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Repetitive sounds are physically painful

Hannahgold

Hello,

I was newly diagnosed with autism in November 2025, I’m also awaiting an ADHD assessment. All my life I have found repetitive sounds to be so physically painful that I often find myself crying , getting really riled up and having to put headphones in. This can range from my neighbours dog barking, to dogs barking in the neighbourhood, and also my own dog snoring, all these things I know can’t be helped, but i physically cannot stand it when it’s repetitively going on and on. Is this related to my autism?

Parents

  • Hey  , welcome! 

    It is hard having sensory sensitivities, and the world is such a noisy place. It's difficult when particular noises cause distress and avoiding them can be really difficult. 

    I think perhaps finding ways to release the distress before it gets too much, like stimming can help me cope for a while if you need to pass something by when out (when I'm out I might have my hand in my pocket and rub my fingers together so it's a quiet private stim). And I think passive noise like having a fan on/white noise with sleeping headphones can help at night (my daughter needs a relaxing zen track on to sleep with her snoozeband). 

    Does background noise at home help at all? Like having some music you like on in the background might help calm you when the neighbours dogs are barking? 

    Finding ways of coping that work for you can be tricky, but your troubles are real and hopefully you can find something that relieves it for you!

Reply

  • Hey  , welcome! 

    It is hard having sensory sensitivities, and the world is such a noisy place. It's difficult when particular noises cause distress and avoiding them can be really difficult. 

    I think perhaps finding ways to release the distress before it gets too much, like stimming can help me cope for a while if you need to pass something by when out (when I'm out I might have my hand in my pocket and rub my fingers together so it's a quiet private stim). And I think passive noise like having a fan on/white noise with sleeping headphones can help at night (my daughter needs a relaxing zen track on to sleep with her snoozeband). 

    Does background noise at home help at all? Like having some music you like on in the background might help calm you when the neighbours dogs are barking? 

    Finding ways of coping that work for you can be tricky, but your troubles are real and hopefully you can find something that relieves it for you!

Children