Sensory Issues: Hearing

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For anyone diagnosed ASD with hyper-reactivity to sound as your sensory issue, can you describe it? Do you have anything that sounds like what I put up with? Interested in particular in tinnitus and hyperacusis.

I have extreme sensitivity to sounds, even ones it seems no one else hears. Being in a place where people talk loud, e.g. restaurants, is like driving glass shards through my ears- it can get me agitated to the point where I might leave or otherwise blow up. I must wear ear plugs esp on the train so I don’t have to hear everyone on their phones/media devices (tho plugs can only really dull sounds). There are certain sounds that make me momentarily nauseous, and others that stand out in a cacophony. 5 yrs ago I went to an ENT and audiologist for what turned out to be middle ear tinnitus (MEM- apparently very rare) in my right ear, and was told my ability to hear very high frequency and very low frequency tones is outstanding.

Yes, that would be pretty close to how I'd describe my hearing. I haven't had a hearing test since childhood, but I'm certain that I can hear frequencies beyond the typical range - in fact, sounds at these extreme frequencies are often among the most uncomfortable ones, especially very low frequency throbbing sounds.

My sound sensitivity can vary. When I'm very hyper-focused/dissociated, I can get so that I'm not aware of the sounds (or anything else) around me at all. But mostly, I feel like I'm relentlessly bombarded by noise, and the sound of human voices can be a particularly strong trigger. If I'm exposed to a noisy environment for too long, I start to lose the ability to tell what's making the sounds; they have no meaning to me any more, and just become a wall of noise that seems to be closing in on me. I can even get that feeling sometimes from just a single, quiet noise - on a very quiet night, a dog barking or car alarm going off blocks away could have me crawling the walls if I didn't block it out or mask it. Sound sensitivity is one of the biggest factors contributing to shut-downs and/or melt-downs for me.

I can tolerate loud sounds sometimes, though. I used to play in punk bands and go to gigs pretty regularly when I was younger. I think my brain just makes an exception for music for some reason - during the more social parts, I'd struggle just as much as usual. On the other hand, I can't stand background music when I'm trying to do anything else but listen to it - even if I've chosen the music myself, I can't concentrate on another task with it playing.

I also produce very little sound. I know very few people who can creep around so quietly as me (I often make people jump because they don't realise I'm there), I never bang a door when I close it, I know exactly where all the creaky floorboards in the house are, etc...

Kind of similar here, though maybe not identical. I haven't fully characterised the type of sounds that drive me up the wall, but they include a lot of things in the high frequency range. A lot of modern devices give out bleeps that upset me. I can cope with most microwave ovens that just bleep once, but these days a lot of them bleep 5 times when the timer is done, and I always find myself racing to the power socket to disconnect it after the first bleep. Seat belt alarms bother me too. Squealing children (they can be pretty piercing and awful to most people I suppose). Those construction vehicles and mobility scooters that repeatedly bleep when they reverse, my first reaction was to wonder what kind of sadistic moron thought that was better than to just tell people to use common sense. Car alarms cut through me. That "vocal fry" that people do a lot these days irritates me a lot, and any kind of percussiveness or high pitch in a voice. There's probably a lot more examples of hostile sound sources.

The effect they have is to "grate on my nerves." I can't put it more accurately. I end up feeling kind of inflamed inside. No headaches, no tinnitus, no actual pain, I just feel horribly inflamed, and worst of all, I simply can't think, it wrecks my concentration.

I am autistic and I have high-pitched bilateral tinnitus (for over a decade) as well as hyperacusis and misophonia. I am extremely sensitive to certain sounds, but not necessarily the louder ones. I'm often OK with the loud noises which bother other people, but soft sounds can drive me mad. I have a visceral, almost violent reaction to some sounds (especially "crinkle", like plastic snack food packaging --I literally cannot tolerate the sound, and I'll want to hit something). Chewing? Styrofoam rubbing? Cutlery on dishes? NOOOO. I had a tiny squeak in a new car which couldn't be identified, and I had to return the car losing almost the entire purchase price in doing so. Quiet radio or television in a waiting room gets me very agitated because subconsciously, I strain to hear it even when I don't want to.

I've had hearing tests which say I have issues at certain ranges but I can't remember what they are, and I haven't considered any type of implant or hearing aid / sound masker. I spend most of my days in total silence at home.

I think I have intermittent 'lazy' hearing. I base that on the fact that sometimes it's hard to make out what characters on tv shows are saying .

I've just tried

https://www.amplifon.com/uk/online-hearing-test

My result - 10/10

squeaks and rattles in quiet cars drive me batty, always have. but i was in an old store the other day, with a somewhat antiquated and underdamped HVAC system in operation which emitted a solid 25 cycle per second tone which resonated throughout the store, i found it strangely tranquilizing, calming, actually a friendly sound. it literally shook the air somewhat, like a massage on my skin. it was the sonic equivalent for me, of sleeping with a heavy blanket.

so for those of you diagnosed, was hearing your main sensory issue? Or a secondary issue?

i can't handle intense sounds so i guess hearing but i also can't handle bright lights.

For me the sound is near painful and depending on my stress level, I am unable to filter any of it out. I seem to hear everything all at once and it feels like my mind is going to break because I can't possibly process it all in time so it like an assault. However, that's when I'm at high stress. At low stress it is just hard for me to filter and I tend to hear things others can't which is really annoying. It goes from being very painful to just annoying or slightly painful.