children with noise fears - help available

[m1ckeymouse]

Hi Everyone

Just wanted to share this with you. Our son has Aspergers syndrome which makes him very sensitive to loud and sudden noises e.g. fireworks, shows etc.
We were a bit concerned regarding our up coming trip, until we found these childrens ear defenders.

They arrived today and are great, DS (4) loves them, especially as he chose the blue ones himself, we are just waiting for bonfire night to check them out, but all looks good so far.

Not sure if they ship to the US, but the price is very reasonable and I have seen them on ebay (UK). Click here to see the offical website.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for the information.
You may find that they work well for the general loud noises at WDW (like some of the audio in different attractions is quite loud).
People in the past have found that hearing protectors meant for people shooting guns work better than other ear protectors for fireworks because they are designed for sharp sudden noises.
Please let us know how they worked for the different types of sounds after you get back.

 

[guilliam]

Did you have any trouble with him keeping them on? I'm afraid ds7 would not leave them on.

 

[inkkognito]

As someone with hyperacusis, I'll chime in to agree with Sue. Noise fears can be due to sensory issues, Aspergers etc. but some children have hyperacusis which causes physical pain to their ears vs. just startling them. For that condition, the battery-operated shooters headphones are much, much better. It seems to be the pitch of the noise that causes the pain, and they cancel out the sound rather than just muffling it. They are an absolute necessity when I watch fireworks.

 

[m1ckeymouse]

Did you have any trouble with him keeping them on? I'm afraid ds7 would not leave them on.

Hi, thankfully not. He absolutely loves them. We involved him in purchasing them from the website (he chose the colour), and he knows they're his 'special headphones' to help with noise. He is very aware of what does and doesn't upset him. He really wants to watch the fireworks etc... and is now a lot happier now he has the headphones. Both DW and I are on !

 

[m1ckeymouse]

Hi, were back from a wonderful trip (a little late responding!) and we thought we'd report back on the ear defenders and their effectiveness.

One word, brilliant!

We used them in various rides/shows and DS did so much more than we thought he ever would. As an example, we took him into Playhouse Disney Live on Stage and, the first time, he wore them and loved the show even with the noise both of the show and the other children cheering. The second time we tried without and we had a meltdown. He also managed to watch wishes without too much of a problem.

We have taken him on Buzz in DLRP and he doesn't like it because of the noise but with the ear defenders on he rode without issue at DWorld.

They have been a very good buy and took a weight off of our shoulders after we realized they worked and we let him try a lot more than we would have done otherwise. Both DW and I were on

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

 

[SueM in MN]

Thanks for the report - a report is always welcome, even if it is late.

Thank you also for finding your old thread so the new information could be added.
Did they work equally well for fireworks and shows?

 

[m1ckeymouse]

Yes they did. He watched Wishes without too much of an issue (there was still some worry) but we think that was due to his expectations of how loud they may be.

PhilHarmagic he watched without problems and absolutely loved it! So much so that we watched again upon his request.

And as said in my previous post, Playhouse Disney on Stage was a big hit and we found that he coped with his headphones and not so much without.

He watched Fantasmic and was enthralled with that and got very invloved.

So really a huge success. I really would recommend their use.

 

[mousescrapper]

Just wanted to say that my DS (almost 11) has traveled to the World 2 times w/ earphones just like those (not same brand) and it has been wonderful!

He also has a huge sensitivy to loud noises, crowd noises and other unexpecteted sounds...he wears them mostly non-stop throughout our trip...as its very comoftable and happy w/ them on

Here is a picture of him....

at Sci-Fi dinner

and he has them on over his hat under his sweathshirt hood for Fantasmic!

 

[deerhart]

just an FYI, an audiologist can test your child to see if the loud noises do cause pain or not. They did this when my oldest was tested for CAPD.

Another option would be musician earplugs. They don't block out all the noises, but the lower the volume level and do help many kids