In this multi-part writing series, I will go through many of the loud noises that have impacted my sensory issues throughout my life. Many of the sounds and trigger words have caused me significant anxiety to the point where I couldn’t concentrate in school and that it impacted my mood and well-being. I know that so many autistic children and adults who have difficulty with sensory issues, and it’s a symptom that helps diagnose autism. I want to share my experiences about navigating my life with the sensory overloads that I have faced and accomplished, as well as the ones I continue to improve on today. That way, other autistic individuals and those with sensory struggles can see that there are ways to improve their situations, and the overwhelming effects of the noises and sensations will not impact them for the entirety of their lives.
Over the next few weeks, I will discuss the sensory issues I have faced, the impact they’ve had on me, and the support I’ve received from my parents, teachers, and friends to help me feel better about them. I will go in chronological order with the sensory issues I’ve overcome, starting with elementary school, intermediate school, then middle school, followed by the issues I currently face.
(Disclaimer: I already discussed my sensory issues with dogs in my “If These Dogs Could Talk” post in November. I won’t be going in too much detail about dogs this time, but if you want to read more about that, please scroll down in the “Autism Pieces” tab to find the article.)
Elementary school had several sensory implications on my very sensitive ears. The loud noises would feel like rumbles and have double the volume of the average person. Young children are full of energy and still need adult guidance in navigating their lives, so it’s possible they may be loud when they’re excited or frustrated. That was the way most of the kids behaved at my elementary school. I won’t lie, I was part of that group, too. Most of the time, the excitement when I was having fun with my friends, and the frustration would come at home when I was upset from the impact of the loud noises of the kids. Furthermore, my negative emotions even came from teachers and specialists yelling at the students. I had (and still have) a lot of respect for many teachers during my school days, but it was difficult for me to see them yell when the kids acted up. There were three significant sensory-overload instances during my elementary school time between first and third grades. These include the yelling noon aides in the cafeteria, the rowdy kids on the bus, and a sound that didn’t come from a human: the ear-piercing fire alarm.
My elementary school had close to 500 students between preschool and third grade. I joined the school in first grade after my family moved to Massachusetts from New Jersey. The kids in my classes and the ones I met were very nice and I made friends not long after we arrived. Despite the nice attitudes, nearly all of the kids I met had energetic personalities and would get loud during the day, especially in the cafeteria. Thankfully, not every student in the school was in the cafeteria at the same time at lunch. The only exception was for all-school assemblies; however, since the teachers also attended those events, they were on their best behavior. The teachers weren’t around at lunch time, so nearly all 100 kids thought they could use that time to their advantage to catch up and fool around with their friends. What the kids didn’t realize, was that the cafeteria had supervision from adults who weren’t teachers and didn’t have the proper discipline protocols: the noon aides.
The school usually had five to six noon aides on duty at all times. They supervised us in the cafeteria at lunch, and then went outside with us to watch us at recess. Being outside wasn’t too bad because of the open space, but with the confined interior and not much for the sound to travel in the cafeteria, being inside was very difficult for my ears. I sat at a table with friends that weren’t terribly noisy, but many of the other nearby tables weren’t as much. There were times where I didn’t eat lunch in the cafeteria and instead joined a group of six kids in a conference room. The group was run by the school counselor and psychologist, and we would have fun conversations about topics such as upcoming plans and sports. We also got to do some fun activities including crafts and reading Berenstain Bears from my counselor’s extensive collection. I looked forward to those days the most because I didn’t have to worry about the loud kids getting scolded by the louder noon aides when transitioning from lunch to recess.
On days where I ate in the cafeteria, the noon aides were especially chippy toward the end of lunch because they wanted us quiet going outside, and getting every student quiet at once was never an easy task. The adults would do everything from a loud and vibrating “hey!” or “quiet!” or “sit down!” and would even do trembling shushing until we were silent. The principal never got involved, but in the cafeteria there was a traffic light that would light up based on the volume of the kids. If the light was green, the noise was fine. But when the light began to switch to yellow and then red, the noise was too much and the noon aides had to step in, even if it wasn’t time for recess. Often, they would do rambling yells and tangents about being quiet and that we’re difficult to deal with. As a person who strictly follows the rules, that left me with an expression of “what did I do?” Most importantly, all of the loud commotion was too much for my ears to handle. In dire times I would cover my ears until the noise subsided. However, experiencing and anticipating the loud noises caused me a lot of anxiety, to the point where I wanted to leave the cafeteria as soon as I finished eating my lunch.
When the chaotic yelling and screaming got too much for me, I got my parents involved to see what they can do to help my situation. They talked to the school administration about the loud noises, and both sides reached an agreement. The principal said I can be escorted to recess early with one of the noon aides, so I wouldn’t have to worry about going through the loud discipline in the cafeteria. I was beyond thrilled with that decision because I knew that I didn’t have to worry about the adults acting out on the kids and that I could go through each day with no significant stress or anxiety. For the parents of autistic children in similar situations, do not be afraid to speak up if a child is struggling in the cafeteria. Having him or her leave early to avoid the dismissal, joining a group that doesn’t meet in the cafeteria, or other similar approaches can work well to reduce stress and continue to build social skills. Never assume the answer will be no when setting up the accommodations because administration normally is very friendly to lend a helping hand because they want to promote an environment that will let kids academically and emotionally succeed.
Another sensory-overload impact in elementary school was the loud noises from the kids on the bus heading to and from school. I rode the bus most often in third grade, and it was full of 15 to 20 kids that laughed, yelled, cried, and fought to the point where I felt the bus was going to shake even more than it did. Again, I felt the children acted up because of the lack of discipline and they had no major adult figures over them during the rides. During my three years at the school, there were several bus drivers until the permanent one was named. None of the bus drivers screamed at them through the intercom to get the kids in check, but a few would have sharp tones in their voices to have them settle down. Both factors made me anxious and horrified to the point where I didn’t want to ride the bus. One day, during the heat of my stress, I spent the entire making loud shushing sounds to try to get the kids quiet. My shushing didn’t help much, but it made me a little out of breath when I got to school.
I consulted with my parents after I felt I wanted to fix matters for myself. They got the school involved, and administration was very much willing to help in any way possible. The principal got in contact with the bus driver, and told her not to use the intercom to discipline the kids. Sure enough, she listened! Of course, she still had to step up if anyone was misbehaving, not to be a pain, but for safety and courtesy. Since we thought the kids might continue to act rowdy and with the bus driver giving in to keep them at bay, my parents got me a walkman and mini DVD player. I was (and still am) very appreciative of them giving me those items because they significantly helped me become more relaxed and focused on what I was watching and listening rather than the background noise from the megaphone-sounding children. At the time, I would watch SpongeBob Squarepants or Fairly OddParents or listen to NFL Films scores to get me through the bus rides. On rides beyond third grade, I solely switched to music and played contemporary pop hits. If kids are having a tough time adjusting to the loud environment on the bus, then giving them an iPod or earplugs will work wonders to cut down on the noise and their anxiety. If any children absolutely refuse to ride the bus and that’s the only transportation that can get them from school to home and vice versa, parents should assure by saving that the iPod or earplugs will help them drown out the commotion. Riding the school bus can be challenging for any autistic child, but as long as he or she goes into the ride prepared with the proper items to block out loud noises, the positivity will be higher and the anxiety will be lower.
A third loud noise that played a role in my sensory processing was the fire alarms at my elementary school. I attended a school that was built in 1970, so it had very old-fashioned alarms that sounded like if you were standing by 10 police sirens all going off at the same time. Unexpectedly hearing the alarms go off not only scared the daylight out of me, but made me terrified that it would happen when I least expected it. Not long early in my first-grade year, the fire alarms went off for real when there was excess smoke coming from the cafeteria kitchen because of burnt food. That experience made me realize that the alarms can sound without warning, heightening my anxiety even more. After that incident, I had assurance from my parents and teachers that those circumstances are rare and typically don’t happen. Despite the comfort, I wanted an out to reduce my stress for when we had the traditional fire drills.
My parents reached out to my teachers and para, and they agreed to help to find a way for me to avoid the piercing alarms when we had fire drills. What we agreed on was that I would get escorted by my para about five to 10 minutes ahead of the fire drill, so I wouldn’t be in the wrath of the intense noise when it started. On days where I got the advanced notice, I had slight anxiety thinking that the alarms might go off when I’m still in the building, but that never happened. I could faintly hear the alarm when we were outside, but that didn’t matter to me because the sound was more muffled and not as intense as it was in its presence. Fire drills are a major anxiety source for many autistic individuals because of how the loud and starling the sound can be. Giving them the advance warning to go outside with a para, teacher, or other school official can help them reduce their anxiety and not worry about having the loud sounds take a hit on their moods. It’s not fair letting autistic folks be exposed in full force to any loud sounds, and giving them coping techniques will help them relax and not feel too overwhelmed by the loud sounds.
If autistic children have sensory overload from any powerful sounds, it’s crucial for teachers and administration to get involved to help to make the environment more tranquil and less stressful. Depending on the sounds, giving kids support such as letting them take breaks, wearing earplugs, and providing them with down time will help them not feel as overwhelmed. Children’s minds and senses are still developing through elementary school, so looking at what loud noises or sensations give them the most anxiety can determine the proper accommodations to help them get through everything. Navigating life is never easy for anyone with sensitive ears, and it’s inevitable to avoid many of those sounds. The more support folks get for getting support for the intense noises, the more likely they won’t be as stressed when they hear them, and their lives and well-being will be much improved.