How does your ASD child cope with noise at school?

[bialystockandbloom]

DS, 6.5yo, Year 2 in mainstream school. Y1 was fantastic, probably largely down to brilliant teacher, he was happy, learning loads both academically and socially. This year has been going downhill by the week. For the first time in his life, he is saying how much the noise stresses him out - both in the playground at lunchtime/playtime, and in the classroom.

I think part of it is the teacher, who doesn't seem to have anything in the way of discipline, so the class is more rowdy. She also doesn't really give a fuck about ds, eg gives me the "but they all do that" line on the one or two times I've spoken to her about difficulties. Has never actually met with us at all to discuss his statement (she didn't come to AR meeting or have any input), his IEP was last updated in March.

It has got to the point where he is crying at bedtime (tonight being the latest time) about not wanting to go. Said tonight that the only good bit about school is hometime As per the all-too-familiar picture, he behaves impeccably at school, so anything I say is met with "but he's fine here"

He has had ABA shadow one day a week who has left now, and his TA, who has had ABA training and come to all home team meetings, is also leaving at the end of term. No news on replacement yet.

My ideal would actually be moving schools, and getting ABA tutor back in to shadow him possibly part-time. But in the meantime, while we look at other options, I need to find some way of helping him cope, without necessarily using ear defenders (which he'll hate, and I'm not sure I'm happy about them either - would rather find ways of helping him deal with the noise rather than blocking it out).

I suspect part of it, as well as the normal chaotic loudness of primary age children shouting in the playground, is perhaps him not really understanding or keeping up with the language.

Sorry this is so long, thanks for reading if you've got this far.

Any suggestions please? I have never seen him so unhappy in his whole life, and I feel dreadful not being able to give him alternative options or coping strategies, and can't bear to think about him being so unhappy all day but coping with it on his own.

Your poor Ds, what a shame that things are going wrong.

My Dd3 is in a really good inclusive school but it only took one teacher with a lack of understanding to send her into school refusal earlier this term

Is there a parallel class he could go in to? Thats what we pushed for for Dd3. It took a while to convince the HT that it was the only solution but it has worked really well.

Moving wasnt an option for us because we have already moved her once and this school is by far the best in the area and also because she is in yr6 so will be moving in September anyway.

I really hope you can find a solution quickly.

Good luck

Hi, it sounds like there are bigger problems, but to answer your question about noise, my DS (not ASD but SPD) wears a hoody with the hood up at school and it helps him enormously with his auditory processing and his anxiety generally. His OT says that it makes noise easier for him to process because it's only coming from one direction. He does also wear ear defenders but only sometimes, whereas the hood is up all the time.

(P.s. Am assuming the noise issue for your ds is a sensory processing one, apologies if I'm mistaken. )

My Ds has to just had to cope in the past because sadly he has understanding therefore nothing else matters . He will tolerate noise but then when he gets home something like his sister speaking can cause him to scream clutching his ears because it's all been too much

It was suggested recently that Ds wore ear defenders in class or earplugs, and an observation by the SEND sensory team to see if they can help.

It's always the case that Dc are 'fine at school' what that really means is 'we will not give any addition support, so long as the Dc is where they need to be for the sake of targets'. At a recent meeting Ds's CT had never seen him flap or fidget every meeting I have had flapping and fidgeting has been the first things mentioned, he has numerous reports with these highlighed...I didn't have the heart to tell her that she must have the most boring lessons he has ever attended then, or she is just full of shit

I have read about a 'pass' which can be used at times when a Dc needs to go somewhere quieter, it's simply a piece of card with a set amount of times it can be used so it isn't used to the Dc's advantage...in my Ds's case it would probably be abused to get out of anything to do with writing.

jack that is so interesting about the hoody. My DS1 (borderline AS, undx SPD) always chooses to wear his hoody with hood up .... I guess that is why! Thank you for explaining that to me!

No hoodies at school :(

mrsb you could try asking if school will make an exception to their uniform policy - my ds' school did. Even better if you can get it recommended by a psychologist/OT/ other professional whose opinion will carry weight with school.

We originally had the idea recommended by a psychologist as an anxiety coping mechanism (because ds always tries to hide when he gets very anxious) and subsequently affirmed by the OT. School have seen a huge difference since allowing it, as ds now doesn't run away / hide under the table nearly as much, and even is able (sometimes) to attend assembly which he couldn't cope with at all before.

Thanks for all the ideas. jackster I think you're right, there are bigger issues, perhaps a difficulty with keeping up with language/social interaction, especially in the playground. The noise has never bothered him before, so perhaps this is about something else, but as it's the main thing he's pinpointed, I can't ignore it. Though he's also said he hates school because they just "tell him what to do all the time".

What I really want is a strategy to help him accept/tolerate noise, or help him develop a way of tuning out background noise if it distracts him from work, without having to take him out of the classroom, which would be such a backwards step from where we are now.

It just feels that all the huge amount of intensive work we have put in for the last three years (since starting ABA) is being demolished in the space of a half-term by having a useless teacher, and no ABA support. I suppose our approach has always been to address and (hopefully) overcome intolerances/anxieties he has, rather than allow him to avoid situations, as I could see how his world would become so narrow and his anxieties would end up restricting him and removing him even more from mainstream society.

ineed not sure if moving to the other class would be a good idea. He has a core group of good friends in his class, think it would make him even more unhappy to leave them. Also I suspect that the other class is even more rowdy than his current one.

Thanks Polter, yes he is seeing the school's OT for the first time this week (at the suggestion of our ABA supervisor, actually after she'd observed him and noted how fidgety and wriggly he was - obviously the teacher's comment on this was "oh they all are"...). Hopefully something useful will come out of that.

I've asked for lunchtime activities. He has started going to Lego club one day, but the rest of the week they don't run lunchtime clubs. Last year his TA did sometimes take him and a few friends into the classroom for 15 mins to play with figures etc (to help with pretend play). I have asked that something similar be re-implemented, but have been told it may be a staffing issue.

Now today I've had a note in his book (from TA) saying they're going to take him into the classroom at lunchtime. Arrgghhh. Not what I meant at all, last thing we'd want is to remove him from his peers!

Yes you're right. I don't know if I'm expecting too much for school to come up with some activities they can put on though - he does have a TA and social targets make up most of his statement, so this should cover lunchtime/playtime shouldn't it.

Also so hard to judge if what he describes in the classroom is just normal classroom noise, or if it's as he says which is "children screaming and making silly noises". It never bothered him in R or Y1, so am wondering why the change?

And trying to work out why his stress/anxiety is increasing obviously makes it harder to work out how to address it!

We have white noise generators or magic ears too. They seem to be working really well. They help him focus by masking any distractions. He used to find the playground unbearable and run up and down the playing field. He just wears them out and has quiet relaxing time at home without them. Not many people seem to know about them.

Ask for them from the Audiology department, you need to be referred.

It does not work in places where they have Trade Name Mosquito device like Mc Donalds as this device is specifically used to deter loiterers in their stores which emits a high pitched noise that only younger people can hear as the ears are not matured.

My DS same with hoodies on all the time I just wish we got the hearing aids sooner.

Anybody else got more information on white noise generators for OP?

Is the new teacher struggling to control behaviour in the class? Is it simply noisier because the class are not made to be quiet?
Tricky one to tackle if this is the case
Ds spent a lot of primary school with his hands over his ears
Does he find fiddling with any stress toys helpful? We had some success with little gadgety toys with provided lots of sensory feedback to his fingers , it helped him to drown out the noise a bit .

How many children are in the classroom?

Thank you for all the new replies, I forgot to revisit my own thread

The white noise ear things - how do they work? I'm never sure how it would work if you quieten noise (through ear defenders etc) but still have to hear the teacher? Or are these something that can somehow muffle out background noise?

Definitely lots of wriggling going on too. School have said they'd get the OT to see him but not holding my breath don't know when.

But they have got the TA to get some small group indoor games during some lunchtimes so that should help. Even though TA is leaving on Friday and no replacement yet

Anyway, thanks everyone for all the suggestions, really helpful.

My ds puts ear defenders on when the noise gets too much for him. It means he can stay where he is and continue doing whatever he is doing, he can still hear and talk to people but his ears stop being sore. Once his ears feel better he takes them off. When I put the ear defenders on I can still hear but it makes me feel like I am under water or something. They do stop the background noise.

I need to find out about the white noise things, very interesting!

Ear defenders never worked with our DS but white noise generators have improved his behaviour but not his focussing in class just yet. It's only been a few weeks.

White noise generators are something that can somehow muffle out background noise. Audiology call it "masking".

Ask for them from the Audiology department, you need to be referred and our OT did not know about them so they must be something specialist.

Hopefully someone else will be along who really knows a lot more about them.