The Bane That Is Noise.

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Greetings again.

So much noise all of the time: constant whirring tones, sudden clunks, penetrating crashes, incessant barking and coughing, inconsiderate motorists, heavy handed obsessive mothers, four-wheeled travelling youth music blasters, screaming double-decker buses, whining children, fireworks, helicopters, planes ... all, of, the, time.

I don't want to live with ear plugs in or headphones on any more, at least I don't want to have to survive by doing things this way any more. The world cannot change for me, I have to change for it considering I am but one of many, and rationality dictates this is the only possible option. As soon as ear plugs come out, there are a host of sounds that build up my anxiety level, distress level ... anger level, so, what I ask firstly, is advice as to how to manage my outbursts that result from exposure to sound.

The two types of sound I encounter are as follows: Startling Sounds and Background Sounds. The former happen in a snap-second; sounds that shock me and cause me to instantly react, normally in the form of anger and hitting something to rid myself of the horrible sensation of stress in me. The latter build up and up until I either explode like I do for the startling sounds, or I shut down and go into a zone impervious to the external world. The second question I would like to pose is a double question: Are these reactions normal for someone with ASD, and also - to revisit my first question, - is there any way to manage these reactions to help both me and people I have to deal with, chiefly my parents.

Thank you for your time,

Eustace.

Other: All of the above, except silence.

Was a toss-sup between dog barking and homosapien barking. I went with homosapien noises as I get very anxious if I hear yobbish sounding people shouting, I fear for my safety. There is a bit of that related to dogs too, however I find dogs much more predictable and honest than humans.

I have this issue myself and I have no solution other than avoidance, earplugs or headphones. I do find that lack of sleep and stress exacerbates these symptoms. I'm very sensitive to noise, light and touch but not hugely sensitive to temperature. I find people noise like voices, shouting to be most annoying followed by traffic sounds. Startling noises cause an adrenaline spike that is unavoidable.

As far as I know sensory issues are a diagnostic criteria of autism spectrum disorder in the DSM V.

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There are other conditions with sensory abnormalities including schizophrenia and psychosis.

Silence has its own sound. There is always something to hear even if it's my own heartbeat. I find I enjoy natural sounds like the wind in trees, flowing water or birdsong.

Apparently my last reply decided not to post, so here I go again.

- Indeed, I struggle with all sound, to a great extent, but I wanted to do a poll to see if others like myself can pinpoint just one sound they dislike the most.

- Yes, I experience a sensation between fear and anxiety when I hear the simian calling of another human. There is a dog that barks incessantly in the house opposite and to the right of my house, and when I'm trying to write or do something in silence ... this causes me great distress, and has been the cause for many meltdowns.

- I am the same. If I leave the house, I have earplugs, and in the house, I practically wear them all the time, mainly because I'm always trying to do something that requires my head, and sounds really ... alter my mindset.

Thank you all for your replies,

Eustace.

^^^ Exactly that.

Actually, I think it was a good idea to include "Silence", on the list. I think silence can be absolutely DEAFENING----like, when the electricity is knocked-out, by a storm----I find that the more quiet it is, the more I'm bothered by noise.

I didn't check "Silence", though; I checked "Dogs Barking".

Both these reactions sound exactly like mine. Whenever I hear a sudden loud or startling sound, I feel fear, then a flash of anger, like I want to punch whoever or whatever made the noise, even if it wasn't deliberate. Multiple such experiences can push me into a meltdown, however the constant bombardment of continuous noise does cause me to shut down, but as it progresses, I can get very short tempered and snappy, which is one of the ways I can tell it's becoming a problem and that I have to leave. Unfortunately, particularly regarding the sudden sounds, I have yet to devise an effective means of protection against them. The gradual noise buildup however, can be effectively managed if you recognise your symptoms leading up to shutdown or meltdown, and exit or otherwise protect yourself from the bombardment as effectively as possible. Just recognise when protection is no longer sufficient and exit is the only viable strategy. If you explain to your parents what you explained to us, and ask them to leave you alone for a while, or permit you to leave wherever you are temporarily, this will help you with your reactions, and help them to better understand this aspect of your symptomology. My family has left hotel rooms and other shared confined quarters just to give me my space, because they know how I get when I'm overloaded.

I absolutely hate ambulance, police car, and fire truck sirens. Worst noises ever created by human beings. They always make me feel a mix of anxiety and annoyance.

Have you ruled out hyperacusis?

If you have not...you need to be evaluated.
If you have....then coping is all that remains.

I sympathize with you, struggling with sounds of many(but not all) types has been a daily vexation.

The motherfvcker that lives behind me, sells FIREWOOD!! !!
Take a wild guess how he transforms firewood into a saleable form.
Yes, chainsaw...every...fvking...day

Anyway, this is not about me.
I hope you find peace.

I selected other but really its because all of the above was not an option. The real description I would use as to the problematic noises is unpredictability, so the quick loud surprising noises and then the ever changing background babble of people and machinery. I find silence and music are perfectly fine (due to the inherent predictability of the sound). Also I think sounds that require no anticipation problematic so the drone of air conditioning the hum of an office. These noises are constant and do not build to anything they just keep building, there is no climax/anti climax or crescendo. They impose the wrong energy transference.

A lot of those noises in that list are the bain of my life, but I selected children because I can't stand the high-pitched din small children make. Yesterday in the supermarket this toddler was sitting in a shopping trolley and it wanted to eat or drink something, but it's mother said that it would have to wait until they've paid for it first. The kid gave a whine, which I can ignore, but I didn't know it had took a deep breath, and then it let out this really loud scream what actually shook me up. I lost concentration on what I had come in there to buy, and had to remove myself from the aisle so that I could read what was on my list properly. I really don't know how such a small person can have the energy to be able to let out such immense screams and shouts. Why can't people be like wild animals? You don't hear a lion cub roar like a fully-grown lion, do you?

Thank you for your advice StarTrekker. I have been through CBT sessions orientated towards mindfulness, but the lady I was with had not dealt with any clients with Aspergers before, so she was not entirely sure what the most effective means of helping me were. The sessions were interesting, and I since then have adopted repeating the sentence 'It just is' whenever I leave the house. As for constant mindfulness, I struggle with maintaining these sort of thoughts alongside all the other conventions, facial expressions, communications, words, thoughts, sounds, sights ... I think you'll understand what I mean. Nevertheless, I have taken up meditation twice a day, and although I'm new to it, and it's something I never really thought would ... fit me, I must say, it's a highly effective means of ruminating over each day's experiences, and letting all the bad ... go.



Indeed. I should have added this to the list, actually, I'm not sure if I did or not. If an ambulance whizzes past and I am without earplugs, I can do nothing else but grimace horrendously and shiver/tremor until it's gone.



No, I haven't. I did a little research just now to refresh my mind as to what the condition encompasses. It's interesting actually, because I went to a charity furniture shop with my mother the other day, and there was a stand with twenty-three TV sets on one of the walls. The sound was ... sickly, piercing, mentally painful; a horrendously high-pitched collaboration of sine waves ... flowing in through my ears and stabbing my brain.



I feel for you. The house I live at now is okay, but the shop next door used to be a motorbike showroom ... the revving used to drive me nuts, but that was before I was diagnosed.



I would wholly agree with you about the unpredictability element. I suppose that would encompass the "sudden" noises, and I believe that those of us with Aspergers react with a tremendously strong fight or flight response when such a noise is created.



Strangely, I waver on children noises. Sometimes I can deal with it, but sometimes it's just far too much - I suppose this relates to the state of mind upon perception.



I feel for you, that sounds horrible, yet, from what you type, it seems you dealt with it adequately well.



I think their lies an inherent intelligence in humans; an intelligence directed towards selfishness, which subconsciously affects one's ability to benefit themselves over others. Originating upon birth, I believe this to be an aspect of survival - a baby moans for food or drink in order to survive, if that food or drink isn't provided, it needs to express it's increasing need to survive through outcries, affecting other members of its species to act. It's a subconscious aspect of human nature, that I think is lost - perhaps I should say; should be lost - around the age when one is able to fend for one's own survival. However, in the societies we live today, I think some don't lose this selfishness instinct.

Eustace.

I'll agree with this one.

Startling loud sounds get me the worst, but I cant stand absolute silence. Even when sleeping, I've got my iPad blasting out a constant sound, currently that of a waterfall, at max volume, sitting right next to the bed. If there's not enough perpetual sound, I will have a ton of trouble falling asleep. It's loud enough to drown out any other potential random noises that may occur, so they dont interrupt.

I understand this. On occasion, I like to fall asleep listening to certain videos of people talking, but there has to be a certain ... tone in the voice[s], and certain accents frustrate me.