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View Full Version : Noise cancelling headphones to help with concentration?



mikeys_mom
11-26-2012, 11:10 PM
DS likely has some sort of sensory issues, probably related to being on the spectrum. Still waiting to get official results from the Dr. In the meantime, he has been having lots of difficulty in school getting focused to do his written work. The teachers have been trying different tactics to try and get him on task.

Recently, they have been letting him work at a desk in the hallway just outside the classroom. He seems to be able to focus better there most of the time and gets substantially more work completed. He told the teachers that he likes it because it is quieter than inside the classroom. The only problem is that it is a hallway and sometimes it does get noisy there, especially when the older grades are switching classes or have recess.

We had a meeting today at the school and try to come up with ways to help DS. One suggestion that the guidance counsellor made was to have him try wearing noise cancelling headphones while he is doing the written work. The idea being, that it wil be easier to tune out all the sensory overload he is experiencing and allow him to focus on his work. She mentioned that she had seen kids using them in another school she had worked at.

We need to discuss it with the dev ped but I was wondering if anyone has tried this technique and if it was successful.

karstmama
11-27-2012, 07:08 AM
no, but it sounds like a good idea. i got some for dbf for christmas (bose), and they work if they're turned on by themselves (so just silence) *or* they also cancel noise while listening to something like an ipod or dvd player. they were expensive, though, so be aware of that.

still, if official noise-cancelling ones aren't an option, i bet a big cushy pair of over-the-ear phones would work really well for what you're after, especially if you were allowed to put them on an ipod and play very soft music, like some classical. of course, if that was a bigger distraction, then no. ooh, or play some very soft white noise.

i hope this works for you. :)

mikeys_mom
11-27-2012, 11:57 AM
no, but it sounds like a good idea. i got some for dbf for christmas (bose), and they work if they're turned on by themselves (so just silence) *or* they also cancel noise while listening to something like an ipod or dvd player. they were expensive, though, so be aware of that.

still, if official noise-cancelling ones aren't an option, i bet a big cushy pair of over-the-ear phones would work really well for what you're after, especially if you were allowed to put them on an ipod and play very soft music, like some classical. of course, if that was a bigger distraction, then no. ooh, or play some very soft white noise.

i hope this works for you. :)

The special ed co-ordinator at the school is going to speak with the OT and see if she has a pair he can try out in class. DH has a pair he uses on the subway, ya they were expensive. I think we'd start with those and see if it is successful before investing in a second pair.

I think soft music might be distracting but soft white noise would be good. DS loves getting new gadgets to play around with and they can sometimes turn into bigger distractions, so I'll wait to hear from dev ped on what she thinks before I start experimenting on my own. I think DH's has 2 settings, one that blocks out all noise and one that just reduces it to light background sounds. In theory, I think it's potentially a great idea.

Things have been going downhill for him at school recently and we really need to make some changes ASAP. DH and I are a bit concerned that we might need to switch schools, if our current one just doesn't have the resources to help him. He's in a private religious school and the religious education and culture is really important to us. It would make me sad to have to take him out of there.

elliput
11-27-2012, 02:54 PM
DD has a pair of just regular earmuffs which she uses at school- 3M Peltor Junior (http://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-Junior-Earmuff-Black/dp/B000I7NX5E/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1354042202&sr=8-6&keywords=ear+muffs+kids). I have worn them also and think they are effective at blocking ambient noises and the general hubbub of life. :)

mikeys_mom
11-28-2012, 11:55 AM
DD has a pair of just regular earmuffs which she uses at school- 3M Peltor Junior (http://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-Junior-Earmuff-Black/dp/B000I7NX5E/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1354042202&sr=8-6&keywords=ear+muffs+kids). I have worn them also and think they are effective at blocking ambient noises and the general hubbub of life. :)

Thanks! Glad to hear that they can potentially help. Those look much sturdier than the fancy noise-cancelling ones DH has.

Do the other kids make fun of your DD or bother her about wearing them in class? That is DH's big concern.

My thought is, that they aren't going to make any more fun of him than they currently are for pacing around the room, getting very angry and hiding under his desk. Of course I'm the optimist hoping that the right techniques will get him to function better and DH is the pessimist thinking he will now be the kid with earphones hiding under his desk.