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Meltdowns due to loud noises

NAS73441

Hello,
My son is aged 8, diagnosed with Autism when he was 4 and had been coping really well until the last month.
The problem we are having is that he doesn't like loud noises, and when he does, he freezes and starts crying, which is quite distressing for both him and ourselves.
I have spoken to my wife about this, and she thinks that because we have now come out of lockdown, where it has been relatively quiet for over a year, he has suddenly been exposed to loud noises again. We take his ear defenders out with us, but sometimes this is not enough for the meltdown to happen.
Today it was in a crowded place where I felt like everyone was watching us, and I just wanted the ground to swallow me up! I didn't know what to do.
Has anyone had any experience of this, and if so, can you recommend any helpful advice, please.

  • i was also diagnosed at 4 yrs old i am now 17 and i hate loud music, yet i will sometimes listen to slipknot. its complicated...

  • in reply to NAS73441

    ok thats something at least - use ear bugs they are rubber silicon they where about 2 quid. I then wear ear defenders with a built in radio which i can tune to a radio station for music or no station in which case i get white noise

  • in reply to aidie

    Yeah he is fine with light. 

  • in reply to TheLoneWolf

    To be fair he is OK at home, it's just when we go out and he gets so stressed out about certain things. We can have music on loud and it tends to not bother him, but a loud high pitched whistle or horn he dislikes. We have ear defenders and a pair of Flare buds which are meant to be really good with autistic children. But with these are expensive at 19.99 a pair so would hate for him to lose them. Hope the keyboard is more silent on Monday! 

  • Is he ok with light ?     you may need sunglasses as well.

    i find that bright sunlight and light reflection stress me out as well so I usually wear sunglasses/tinted glasses when I can.

  • Sensory overload is really awful and can impair your ability to think/express/simply do what you're doing. I have been wearing headphones, but recently watched a YT of Temple Grandin talking about how prolonged use of these-makes your hypersensitive hearing even more sensitive. A quieter home environment--I'd say is a must. If there's no safe/quiet place at home.....where can he go? I am not saying your place isn't safe--just in the sense that it's calm/quiet from noises of neighbors/outside. I converted a walk in closet to become my office bc I too cannot handle loud noises. It's kind of sandwiched in the 'middle of the house.' Do you have even a small office you could make with tiny furniture so they have somewhere to "escape the noise?" Currently, my husband's keyboard is so loud-we've joined offices, it makes it hard to think/type this. His 'silent key' keyboard arrives Mon--Thank Goodness.