Can't think when my surroundings are too loud
MentalIllnessObsessed
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: 22 Jul 2016
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Posts: 193
Location: Ontario, Canada
Greetings. So today, in my math class, there were periods where people would talk a lot and very loudly. For me, and I don't know if it's an autistic thing, but I can't think at all. My mind, in my opinion, is being overstimulated. When I want (or have to) think and it is loud around me, I have to plug my ears and say my thoughts out loud until I can process it. I know it's socially not acceptable to do this, but I can't help it because I'm trying to answer the math question like my teacher wants us to, but I can't think when there are too many people talking loudly. I did on the first day of school tell my math teacher that I don't like loud noises, not that I can't think if it's too loud. I am also beside the door, which is worse because the grade nines always wait like 10-20 minutes before the next class outside the door and they are really loud too. And I don't want to move because I want to be able to leave quickly and non-distractingly if I am having a panic attack. I am thinking if I should wear an earplug on the ear facing the door so it's quieter, but I'm afraid that I will mishear what my teacher is saying because I mishear things on a regular basis. My other thought is that I wear headphones, but I want to make sure I don't miss anything the teacher is saying. So does anyone have any suggestions for me? Any are appreciated. Also, talk about if you have the same thing as me, as in you can't think when it is too loud.
_________________
Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 148 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 60 of 200
You are very likely neurodiverse (Aspie)
Dx Autism Spectrum Disorder - Level 1, learning disability - memory and fine motor skills, generalized and social anxiety disorder
Unsure if diagnosed with OCD and/or depression, but were talked about with my old/former pdoc and doctor.
Criteria for my learning disability is found at this link:
http://www.ldao.ca/wp-content/uploads/LDAO-Recommended-Practices-for-Assessment-Diagnosis-Documentation-of-LDs1.pdf
If I am gonna focus on something (reading, writing, listening, math) I need silence. I'm not sure if this is an ASD thing, as I've known others who have had the same problem who I very much doubt are aspies.
This wasn't a problem at all in elementary or junior high school. Either I didn't have the problem back then, or I just didn't focus all that much. But I've had since adulthood, which I discovered when I tried to go back to school, and also when focusing on anything like reading or writing something, amplified if it's something I find difficult.
Maybe you could try talking to your teacher and explain to them how hard it is for you and explain your concern about missing out on what they're saying. If the teacher is aware, they can make sure to include you and you can use earplug without consequences. If your teacher is unreasonable you should probably talk to your parents or a counselor in school if there is one.
Is there another room you could go to so you can study in peace? That would make the teacher have to go pick you up though, so earplugs or noise cancelling headphones would be better.
Those are the only solutions I can think of.
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BirdInFlight
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I have no solutions but I just wanted to say I'm exactly the same. I cannot think straight at all when there's noise and chaos around me. Noise stresses me out even when I'm not needing to concentrate on anything, so all the more when I do have to focus. It's a cause of meltdown for me if I'm unable to alter the situation.
Yes. I am like this too. I can't focus when there is loud or when there is a distracting sound in the background especially when I have to read or solve math problems because they involve verbal thinking. But I am still relatively good with focusing on tasks involving spacial/visual thinking(putting something together based on picture instruction, reading charts etc.) when there is noise, unless I am already overwhelmed. I believe it just has to do with my auditory processing disorder - when there is noise I can't understand speech therefore I can't understand my verbal thoughts too since they are also sounds.
Basically when there is a lot of noise my whole auditory sense gets clogged but other senses stay intact unless brain gets clogged as well. Brain clogging happens when I am forced to use a clogged sense (listen hard or use verbal thoughts) for too long. If I don't have use it (it's nothing important and the noise isn't too distracting) I can just cut off the clogged sense till environment is calm again, therefore preventing my brain from being clogged.
Stimming helps directing focus from the clogged sense to different one.
Also stopping one auditory activity helps - If I write and my parents start being noisy I stop writing and focus on what they say while waiting for them to stop because if I try to write while they make distracting sounds my brain gets clogged. Its frustrating because it prevents me from doing what I want and forces me to listen to the boring stuff they do but at least I don't get overwhelmed and I can return to what I was doing as soon as they stop. If I tried to write while they make sounds my brain would get clogged by the clogged hearing sense and I wouldn't be able to do anything for a while even after they stopped.
Last edited by Kiriae on 13 Sep 2016, 8:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ear plugs don't work for me.
I once tested, literally, on the verge of superhuman hearing.
I once heard someone describe this kind of thing as
"having a hearing aid with the volume turned up full blast
so that you can't fully concentrate on the person talking directly in front of you
because you're hearing all the background noises ...
like a pin dropping out in the hallway or way across the room."
One reason maybe that I get headaches and keep aspirin nearby.
Like anything else, keen hearing has both its advantages and disadvantages.
But yeah, I prefer peace and quiet.
Most of my vacations end up being way out in the country
far away from cars and people,
where there's not even cell phone reception.
dossa
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I can very much relate.
I'd explain it to your teacher in a way that makes it clear that what you have going on goes beyond a disliking of noise. Really, if you could print out or email your post to your teacher, that could be an option as well. You present very clearly here how it impacts you as well as your concerns that you do not want to miss out on hearing what is going on in class.
I'm curious to, you say it is a math class... I don't know how you do in math or what your learning style is, but for myself, I always found the words teachers spoke in math classes to be less effective to my own learning than seeing examples being worked out... point being, I didn't need to hear my teachers to learn. I understand teachers like to ask students about the problems to make sure they are understanding, but it's not always necessary if there is time in the class for individual students to, for example, approach the teacher on a one to one basis as needed. If that makes sense...
Really though, I think the best thing is to just mention this to your teacher. If you struggle with feeling on the spot, make a list or note or something before hand, so you already know what you need to say is being said. If not, maybe just get to class a little early so you can have time to talk before other people are filing in and settling down?
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CockneyRebel
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I suffer from the same problem, not to mention that Mathematics is not one of my strengths...
I'm sure that if you talk to your teacher, you both can work out some accommodations that allow you to focus better in the classroom.
Personally, one of mine was going into a separate room whenever we were having a test and stuff.
MentalIllnessObsessed
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: 22 Jul 2016
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Posts: 193
Location: Ontario, Canada
I'd explain it to your teacher in a way that makes it clear that what you have going on goes beyond a disliking of noise. Really, if you could print out or email your post to your teacher, that could be an option as well. You present very clearly here how it impacts you as well as your concerns that you do not want to miss out on hearing what is going on in class.
I'm curious to, you say it is a math class... I don't know how you do in math or what your learning style is, but for myself, I always found the words teachers spoke in math classes to be less effective to my own learning than seeing examples being worked out... point being, I didn't need to hear my teachers to learn. I understand teachers like to ask students about the problems to make sure they are understanding, but it's not always necessary if there is time in the class for individual students to, for example, approach the teacher on a one to one basis as needed. If that makes sense...
Really though, I think the best thing is to just mention this to your teacher. If you struggle with feeling on the spot, make a list or note or something before hand, so you already know what you need to say is being said. If not, maybe just get to class a little early so you can have time to talk before other people are filing in and settling down?
Greetings. Sorry for replying so late. My life has been pretty busy (mainly school).
I am actually a visual learner, but sadly, I have a poor visual memory. This sucks because I prefer to learn visually, but unless I keep seeing the same thing over and over, I may not remember it. In my assessment I got done, it said I have a (way) better verbal than visual memory. So this is why I like to hear what the teacher is saying so I can remember it better, not that my learning style is auditory.
I am thinking that I should ask my SERT (special education resource teacher) what I should ask about or if I can do something at all. I work best in quiet environments, but of course, this isn't always possible. And I should start using my headphones when we have a work period or time, because it blocks out a good amount of noise. I'm just concerned about when it's between doing an activity part of the lesson.
_________________
Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 148 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 60 of 200
You are very likely neurodiverse (Aspie)
Dx Autism Spectrum Disorder - Level 1, learning disability - memory and fine motor skills, generalized and social anxiety disorder
Unsure if diagnosed with OCD and/or depression, but were talked about with my old/former pdoc and doctor.
Criteria for my learning disability is found at this link:
http://www.ldao.ca/wp-content/uploads/LDAO-Recommended-Practices-for-Assessment-Diagnosis-Documentation-of-LDs1.pdf
MentalIllnessObsessed
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: 22 Jul 2016
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Posts: 193
Location: Ontario, Canada
I'm sure that if you talk to your teacher, you both can work out some accommodations that allow you to focus better in the classroom.
Personally, one of mine was going into a separate room whenever we were having a test and stuff.
Hello. For me, math is my strength. I tested gifted in math (not English though). So I only need a limited amount of focus for it.
I have an IEP at my school, and I do have a lot of accommodations. Even in the environment section, it says to keep me away from loud noises or something like that. I do write test in a separate room except chemistry because of the teacher. It's mainly because he will actually tell you if you are right or not on the test right then and there. I can't do that if I am writing it in a different room. But for math and all other subjects, I write in a different room with my headphones on. But even then, it is sometimes even noisier than it is in the testing room. The staff in there seem to talk a lot with each other. And since it's a very quiet room, their voices feel like 10x louder than normal.
I just can't think of anything else I can add to my IEP...
_________________
Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 148 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 60 of 200
You are very likely neurodiverse (Aspie)
Dx Autism Spectrum Disorder - Level 1, learning disability - memory and fine motor skills, generalized and social anxiety disorder
Unsure if diagnosed with OCD and/or depression, but were talked about with my old/former pdoc and doctor.
Criteria for my learning disability is found at this link:
http://www.ldao.ca/wp-content/uploads/LDAO-Recommended-Practices-for-Assessment-Diagnosis-Documentation-of-LDs1.pdf
I have such super hearing that even a soft buzzing noise from the air conditioning [which isn't even on] causes me to sleep poorly. Plus my fridge is super noisy, yet even listening to music while wearing headphones and a dishcloth around my head doesn't help much.
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MentalIllnessObsessed
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: 22 Jul 2016
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Posts: 193
Location: Ontario, Canada
This wasn't a problem at all in elementary or junior high school. Either I didn't have the problem back then, or I just didn't focus all that much. But I've had since adulthood, which I discovered when I tried to go back to school, and also when focusing on anything like reading or writing something, amplified if it's something I find difficult.
Maybe you could try talking to your teacher and explain to them how hard it is for you and explain your concern about missing out on what they're saying. If the teacher is aware, they can make sure to include you and you can use earplug without consequences. If your teacher is unreasonable you should probably talk to your parents or a counselor in school if there is one.
Is there another room you could go to so you can study in peace? That would make the teacher have to go pick you up though, so earplugs or noise cancelling headphones would be better.
Those are the only solutions I can think of.
Greetings. I think I may explain it, but my only thing is, what can they do? Other students will talk and the teacher could say to keep it down, but no one really has to listen. And earplugs. The problem I'm afraid of this is that I'll miss something important like a test date or an important part of the note.
It's not during studying though. It's in between parts of a lesson. It's when the teacher asks stuff like work with the person next to you and talk about the answer. This is where I struggle with thinking of an answer and noise. And the room thing wouldn't work with this situation because it's only for like, 5 minutes, and that's too short and stuff... And I'm suppose to talk with the person next to me, but the person next to me doesn't really talk. I believe she's ESL. When she does talk, which is not that frequently, it's very quiet. So I tend to not do this "partner" stuff with my partner. It's easier for me to do by myself.
_________________
Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 148 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 60 of 200
You are very likely neurodiverse (Aspie)
Dx Autism Spectrum Disorder - Level 1, learning disability - memory and fine motor skills, generalized and social anxiety disorder
Unsure if diagnosed with OCD and/or depression, but were talked about with my old/former pdoc and doctor.
Criteria for my learning disability is found at this link:
http://www.ldao.ca/wp-content/uploads/LDAO-Recommended-Practices-for-Assessment-Diagnosis-Documentation-of-LDs1.pdf