• Replies 28 replies
  • Subscribers 34 subscribers
  • Views 3559 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Tinnitus + Autism

Jalapeno

One thing that led me to seek an autism diagnosis was my tinnitus.

Hearing tests showed no issues, but when I googled it, I found links between tinnitus, anxiety, and autism. That led me to take the Embrace tests and eventually to an ASD diagnosis.

As I haven’t seen any recent posts on this topic, I just thought I’d ask — does anyone else experience this?

I sometimes think mine acts as a gauge for my anxiety: at times I barely notice it (though I can still hear it if I tune in), and other times it seems as loud as the TV. For decades I’ve found silence hard to cope with - I need a certain level of background noise to mask the tinnitus and stop myself from focusing on it.

I’ve had CBT for anxiety, but not had any treatment specifically for the tinnitus. To be honest, I’m not even sure what can be done for it.

Not looking for medical advice — just wondering what others’ experiences have been.

Parents

  • I was convinced by my wife to seek a hearing test. She knew I already had tinnitus, but I was always asking her to repeat what she'd said. Also, I would hear a sentence that sounded like gobbledegook, although I was sure I had misheard. If I relayed back what I thought they had said, they'd go, "that was absolutely nothing like what I said!"

    Then I read about "auditory processing disorder". I seemed to make sense. I had the hearing test, which showed a slight mid-range hearing loss. It wasn't significant but I could still try NHS hearing aids. I have hardly used them. If anything, they made the sounds from within my head, ie. chewing, clicking my tongue etc. louder! Outside sounds, like the TV, they made no difference.

    Auditory processing disorder doesn't involve your ears as such. It involves hiw your brain processes what you hear. Therefore, things you don't hear, other people do, and sounds you do hear, such as spoken word, gets garbled and misinterpreted by the brain.

    What's more, APD has been seen as linking to autism! So, you have touched upon something that's similar to, if not the same as, what I am experiencing WinkThumbsup

  • in reply to Gordon-not-Ramsay
    Gordon-not-Ramsay said:
    I would hear a sentence that sounded like gobbledegook, although I was sure I had misheard. If I relayed back what I thought they had said, they'd go, "that was absolutely nothing like what I said!"

    This happens very often to me and then followed by “are you deaf”. I had a hearing test and there was nothing out of the ordinary (for my age). For me this mishearing has always been an issue way before my tinnitus. 

Reply
  • in reply to Gordon-not-Ramsay
    Gordon-not-Ramsay said:
    I would hear a sentence that sounded like gobbledegook, although I was sure I had misheard. If I relayed back what I thought they had said, they'd go, "that was absolutely nothing like what I said!"

    This happens very often to me and then followed by “are you deaf”. I had a hearing test and there was nothing out of the ordinary (for my age). For me this mishearing has always been an issue way before my tinnitus. 

Children