What is auditory defensiveness?

Auditory defensiveness is considered extreme sensitivity to sound.  This sound may be typical to others but elicit the body's pain response to others.  When children are oversensitive to sound, it results in fear , anxiety, and at times avoidance of the activities that most other children enjoy participating in.  It can make trips to the bathroom scary as the toilets flush on their own and hand dryers echo in the tiled box of a room.  Movies become unbearable as the surround sound feels like a volcano in your head.  The school bus becomes too much to ride in and your child begs you to stay home because he/she has a tummy ache.  All of these are examples of children who have had auditory defensiveness.

The energy that is involved in hearing seems amplified to these children.  It comes at them too loud and too fast to be dealt with, frequently causing a flight or fight reaction.  The child panics and tries to flee the situation.  happens when your brain recognizes and interprets the sounds around you. When someone has difficulty with auditory processing, something is adversely affecting the processing or interpretation of the information.

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What are the symptoms of possible auditory defensiveness?

• Have trouble in loud environments
• Frequently cover their ears to sounds that other children find ok
• Dislike items such as the vacuum, sink disposal, hair dryers, etc.
• Become easily upset at or following loud events
• May avoid experiences that will require them to be in loud environments (parties, movies, etc.)
• Have behavior problems
• May have language difficulty

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What treatments are available for auditory processing difficulty?

Much research is still needed to understand these problems, related disorders, and the best intervention for each child or adult. Several strategies are available to help children with auditory processing difficulties. Some of these are commercially available, but have not been fully studied. Any strategy selected should be used under the guidance of a team of professionals, and the effectiveness of the strategy needs to be evaluated. Researchers are currently studying a variety of approaches to treatment. Several strategies you may hear about include:

• Environmental modifications such as classroom acoustics, placement, and seating may help. An occupational therapist may suggest ways to improve the listening environment, and he or she will be able to monitor any changes.
• Therapeutic Listening® may be promoted by practitioners as a way to retrain the auditory system and decrease hearing defensiveness. However, current research has not proven the benefits of this treatment.