Issue 3: Tom Has a Hypersensitivy to Noise
What does the research say about this issue?
Many children with ASD experience unusual responses to sensory stimuli or input because they have difficulties in processing and integrating sensory information (Chang, Parham, Blanche, Schell, Chou, Dawson & Clark, 2012). Simons Simplex Collection autism research project reported that 65 percent of ASD people were sensitive to noise (Bishop, Hus, Duncan, Huerta, Gotham, Pickles, Kreiger, Buja, Lund & Lord, 2013). Auditory hypersensitivity is very concerning because of the usually random nature of the stimulation, and the probability that it will cause avoidant or challenging behaviours (Law, Rubenstein, Marvin, Toroney & Lipkin, 2016).
How Does Tom’s Hypersensitive to Noise Affect His School Experience?
Tom has a sensory processing disorder that affects some of his senses. The biggest issue affecting his learning is his hypersensitivity to sound. This is because, for Tom, sound may become magnified and distorted, thus he is often overwhelmed by the background noises in class. Tom finds it hard to focus, has difficulties sitting for an appropriate length of time to effectively learn, can trigger self harming and aggressive behaviour towards others, and can cause him to run away and or hide from the noise.
Consequentially, Tom has had a few suspensions which has resulted in social isolation for Tom and his family. Tom's mother tends to shelter Tom from his trigger sounds to avoid meltdowns. Tom’s teacher is compassionate towards Tom’s needs, however she does find it challenging to keep all parents happy, as she receives complaints at times from other parents regarding the disruption to their child’s learning and safety issues.
SENSORY INTERVENTION
STRATEGY 1: Quiet breaks
Sensory intervention is necessary to support Tom in his learning environment and to ensure that all students are learning in a safe and supportive environment. One of the potential strategies to address Tom’s hypersensitivities to sound is to modify Tom’s environment. Law, Rubenstein, Marvin, Toroney & Lipkin (2016) state that taking quiet breaks was the most successful intervention used in the classroom because it improved the students ability to get the most out of his or her day at school. Therefore, it is imperative to offer Tom short, quiet breaks to help him stay at his optimal levels of attention and awareness.
Quiet breaks would support Tom to cope with his sensory challenges by developing his self-regulation, that is, his ability to adjust and control his own energy level, emotions, behaviours and attention (Goodman & Williams, 2007). Providing a quiet zone for Tom in the classroom would decrease the level of stress and anxiety he experiences. This would also foster inclusion as Tom could remain with his class for longer durations rather than going to the special needs unit every time he is overwhelmed.
Input from educational specialists can support the classroom teacher to create a quiet zone in the classroom that would meet Tom’s specific needs. It is imperative that the quiet break is a positive experience and not used as a consequence for inappropriate behaviour. When Tom is in a calm state, encourage him to be involved in the creation of his quiet spot as it will give him a sense of control over his noise sensitivity.
Many children with ASD experience unusual responses to sensory stimuli or input because they have difficulties in processing and integrating sensory information (Chang, Parham, Blanche, Schell, Chou, Dawson & Clark, 2012). Simons Simplex Collection autism research project reported that 65 percent of ASD people were sensitive to noise (Bishop, Hus, Duncan, Huerta, Gotham, Pickles, Kreiger, Buja, Lund & Lord, 2013). Auditory hypersensitivity is very concerning because of the usually random nature of the stimulation, and the probability that it will cause avoidant or challenging behaviours (Law, Rubenstein, Marvin, Toroney & Lipkin, 2016).
How Does Tom’s Hypersensitive to Noise Affect His School Experience?
Tom has a sensory processing disorder that affects some of his senses. The biggest issue affecting his learning is his hypersensitivity to sound. This is because, for Tom, sound may become magnified and distorted, thus he is often overwhelmed by the background noises in class. Tom finds it hard to focus, has difficulties sitting for an appropriate length of time to effectively learn, can trigger self harming and aggressive behaviour towards others, and can cause him to run away and or hide from the noise.
Consequentially, Tom has had a few suspensions which has resulted in social isolation for Tom and his family. Tom's mother tends to shelter Tom from his trigger sounds to avoid meltdowns. Tom’s teacher is compassionate towards Tom’s needs, however she does find it challenging to keep all parents happy, as she receives complaints at times from other parents regarding the disruption to their child’s learning and safety issues.
SENSORY INTERVENTION
STRATEGY 1: Quiet breaks
Sensory intervention is necessary to support Tom in his learning environment and to ensure that all students are learning in a safe and supportive environment. One of the potential strategies to address Tom’s hypersensitivities to sound is to modify Tom’s environment. Law, Rubenstein, Marvin, Toroney & Lipkin (2016) state that taking quiet breaks was the most successful intervention used in the classroom because it improved the students ability to get the most out of his or her day at school. Therefore, it is imperative to offer Tom short, quiet breaks to help him stay at his optimal levels of attention and awareness.
Quiet breaks would support Tom to cope with his sensory challenges by developing his self-regulation, that is, his ability to adjust and control his own energy level, emotions, behaviours and attention (Goodman & Williams, 2007). Providing a quiet zone for Tom in the classroom would decrease the level of stress and anxiety he experiences. This would also foster inclusion as Tom could remain with his class for longer durations rather than going to the special needs unit every time he is overwhelmed.
Input from educational specialists can support the classroom teacher to create a quiet zone in the classroom that would meet Tom’s specific needs. It is imperative that the quiet break is a positive experience and not used as a consequence for inappropriate behaviour. When Tom is in a calm state, encourage him to be involved in the creation of his quiet spot as it will give him a sense of control over his noise sensitivity.
STRATEGY 2: Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Another approach to accommodate for Tom’s hypersensitivity to noise is to offer him the use of noise-cancelling headphones, as exemplified below. Educators and therapists have recommended this strategy as they protect the ear from receiving sound, thus supporting the child to maintain attention for longer periods during tasks whilst wearing the headphones (Schaaf & Nightlinger, 2007; Rowe, Candler & Neville, 2011).
Numerous benefits for Tom, his peers and his teacher will be experienced as Tom wears the noise-cancelling headphones. A safe and supportive learning environment will be fostered because the headphones will cancel out the noise, thus reducing incidences in which Tom is overwhelmed by noise that often triggers undesirable behaviours. The headphones will enhance Tom’s ability to concentrate on a cognitive task. The headphones enable Tom to hear the teacher when he or she is close to him. This means that Tom can still interact and communicate whilst wearing them. Lastly, it will encourage Tom to self-regulate and manage his condition by understanding when he needs to wear the headphones to provide relief to potentially stressful times during the school day. Therefore, Tom will remain calmer and less anxious during the busy, loud and overwhelming times of the day.
However, it is imperative though that Tom does not wear the noise-cancelling headphones all day as the brain and auditory system will be conditioned to the dampened sound. It would be best to save them for specific situations that are especially challenging for Tom. Therefore, it would be beneficial to make observations of Tom during the day and note times and incidences that Tom experiences hypersensitivity to noise.