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. 2022 Sep;52(9):4007-4021.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-021-05282-4. Epub 2021 Sep 15.

Family Experiences of Decreased Sound Tolerance in ASD

Nichole E Scheerer  1 , Troy Q Boucher  2 , Behnaz Bahmei  3 , Grace Iarocci  2 , Siamak Arzanpour  3 , Elina Birmingham  4
Affiliations

Family Experiences of Decreased Sound Tolerance in ASD

Nichole E Scheerer et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

Decreased sound tolerance (DST) is the most common sensory difficulty experienced by autistic individuals. Parents of 88 autistic children and young adults between the ages of 3 and 30 described coping strategies and physical and emotional responses used to deal with distressing sounds, and their impact on daily activities. Loud, sudden, and high-pitched sounds were most commonly endorsed as distressing, most often causing autistic children and young adults to cover their ears or yell, while producing stress, irritation, fear, and anxiety. Parents reported warning their child, providing breaks, or avoiding noisy settings as the most used coping strategies. Overall, findings indicate that DST leads to fewer opportunities for autistic children and young adults to participate at home, at school, and in the community. Further, results suggest hyperacusis, misophonia, and phonophobia, subtypes of DST, are present in autistic children and young adults.

Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Decreased sound tolerance; Hyperacusis; Misophonia; Phonophobia; Sound sensitivity.

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