Noisy classrooms and helping SN kids cope

[mikeys_mom]

DS has ASD (Aspergers). He's in a regular classroom at a private school. We have a shadow in there with him now and things are overall getting better. The one thing he still struggles with is that he sometimes finds the classroom too noisy. He has accommodations in his IEP to allow him to go to the library for quiet time to calm down when he needs it. In general, that seems to work well.

The problem is that he can't go there all day and miss too much class time. We have found that recently he has become more sensitive to noise and things that he used to be able to tolerate, are now difficult for him. He goes out a few times a week with a small group for enrichment but other than that he is in the main classroom. The shadow has told me that sometimes when he complains about the nose, she agrees it is a bit loud but sometimes it's just the regular sounds of lots of kids in a classroom. It is a big class with 28 kids in it.

We don't doubt that the regular noise is in fact disturbing to him but are having difficulty figuring out how to help him. Plus, now that they are towards the end of the year (he's in grade 3), the workload is a bit heavier and more challenging so I imagine that when he tries to concentrate, even a little noise is difficult for him.

Has anyone else dealt with this and found a solution that worked well for their child?

[elliput]

DD has a pair of ear muffs which she keeps at her desk for times like this.

[BDKmom]

I will preface this with saying that I have no experience with ASD, but I'm an audiologist, and the first thought that came to me was ear plugs. Would he be able to wear some type of noise reduction device (in-ear plugs or over-the-ear muffs) to dampen the sound for times when he is needing to concentrate on his work? Or even for when he needs quiet time, without having to remove himself to another place. I know that different people have different tolerances for having something in/on their ears, but if he would tolerate wearing them, might me something to consider.

Hope you can find something that helps. I'm sure that's frustrating for him.

[crl]

Peltor noise blocking headphones may help. I would check to make sure he can still hear the teacher though.

I would also look at trying to reduce the noise level in the classroom. Tennis balls on the bottoms of the chair legs if the floor is a hard surface can make a big difference for relatively little effort and money. There are other noise reducing strategies like drapes on windows, carpet on floor, etc. There are even higher tech things that get used in theaters and restaurants and such. Sometimes keeping doors and/or windows closed can reduce the noise coming in from outside the classroom and help. Even small reductions in those kinds of noise can help because as the ambient noise level goes up, the kids will get louder too and it adds up.

You might also see about a retreat in the classroom? A small padded area that muffles the noise might allow him to stay in the room?

If the kids talking is part of the noise, one strategy is to give them all gum. It's amazing how quiet a room full of kids will get if you give them all gum. And these are old enough for it not to be a choking hazard. Sugar free of course.

Finally, is there any particular noise that's an issue? I know when my ds got moved into a temporary trailer classroom because of construction in the main school building, the air conditioning and heat were LOUD. Most of the (typically developing) kids learned to ignore it quickly, but ds jumped every time it came on. If you can pinpoint a particular noise you may be able to eliminate it or find some way to address the particular situation.

Hope that helps,
Catherine

[hillview]

have you observed the classroom? I observed DS2's classroom and it was CRAZY loud. Not just for a SN child but for ME. The school addressed it by helping the teachers get it under control etc.

[mikeys_mom]

Thanks everyone for the ideas. We did try the headphones earlier in the year but he ended up playing around with them too much so stopped. However, that was before we had the shadow in with him so maybe it's worth trying again as she can help guide him how to use them appropriately.

As for the noise level, the shadow has told me that there are times when it is very loud and the class is chaotic even for the other kids. For example, French class. The teacher is really bad, has no control and just screams at the kids. I'm dealing with that through the principal. But, the majority of the time, it isn't particularly loud but he seems extra sensitive to certain sounds.

They already have the tennis balls under the chairs. I'll have to look into the option of setting up a muffled area for him in the classrom.

Thanks again for all the ideas. I'm meeting with the school and shadow next week so it will be good to have some ideas to suggest.