confusing noise sensitivities?

My son is being confusing with his sensitivity to noises. He doesn't like the fire alarm, but a crowd in the gym which is the same noise level doesn't bother him. He says they're not the same. Also, if this one particular leap frog toy turns on, it bothers him and makes him overreact(see 9/12 year old with unusual fear for more). If a different leap frog toy turns on, it does not bother him at all. This one particular leap frog toy bothers him more than a balloon popping. What could be the reason for this?

[MJIthewriter]

Frequency, pitch, amplitude, intensity, speed, direction and volume, of the sound is what makes the difference between being tolerable to feeling like someone is stabbing a long needle through both ears.

I know I can pick up high pitched frequencies emitted by some TV monitors… Sometimes it would hurt really bad and sometimes not.  You may not be able to hear the difference between one leap frog and anther, but your son does.

It’s one of those fascinating things about the autistic mind, that’s a mixed blessing and a curse sometimes.

[dawnsearlylight]

I have a neice that has asperger's who reacts in the same way. We have found that the fire drill is sooo upsetting as she hates the sound and becomes extremley upset if not prepared for it. All of her teachers at school recognize this and will sit her down and talk to her prior to a drill, this makes it much easier for her to cope with. It took some time to figure this out and only of course works if it is a drill and not an emergency. She is not much for loud noises as the pitch bothers her but can sit though a concert (go figure!) and with her alot of it is taking the time to explain and prepare and recognize what is bothering her. This is such a hard disease as it is so different in each child but they are all so special!!!!

[MJIthewriter]

You have some good points. I'm just going to nitpick one thing: calling autism a disease...

Autism is not something like cancer. Autism is not a disease needing to be "cured" or treated. It is a way of life. It doesn't make us "angels" or outstanding. Believe me, I'm no angel.  (I'm giving you a heads up in case you run into more ASD people either on the net or in real life. You may have this same thing pointed out to you in a more/less nice way. It depends on the personality of the person and whether or not they've had a rough day.)

I agree that preparing your niece ahead of time is a great step. I like to know things in advance. I'm not fond of surprises (unless they are pleasant). If I know what hour the fire drill occurs it's not a surprise.

We did end up with a REAL fire on a few occasions... both in Middle school and High school.  I think I was probably just as wild and excited as the rest of the student body, because, well it is a real emergency and there is no pre-planning.  Especially one of the high school fires, we had to stay outside for the rest of the day and didn't know when we'd be able to get back inside.  Eventually they shuffled us back in the gym until the fire department gave an all clear signal.

The 2nd level was kind of smoky when we returned and it smelt pretty bad for an entire week.

[MJIthewriter]

I also like it if my parents/grandma tells me in advance when they plan to use the vacuum, lawn mower, blender, and anything that sets off an offensive ear piercing painful sound. (Compare the feeling with having a pencil shoved through the ear…)

That way I can get out of the way or put plugs in my ears.  By giving me the chance to be prepared, this avoids a potential conflict and much stress for both parties.  That way I am calm and so are the people around me. I'm not freaking out because I have had enough time to take steps to avoid the painful stimulus.

[dawnsearlylight]

Forgive my shallowness to your feelings. I do understand that this is a way of life and stated disease from what has been said by doctors. If I offended you in anyway it was not intentional.

[MJIthewriter]

No offense taken. I wouldn't have given it a passing thought, only I just finished taking some self advocacy classes and learning to be more alert to things like that.

One thing I have to catch myself. I tend to say I "have autism" which is another thing that the autistic community is sensitive about, because autism is part of their person. It's the same way with me. I tend to get caught up with the "suffers autism" That's another thing that needs to go.

There's nothing to suffer about unless thrust in a situation where it clashes with our life and causes stress.

I was reading up on asexuality last night and it's very much the same thing. Asexuals like me don't feel anything wrong being that way because it's something that doesn't bother them.  If someone was straight, would they want to take meds to make them gay/lesbian?

It sounds kind of silly.  It’s the same thing with trying to make an autistic person into a "normal" one.

When I type my posts, most of the time I’m also typing with the general audience in mind, so I will often throw in more stuff than related to the post I am replying to. That way people who Google up this website have content to read. I’m sure for every one member that posts there are at least 10 lurkers who read the content but are not ready to create accounts to start posting their own questions.