In thinking my son can hear cat repelling machine?

[Nahhh]

There’s a gadget on the front lawn of a house we walk past everyday. It seems to click “on” as we approach but I don’t hear anything, just see the lights change on the front.

My son has ASD, he immediately covers his ears and starts growling and trying to bolt off. He says there’s a ringing noise “even louder than when the whole school cheers”.

What on earth is going on?! It’s making our walk to school even harder than usual:

I can hear them too, as can my kids. DH never hears them. It's a horrible noise.

Yes definitely would expect him to hear it. I walked past one recently with family and we noticed it, all the 30 and unders could hear it but older than that couldn't.

Unfortunately we can’t avoid the route we take. I might try asking politely if they can reposition it though.

I can hear them and I am late thirties. I can also hear those things they use to broadcast audio tours at museums and such like. Don't find them horrible but can imagine that someone with even more hyper acusis would find them intolerable.

Yes some adults can hear them - my DH is one of them. He can hear the dog whistle on the Sgt Peppers album too

My 3 boys can hear them but i cant.

I can hear them , I had to ask my parents to move theirs when I did their garden as it hurt my ears. AFAIK I am neurotypical .

Ear defenders might help OP

DH is a teaching assistant & they did an experiment in school a few years ago that proved children can hear a much wider range of sounds than most adults. I remember being able to hear bats as a kid, so could my sister - our parents didn't believe us but couldn't figure out how we knew where the bats were...

Someone in our neighbourhood got one and it really disturbed all the children. Someone contacted our councillor or the council and it was removed as a public nuisance. So maybe try that?

Yeah I can hear them. I can sometimes hear bats chirping too, less as I get older though.

Remind him that it's coming and suggest he hums or sings to drown it out in his head. Or ask him what he'd like to do to make the sound less troubling.

I don't know how old he is- He might respond to you both making the aeroplane noise and actions, or something a bit more discreet.

Yes, DD (ASD, SPD) can hear them. Also electricity pylons, bats and the electricity in her computer when she is very overwhelmed.

My young teenage kids can hear one on the front garden of a neighbour to my parent's and comment every time we walk past it but I can't hear it.

My DS can't bear some cinemas and theatres as there is some sort of high frequency sound that's inaudible to most of the rest of us. Its fine once the music etc starts but when he was wee we would have to take him out.

Horrible fucking things, I'm mid thirties and can hear them and they're really distressing (am autistic).

Lovely that you don't believe him though. 10/10 on that one 🙄 I have a £20 pair of earplugs that only affect annoying frequencies- for me it dulls "sharp" sounds. If he's noise sensitive something like that might be a good move.

@moynomore

Fully-grown adults can't hear them ..

Someone I knew could hear them.... he hated it

We pass two every day and they’re awful, even on the path they screech as we go past. I’m in my 30s and can hear them, but we all hear those weirdly high frequencies differently. I’d ask them to reposition it and if the don’t I’d complain to the council because it’s a nuisance noise.

Yes, my neighbour has one. I'm 27 and can hear it quite well but my mother can't hear it at all.

@Nahhh

Unfortunately we can’t avoid the route we take. I might try asking politely if they can reposition it though.

Is it possible to walk on the other side of the street or is that still too close? Maybe bring headphones with you for those sections.

It's not just that he can hear them, but that it possible hurts his head hearing them.

@moynomore

Fully-grown adults can't hear them ..

Unfortunately some of us can. It's a horrible grating high pitch whine that rises slightly at the end. Or at least PILs one was. Feels like the sound is trying to drill into my head. Earplugs or big headphones help.

I can hear them, they have them on the allotments at the side of my dog park. Don't seem to bother the dogs but they annoy me.

I could hear ours. It was a painful sound. And it didn’t deter cats.

Someone on my running route has one, I can hear it perfectly and it's horrible. It's near a primary school as well, I bet it affects a lot of kids on the school run.

@Meatshake

Horrible fucking things, I'm mid thirties and can hear them and they're really distressing (am autistic).

Lovely that you don't believe him though. 10/10 on that one 🙄 I have a £20 pair of earplugs that only affect annoying frequencies- for me it dulls "sharp" sounds. If he's noise sensitive something like that might be a good move.

err she never said she didn't believe him. you've made that up all by yourself.