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

Total anecdote and no evidence other than myself but as an adult I now use chewing gum when stressed, if I'd gotten something to help earlier I might not have spent a lifetime grinding my teeth and overall could have reduced my anxiety and stress hormones which are terrible for kids.

I'm an autistic adult and wear ear defenders for things like food shopping, and use chewy jewelry periodically when I identify the need for oral sensory input. I wasn't diagnosed and things like ear defenders for kids weren't as well known when I was younger. I felt sick a lot as a kid which I think was related to being on high alert from sensory input all the time. On the contrary to your (well-meaning) assumption, I didn't "get used to" having unmet sensory needs and ended up having a mental breakdown in early adulthood from the pressure of masking (amongst other things). Now I use all the tools and I am much healthier and happier. The same as I use my wheelchair to help manage my chronic illness symptoms, and not because I physically can't put one foot in front of the other most of the time.

Like others have said, sometimes just knowing they're there helps, I carry them most of the time so things like church I don't usually need them but I know they're there if I do

Also if you don't want to use full on ear defenders yet you could start with these which are pretty invisible though the visibility of headphones helps others know there is a sensitivity. DH uses these as you can still hear but reduces lots of peripheral noise:
https://amzn.eu/d/4Csafog

My DC uses both. I wouldn't stop her using them any more than I'd prevent her using glasses or a hearing aid if she needed them.

I’ve always found that chewing on a pen or some chewing gum helps me focus!

My son had this for a time. We also have patches of wallpaper picked off, cushions picked open, holes poked in a leather armchair, clothes chewed into holes.
ChewAid Chew Pendant Double Ring Training and Development Fidget Toy Chew Necklace for Teething Babies,Sensory,Oral Motor, Anxiety, Autism, ADHD (Blue and Yellow) https://amzn.eu/d/15wXbmR

Two of my DGC are very sensitive to noise although NT. They both took ear defenders into school in Reception as they found the noise of the dining hall distressing. I don't know why you would try to avoid doing something that has the potential to make your child feel
more comfortable.

Have you ever thought it might have been an easier journey had you made use of these things?

My undiagnosed ADHD ex did this. I tried it with my adhd DD(17) helped no end. I really hate gum so I totally hate that it works 🤣🤣🤣

My honest opinion is that I'm glad these things weren't around when I was a child! I was diagnosed with ASD and understand the struggles but I don't think these things are needed by as many children as I see using them. There are other coping methods which can be learnt/developed naturally that are much more healthy. I feel there is a lot of pressure currently to use these sorts of items, I don't believe it's the best thing for all of these children in the long run.

I teach a year 11 boy who has chew devices. They allow him to stay in class, which is vital.

I dont know much about chew toys but I think ear defenders are a useful tool in a persons toolbox to deal with the world.
Most of the children i know that use them dont wear them all the time as their tolerance might be different on different days. They might be ok with a specifi noise, but not at the same time as a strange location or towards the end of an event.
I think it is important to use them alonside other strategies.

My ASD child will experience physical pain if there’s a noise that doesn’t agree with him. To not allow him to limit that noise is cruel.

You wouldn’t expect someone with a food allergy to just get used to it, would you? Would you expect someone with a broken arm to just get used to the pain? Why should your child be forced to “get used to it”?