Headphones--Noise sensitive

[amyamya]

Hi we are going to Disneyland later this month and I will be bringing noise canceling headphones for my DS5 with ASD and sensory issues. (I will attempt to get a GAC, but after reading all the posts here feel really torn about it.)

What rides do you anticipate he will need to wear them on? He might want to wear them in his stroller because general crowd noise can sometimes bother him as well. We will not be seeing any parades, F! or WOC because he simply cannot wait in one place as long as it takes to see those types of things.

If we catch any fireworks I assume he'll need them then. Any suggestions or help with this would be great. If I can plan ahead he won't get anxious and start the path to a meltdown.

 

[ShockMonkey3]

My son wears his headphones from the get go. We found that they are especially helpful walking down mainstreet. There is a lot of things going on everywhere. Wearing the headphones helps reduce one part of the stimuli. It also seems to give him a sense of control ( very important to him)

As he has grown his dependance on headphones has decreased. We are letting him chose when to take the headphones off. But we always have them out and available to help.

Oh and his diagnosis is PDD NOS. He is very high functioning but WDW is a sensory nightmare so not always apparant how high functioning he is.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

With my DD, it's very unpredictible when she will need her headphones. There are times when she is bothered by the noise level and I don't think it seems that bad. And other times when an area seems really chaotic and noisy to me, and she doesn't want or need them. I give her control over when to wear them, but if I notice signs that she is getting aggitated I will suggest she put them on.

 

[of2dbeach]

we always bring ear plugs instead of headphones. they are easier to carry and she DD9 can ask to have them put in or not depending on what she is going to see and do. She isnt on the Spectrum ( so they say ) but she is VERY sensative . Her DB 19 is Autistic and seems to handle things better then she does in reguards to noise.

 

[Nik's Mom]

We always carry headphones for our youngest. He doesn't always need them though. Last trip, he needed them for the first 2 days, then tapered off wearing them.

 

[ireland_nicole]

We let our kids choose when/ how to wear them. They are just part of our Disney sensory survival kit which my kids each carry I a hip pack or messenger depending on their preference. They are starting to get used to earplugs, so those go in there along with a fold up set of the noise canceling headphones also sunglasses, a penlight, chew tube, fidget, bucket hat, poncho and we put a notepad an paper to draw on too. I don't tell them what they should use or when, they decide based on how they're feeling. Dd also uses a pediatric wheelchair. Some days they use more, some less.

 

[StrwLady]

My son has ADHD and loud noises was an issue with him when he was younger. I found just simply muffling the sound some helped him. I always forgot the ear plugs so I would just ball up a little piece of tissue and put it in his ear. That seemed to help

It has been awhile since we have gone to Disneyland so my memory is foggy but I do think most shows bothered him. It seems there is always at least one loud boom. So maybe have the head phones handy for those.

Cute story...
When my son was younger he played indoor soccer with Upward sports. He couldn't stand it when the buzzer would go off signalling the end of a period. So as the seconds ticked down to the end he would cover his ears with both hands and continue to run around after the ball. Other kids caught on to this so after a few weeks, all the kids on his team would do the same. It was so cute to see 8 kids playing soccer with their hands over their ears

 

[Tiggerish]

My neice has tried noise cancelling headphones- the kind that make white noise. She finds them worse and would rather deal with the noise levels, even though she sleeps with a fan everynight in her bedroom. So you may need to find out if you can get them without the noise or if he can tolerate the noise, otherwise earplugs?

 

[KisanMcG]

We usually bring earplugs as well as my headphones, because sometimes I cannot tolerate the sensation of the earplugs. Most of the time rides aren't as problematic for me (I think it's because there's something interesting to look at or do!) as general crowd noise or the dreaded fireworks, but of course each person with sensory difficulties is different. It may mean carrying extra stuff, but being prepared for a variety of reactions is never a bad thing.

 

[Mrs.Malone]

We've found that the noise canceling headphones are okay for general ambient noise, but for the sharp loud noises and loud music on rides or during fireworks, noise canceling headphones really don't help much. My child does better at Disney with earplugs or with the headphones that are for use at a shooting range or when hunting. These actually block noise instead of "canceling" it.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

We've found that the noise canceling headphones are okay for general ambient noise, but for the sharp loud noises and loud music on rides or during fireworks, noise canceling headphones really don't help much. My child does better at Disney with earplugs or with the headphones that are for use at a shooting range or when hunting. These actually block noise instead of "canceling" it.

Those are the kind of headphones I was referring to. We have the Peltor Kids earmuffs and they are great. Here's a link to the ones we own:

http://www.amazon.com/Peltor-90553-...5XAS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337522892&sr=8-1

 

[meg8017]

We have the kind that MaggiesMom suggested. My son liked them on most indoor rides, he felt the music was too loud. Also, during all shows, parades and fireworks. These were a lifesaver for us. Anytime we thought he might want them, we;d suggest he put them on and tell him he could always take them off if he was ok. Better safe than sorry.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

We've found that the noise canceling headphones are okay for general ambient noise, but for the sharp loud noises and loud music on rides or during fireworks, noise canceling headphones really don't help much. My child does better at Disney with earplugs or with the headphones that are for use at a shooting range or when hunting. These actually block noise instead of "canceling" it.

You are correct. You can hear a lot of outside noise with noise cancelling headphones. If you want to block sound, you need noise blocking headphones.

 

[buffettgirl]

Hi we are going to Disneyland later this month and I will be bringing noise canceling headphones for my DS5 with ASD and sensory issues. (I will attempt to get a GAC, but after reading all the posts here feel really torn about it.)

What rides do you anticipate he will need to wear them on? He might want to wear them in his stroller because general crowd noise can sometimes bother him as well. We will not be seeing any parades, F! or WOC because he simply cannot wait in one place as long as it takes to see those types of things.

If we catch any fireworks I assume he'll need them then. Any suggestions or help with this would be great. If I can plan ahead he won't get anxious and start the path to a meltdown.

Just wondering what needs you are hoping to accommodate with a GAC ?