Hyperacusis is a condition in which a person is extremely sensitive to or unable to tolerate ordinary everyday sounds, such as the sound of vacuum cleaners, toilets flushing, trucks driving past and airplanes overhead. Individuals with hyperacusis have difficulty coping and may ‘tune out’ or attempt to block the noise. Indicators of hyperacusis include the following behaviour:

• Humming
• Teeth grinding
• Covering ears
• Grimacing or crying
• Irritability
• Screaming / shrieking
• Excitability or physical activity to attempt to block the noises
• Acute hearing of sounds others do not hear
• Confusion or boredom with group conversations
• Poor behaviour in noisy environments
• Difficulty working out where sounds come from
• Short attention span
• Difficulty remembering verbal information and instructions
• Asking directions or instructions to be repeated

As a young student I worked with Tommy, a non-verbal three year old with Aspergers. In my early stages of training I knew barely anything about Aspergers and Autism. It was clear to me, though, that Tommy was extremely sensitive to sound. He would point out the window every time a truck went past. If he was outside, the sound of a car driving past would make him cover his ears. Loud noises would cause him to become upset and we soon came to realise that a noisy environment had a marked effect on his behaviour.