Saturday, April 3, 2010
5 Steps to Helping Kids Who Hate Noise
Fingernails screeching down a chalkboard. The booming bass on a car stereo. These are just a couple of sounds many people find irritating. For students with autism or other disabilities that affect sensory processing, many sounds that we take for granted can be difficult to ignore. The humming of fluorescent lights, the swishing and gurgling sounds of a flushing toilet, and the crackle that comes through the speakers for the morning announcements can be sources of angst for a child with noise sensitivity. Each child is unique, so what triggers one student may not bother the next and vice versa. The sounds not only lead to distraction, but may also induce a fight or flight response that brings about a meltdown.
1. Name the Noise
Help your student make a list of sounds that he finds so irritating that it interferes with his work, mood, or ability to interact with others.
2. Give the Reason for the Racket
For each sound, discuss why the sound occurs. For example, the fire alarm is loud and makes a strange sound so that people will want to leave the building. This is to keep us from staying in the building if there is a fire. The noise is to keep us safe.
3. Label the Noise as Passing or Persistent
Let the student know if an irritating sound that is currently present is likely to continue to occur. This is important because the student may want you to make the noise stop. Unfortunately, many of the sounds in the school setting that set off a student cannot be avoided. You cannot make Ava stop scratching her head because it irritates Brian. On the other hand, if a sound is in the environment temporarily, such as a fire alarm, then by all mean, emphasize the temporary nature of the sound. The point of working on the student's sound sensitivity is to learn coping strategies in a world filled with sound.
4. Teach the Use of Tools and Techniques
There are many tools and strategies that can help a student who is sensitive to sound. Here are some to try out:
- noise-canceling headphones
- earplugs
- mp3 player with music the student enjoys and headphones
- white noise machine
- fan
- putting hands over the ears (for sudden noises)
- access to a quiet place (a part of the classroom, a pass to another room)
5. Plan for Noisy Times
Some noise is predictable. For example, many students who are sensitive to noise bring their headphones to the cafeteria and the gym. These are places where students are louder and sounds echo off the walls. I had one student wear his headphones at recess and this enabled him to climb on the play structures. Without the headphones, he was too overwhelmed to climb and played alone most of the time.
Depending on your student's language and cognitive ability, you may wish to help him predict situations in which noise could become a trigger. Develop a graphic organizer or a cartoon that depicts:
- the situational trigger (e.g. students sees the teacher getting ready to show a video clip),
- the student thinking, "I think I'm going to hear some noise, but I know what I can do," and
- the student using a tool or a technique to cope with the situational trigger (the student puts on noise-canceling headphones).
Plan for situations that may be too overwhelming. If there is an assembly with loud music running for 2 hours, then you might want to plan an exit strategy. Let the student know how he can communicate with you that he needs a break.
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2 comments:
What great tips. As an assistant, I used to just go by what the teachers told me. Now that I sub, I have autistic kids here and there. When I have my own classroom, I want to make sure that any students I have on the autism spectrum are as comfortable as possible.
Another nice post.......thanks for sharing.
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