Published on 12, July, 2020
I have noticed my six year old seems to be more bothered by noise suddenley. He has always found certain noises troubling but noisy environments he could cope with but now he can’t. Does Sensory Processing worsen or reach its peak at a certain age?
If they are suddenly more bothered then it could be other things are affecting them and then a noisy environment is taking them over the edge, or it could be they are stressing themselves about it. I don't know enough about sensory processing difficulties to know if they worsen, likely to be the same throughout life I would say - its the reactions to them that will vary and can worsen because thought patterns and anxiety can inflame triggers. Helping them react less to these things is the best way, help them think less bad about it.
I used to love going to air shows as a kid, but found the loud jets really hard to manage until about 10 and then decided to let the noise happen and enjoy the show - not all autistic people can control how they are affected, but harder for children so growing up might mean they learn better ways to manage these things.