earplug in that they are designed to reduce background noise without compromising audio quality in your immediate surroundings. Most earplugs will muffle sounds, but this next generation of earplugs focus on filtering them instead of blocking them. There are a lot of different models out there at the mo, but I chose to test drive Loop Earplugs. Loop are designed with an acoustic channel in the earplug to mimic the auditory canal in your ear, and use a mesh filter to reduce the volume of your surroundings. They are particularly designed with concerts in mind, as music is often played above safe levels (85 decibels) which can permanently damage eardrums in as little as 15 minutes. They have a couple of audio reduction levels from as high as 27 decibels down to 18 (which I tried) so you can purchase whatever reduction level suits your needs.

So how did I find them?

This weekend, I tested them out on a busy day in the noisy city of Dublin. I popped them in while walking down the street and found it really did reduce the sounds around me, but I could still hear everything I needed to, such as the noises from pedestrian crossings. As I was attending a musical, I also gave them a test run in the theatre for a couple of songs. I was really surprised at the results as the songs were just as clear with the earplugs in and out, just different volume thresholds. Unlike other earplugs, the loop in the plug is quite cool, and looks like a trendy piercing in your ear, so it’s also great that you don’t feel self conscious for having awkward things sticking out of your ears (like those ugly yellow foamy ones they give you on airplanes).

Earplugs that Resemble Fine Jewelry - Core77

However, while these filtered out a lot of background noise, they did amplify and alter some internal noises. My voice sounded really distant and far away like I was down a tunnel, but everyone around me sounded fine. While walking to the theatre I ate a Magnum ice cream, and as I ate, the earplugs increased the volume of the chocolate crunching in my mouth to unsettling levels, and I could hear my jaw clicking as the upper and lower jaws rubbed against each other. It really weirded me out so I would not recommend eating while wearing them! I also found they didn’t sit in my ear that well and kept popping out, but I do have smaller ears (or so I’m told) so it’s possible that my ears are just not built for earplugs! 😛

I would definitely recommend trying out these earplugs or similar models (there are some that are more geared specifically for noise sensitivities such as Calmer) if you need to turn the volume of your surroundings down a smidge- I will certainly be adding mine to my handbag for days when I find myself in an auditory nightmare.

Hope you enjoyed this post dear Earthlings!

Have a lovely weekend! 🙂

Aoife

October 14, 2021 2

Autism Management- Sound

Greetings Earthlings 🙂

So leading on from my recent post about sound sensitivity and autism, today I’m going to expand a little bit more on the subject.

Fun Fact: Did you know that an estimated 65% of autists are sensitive to sound?

Being sensitive to sound can be quite challenging for those on the spectrum, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be managed.

So here are some of my top tips for managing sound sensitivity:

Earplugs/Noise Cancelling Headphones- I know, it’s the obvious one, but it has to be said! Using these can really help to take the edge off for many autists in noisy environments. These can be especially helpful if you are a fan of live music, but find gigs too loud- I have genuinely seen people wear noise canceling headphones, earplugs and cotton wool to gigs, you will not be alone! 😀 Added Bonus– it can also discourage unwanted conversations 😉 If you’re in the market for a pair, the nice folks at reviews.com have a really good article comparing the best on the market: https://www.reviews.com/noise-canceling-headphones/
Listen to music– if you don’t appreciate the sound of silence like Simon and Garfunkel, then hooking a set of headphones up to a music player is another great way to manage sound sensitivity. You can control what sounds you will hear, drown out potential triggers and have some fun while doing so! 🙂 This is particularly useful in the workplace to help focus your mind on your work whilst keeping distracting sounds out.

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Top tip– headphones for leisure (comfier for long journeys, seal in the sound better, and will stop your parents complaining about the volume 😉 ); earbuds for the workplace (drown out sound whilst still allowing you to hear if you’re needed by colleagues).

Try a silent disco- If sound sensitivity is keeping you from partying the night away in the club, why not go to a silent disco (as seen in the final episode of Atypical)? These are quiet, but loads of fun- and they enable you to control both the volume and choice of music. As an added bonus, you can take off your headphones at any time and have a conversation without the need for shouting 😀

Move away from the offending stimulus– I know it sounds a little silly, but sometimes you just need to take a step away from offending sounds.

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We can’t always walk around wearing noise cancelling headphones -they can really irritate your ears if you wear them for too long, especially if you happen to be wearing earrings at the time! 😛

Top Tip- If you’re feeling overwhelmed by an irritating sound, especially on a night out, take a few minutes to go outside or to the bathroom, or try stepping out to the quiet of the smoking area (although this may result in a different kind of sensory assault…)

Ask if an offensive sound can be stopped– Naturally, we can’t go around demanding that someone chew less loudly or ask the DJ to turn the music down (can’t commit social suicide!), but it doesn’t hurt to ask a friend/family member to turn down the car radio volume, not to pop balloons around you or to stop playing with that sonic app that makes your ears bleed (remember people playing with those in school as the teachers could never hear the frequency?)!

Magnesium supplements– Now this one is a little weird. Some people believe that magnesium deficiency attributes to our sensitivity to sound…this smells a bit like pseudoscience to me… but hey- if it works for you, who am I to question it!

So there we have it Earthlings, my top tips for managing sound sensitivity on the spectrum 😀

Have a good weekend everyone (unless you’re back to school next week- in that case, my condolences! 😛 😉 )

Aoife

August 14, 2017 2

Autism and Sound Sensitivity

Greetings Earthlings! 🙂

Leading on from my previous post on sensory processing, today I’m going to expand a little bit on sound sensitivity.

Many autists have a higher sensitivity to certain volume ranges and frequencies of different sounds. Also known as hyperacusis, this sound sensitivity can make encounters with seemingly innocuous every day noises a struggle.

For many, the wrong sound can even cause physical pain!

Sometimes autists can also be hyposensitive or under sensitive to sound, meaning that they may not react to certain sounds, or may even enjoy noisy environments- which would explain my preference for rock music 😛 😉

Luckily, I am only mildly sensitive to sounds, but I have my moments. Popping balloons, the unexpected blare of a drivers horn, a sudden change in the music I’m listening to- I may overreact to such sounds juuuuuust a teensy bit! 😛

I recently physically jumped at my desk after an unexpected change in the soundtrack to Phantom of the Opera!

Mortified! 😛

Sometimes it’s not just the volume of the noise, but the frequency or how it sounds to me. A person was recently whispering a rosary behind me at mass and the pitch of that whisper nearly drove me insane- inside my head I was silently screaming! 😛

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A neurotypical may be able to ignore irritating noises like these, but I just cannot keep from focusing on it- it’s like I can’t concentrate on anything else.

For the most part I can keep my screams on the inside, but if a particular sound persists it can be quite upsetting, especially if I’m already stressed and on edge. A piece of lab equipment that kept backfiring with a giant pop one afternoon triggered a meltdown for example.

But why are our ears really so sensitive?

One study suggests that autists experience stronger autonomic reactions to noise (these are unconscious reactions triggered by the autonomic nervous system which controls a number of bodily functions such as heart rate, respiratory rate and digestion- i.e. “rest and digest”).

Another study, which examined the brains response to different sounds, found that certain areas are hyperactive in children with autism versus their peers. For example, there was increased activity in the Amygdala- an area of the brain associated with social and emotional behaviour, in addition to the cortices which process sensory information.

In other words, the autistic brain has an entirely different physiological response to sound!

So try to bear that in mind the next time you sneak up behind us to whisper in our ears! 😛 😉

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