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Noisy boiler bad for autism?

HardDazeNite

Hello, my son is 2 and has recently been diagnosed with ASD, I'm still learning what that means and what his individual traits are. I'm hoping someone can offer me advice. My son's bedroom contains a very noisy old boiler and I have been wondering if the noise is a problem for him, more than it would be for a non-autistic child. He has been sleeping in that room for over a year so it's not a new noise, I think it does wake him at times and I wonder if it makes getting to sleep harder. Falling asleep usually takes my son hours and recently (for a few months) he has taken to sleeping on the floor. We put him back in bed several times a night but shortly after he moves himself to the floor again (with his pillow and duvet). 

I have wondered if he lays on the floor because he likes the feeling of the vibrations of the boiler. But it could just be the feeling of the carpet he likes. My son has communication problems so he can't tell me if the boiler noise is a problem or if he finds it a comfort. 

Im looking for people's thoughts on whether I should swap bedrooms to move him away from the noise or try to put in some sort of sound proofing. 

I'm new here and I'm reasonably new to autism so please forgive my ignorance.

  • yes that would be a issue and a nuisance.

    my living room is connected to my kitchen and the fridge freezer noise was annoying and getting to me so i put a door to seperate kitchen as a noise blocker for the fridge freezer.

    any constant unwanted noise needs to go as it creates a background constant stress and you dont want that in a place you supposed to be de-stressing and relaxing.

    and ofcourse its his bedroom, how can he sleep if theres a noisy boiler? ....noise gets amplified in sleep, i tried to sleep one time with my quiet laptop fan on for a window update over night.... i thought it would be quiet enough but i got woken up at night by it and it sounded so much louder than it actually was when it woke me up at night. 

  • Former Member
    Former Member

    I think that you should at least get a carbon monoxide alarm fitted in his room. Old boilers may be completely safe but they can become unsafe if they are not maintained correctly or if air vents are accidentally blocked. These alarms cost very little but can save lives.

    People who have autism often suffer from problems with sleeping and there are some specific things that can be done to help some of those

    a) There is a light sensitivity issue. It might help to fit blackout curtains and reduce light as much as possible. The brain needs to know the difference between night and day and autistic people sometimes benefit from extra attention to this.

    b) There is growing evidence that all electronic devices (TV, phone, games etc) should be removed for the hour or so before bedtime. Modern screens give off light that looks, to the brain, like daylight. Reduced lighting and less brilliant white lighting might help.

  • Hi Ferret,

    That's very helpful, thank you so much for replying! His matteress is a baby matteress so he might find it too soft now, that's an interesting point. You also make a good point that if he is sleeping well perhaps being on the floor is not a problem, although he does wake during the night I dont think the floor is the problem. Most likely just the tendency to have disturbed sleep.

    Yes changes to the boiler cupboard would be done with professional advice but perhaps he does find the sound comforting as you've found with engine noise. It's so hard to know when he can't tell me! After reading your comments I think I'll leave the room as it is for now and see how it goes, I don't want to put him through the stresses of change if it's not going to be of benefit to him. 

    Thank you for your help, it's very much appreciated