Your thoughts on ear defenders and chew toys for children

[Woodward23]

Please may I have your honest thoughts! a couple of times now people tecahers/leaders of activity have mentioned to both me and dh to get these items for our 6 year old who has some additional needs-speech and communication delay and learning difficulties is whats been diagnosed(not enough evidence for any other diagnosis liek autism/adhd for example )
Some (not every) loud noses really startle him and he will put his hands over his ears as he doesn't like to hear them.
Also chewing clothes again not all the time but just now and again he will start chewing something

Me and husband both have thoughts of thats not something we want to use because surely that then doesn't let him get use and acclimatised to loud sounds
Again with the chew toys surely that's encouraging him more to chew.
Is there other parent out there that are in the same thoughts of us or should we change our view ? Were honestly wondering now as just today at church its been mentioned again

Chewing has a massive regulating effect on the nervous system, calming and organising the brain. You won't stop him chewing, your control will be over what he chews, not whether he does or not. And chewing something with good sensory feedback, like a chew toy, will help him enormously.
Similarly, with loud sounds - the brain processes them differently and this usually won't change. Ear defenders will help him feel more comfortable and regulated, and they won't make him more sensitive to sound.

When someone has a sensory seeking or avoiding behaviour (say you can't abide the texture of wool clothing, or the sensation of rollercoasters), then being exposed to that sensation is not necessarily going to alter your feelings towards it.
In fact wearing a wool jumper and riding a rollercoaster everyday would be torturous!
If your child seeks oral input, then giving them something safe and interesting to use will be more beneficial that letting them chew other things which they might get told off for (clothing) or could be hazardous/ antisocial etc.
Allowing them the sensory input they seek or preventing sensory inputs that may overwhelm them allow a child to be in a more regulated state, able to engage, at ease, more comfortable

My daughter (8) carries ear defenders as she is very sensitive to loud noises. Our experience is that knowing they are available has allowed her to tolerate more than she would otherwise because she has control of the situation. She has access to ‘quiet club’ at school if playtime is too full on, and having that option has meant she has played outside more, not less, because she has a safe space available if she needs it. Forcing a child to remain in a distressing situation or removing their coping mechanism doesn’t help anyone.

They're both excellent pieces of equipment that can be incredibly useful for children who struggle with sensory overload.

If you're in a room with a constant, irritating buzzing noise that's driving you to distraction, you're not going to find it less irritating the more it continues - on the contrary - it will just wind you up even more and you'll be even less likely to concentrate. In your child's case, everyday noise is the irritating buzzing sound, and the defenders will help him block it out, thus enabling him to concentrate.

Similarly, if he needs to regulate with oral input, he's going to do it regardless of whether he has access to chew toys. So it's best to give him something safe and suitable to chew on, otherwise he could chew something that could break his teeth, or that he could swallow, which could potentially cause him to choke or become injured.

People with sensory issues need coping mechanisms to get through life - please don't deprive your son of that.

My youngest has asd and we used both when he was younger. He no longer chews and only really uses ear defenders on bonfire night now .

Would you watch TV on volume 100? You wouldn't because it's painful. You wouldn't continue watching in the hope that you'd get used to something that is painful for you.

The chew toy is directing his chewing towards an item that isn't toxic or needed to be kept in good condition. Lots of people chew gum to concentrate rather than for the minty flavour.

Me and husband both have thoughts of thats not something we want to use because surely that then doesn't let him get use and acclimatised to loud sounds
Again with the chew toys surely that's encouraging him more to chew

But this is his way of coping, he's not going to stop chewing because you give him nothing, he would find something.
But knowing what he's chewing on and that it's safe for that reason is nothing but a good thing.

We have ear defenders for my DS and it's done him the world of good. As pp we have been able to get him out to places we would normally avoid due to the noise and he throughly enjoys himself knowing he hasn’t his safety net so to speak of the defenders.

They are there to help them.

Don’t discourage him from chewing if it helps him to regulate. Accept him for how he is, rather than trying to make him for the idea of normal.

I have seen that said about ear defenders, but I don't think owning them make anyone rely on them. It's nice to have them as an option. Like @Patchworksack said, knowing they are there can help my son access things he otherwise wouldn't, even though he usually doesn't use them.

DS can hear us speak through ear defenders so he prefers them to noise cancelling headphones, which cut him off more.

Similarly with chews, they are a good regulator and our experience is they are dropped and forgotten about as soon as they are no longer needed. Last year my son turned everything in his pencil case to rubble. We gave him chewy pencil toppers which he chewed to bits but then also chewed up entire biros, pencils, everything. Now in a new school, his pencil case is pristine. I just offered him a new pencil topper and he said no thanks, I don't need one. The chewing was a sign he had unmet needs. Witholding a chew wouldn't have benefitted him at all.

You give it a second thought if your child required a hearing aid/crutches/ wheel chair etc for some children a chew and ear defenders are just as important.

DD had a chew necklace she wore under her clothes and ear defenders when needed and as a teen has stopped chewing and has moved onto noise cancelling headphones.

She didn't get diagnosed with ASD until she was 12 but I put what practical supports I could in place for her years before that.

You wouldn't give it a second thought.....

One of my children progressed to chewing clothes so badly that they were soaked through the front and holes up cuffs.
At that stage much easier to get chew tags. Depends on how big an issue, consider they may also get comfort/ good sensory feedback from chewing.

Another one who found when they got ear defenders for their kid they were more relaxed and therefore less sensitive

I ended up getting some in ear noise reduction earbuds for me after i wore the ear defenders once when he didnt. I found my ability to enjoy certain situations improved immeasurably. Sometimes I can be found with just my headphones in and no sound especially on trains and buses

You will probably find any sensory issues detiorate considerably at times of stress and improve during times of relaxation. Sensory issues will raise stress levels so it becomes a vicious circle. You can't acclimatise.

I still remember a massive row I had with my mum at about ten over wearing a shirt for school because the seeams across my shoulders and seams in my socks. I still can't wear shirts as a grown-up and I'm very particular about my socks. At times of stress the number of coats I can wear is very limited. Even as an adult I can't just acclimatise or think round the problem. DD17 has whole different sets of clothes depending on whether she is stressed or not.

You can't get used to having your ears hurt. It's like expecting them to get used to the feeling of standing on a drawing pin hidden in the carpet.

Get him the defenders.

I don't know about chewing buy my DD takes her noise cancellation headphones with her when there is a chance it may get too loud or too chaotic, she will be 16 in July.

DD experiences noise different to me, it's not about that it may be loud, her brain is wired in a way that for her the noise is a constant irritation you can't get used to by exposing her to it.

Ps hate to break it to you but he probably will need a fuller diagnosis as time goes on. If it's apparently at nursery, needs normally become more apparent as demands become greater in primary

This in buckets. And I must say I'm thrilled to hear of this 'quiet club', that's a fantastic idea!

My autistic 8 year old son has both, he is very sensory seeking. They help him feel calmer, blocking out noises that make him uncomfortable, and giving him the oral feedback he needs. His clothes no longer getting ruined is a bonus for me too.

If people in the know have suggested these aids would help your child I would definitely be inclined to listen.

@Woodward23 in terms of loud noises my DD loves the theatre but has to wear her noise cancelling headphones before and after the show moving through the theatre and during the interval it's the cacophony if noises that bother her.

Same if she comes in the kitchen and the extractor fan is on, boiler on, tap running, dishwasher and washing machine etc and then I try to talk to her... Its the mixture of sounds.

And then ofcourse there are hand dryers which she believes to be hell on earth so I assume it's something to do with the frequency they give out and the echo of a public toilet.

Would you be able to recommend anything particular as a substitute for chewing clothes? My 6yo doesn't find any of those rubber/silicone type chew necklaces helpful, it seems to need to be fabric and would be nice to not have to change t shirt 3 times a day.

Fortunately for us, they went from clothes to these without fuss. I would just mention to be careful of smaller objects as we had a near choking incident, these were then the biggest we could find
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chewigem-Sensory-Chew-Dog-Necklace/dp/B01G8TH3BU/ref=asc_df_B01HBKOE4E/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309912016683&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11535050020814418249&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007877&hvtargid=pla-421246882200&psc=1&th=1

I have two children, ds with additional needs and d (as far as I know) without .
Dd hates loud noises so often wears her brothers ear defenders. I see lots of children wearing them at all kinds of events and don't think whether they have add needs or not, I think its part of modern life.
My son has a chew necklace that is a pirate skull so looks just like something someone would wear.
If you didn't want to use chewlerry we also have chewy sweets and crunchy food for ds ready for when he is getting dysregulated.
I think you do what's best for your child. You quickly learn to ignore other people when you have a chikd with additional needs

@Capitulatingpanda have you got anyone clever with a sewing machine that you could get to turn the old elastic collar of tshirts into a 'necklace' as it were he could chew on so not on his actual top?

No unfortunately not, maybe I could just cut up an old t shirt but I suppose it would fray pretty fast plus i would need a lot of them.

My daughter has found ear defenders very useful, we did get her a Chew ring but she used it abit then not when the novelty wore off, so was rather a waste of £12 or whatever it cost 🙈