Noise Cancelling Headphones

For me personally it depends a little on the specific circumstances.  If I need to block out surrounding noise entirely then the best thing is generally music that suits my mood through either proper noise-cancelling headphones (i.e. the ones with the button to turn the nose-cancelling effect on) or well-fitted deep in-ear headphones (which physically block out sounds in much the same way as ear plugs).

I do use ear plugs but they do not usually block sound completely but rather take it down a notch, which is useful when I may need to hear speech from someone else or for sleep if I need to wake up to my alarm in the morning etc.

Another tactic to try is to look at ways to make his environment more predictable or to reduce his anxiety or emotional arousal.  I know I tend to find unexpected or inconsistent noise far more disruptive than constant noise and am much more sensitive if I am anxious or feeling vulnerable.

Hi Lettie,

I'm still experimenting with this a little myself.  Unfortunately, noise cancelling headphones can be a bit expensive, so I'm wary of spending all that money, and then finding them ineffective!

The reason I say that is because, from talking to many other autistic people with this problem, the range of things that can help is incredibly varied, and very particular to each individual person.

Like your son, I didn't find ear defenders or ear plugs very effective - my brain just strains itself trying to make sense of the little bit of sound that still gets through, which is not terribly helpful!  Some people have a similar problem with noise-cancelling headphones, as the residual sound can have a peculiar sound to it due to the way that the technology works.

For many people, wearing headphones that play some sound that masks the outside world works better.  This might be a well chosen playlist of music.  For others, nature sounds like the ocean or bird song work well.  And for others still, synthetic sounds like "white noise" or "radio static" work best - which seems to be the case for me.

So, be prepared to experiment a little.  If you can find someone who your son can borrow some noise-cancelling headphones from, or a hi-fi shop that does customer demonstrations, you might even be able to "try before you buy."

Best wishes.