noise canceling headphones?

[mamashark]

So I may be dense, but I recently found out that "noise canceling" headphones can mean canceling background noise without canceling all noise and after having the recommendation made for 2 of my kids, I'm trying to figure it out now as an option to help improve focus when background noise is present.  Do any of you use headphones like this? Which do you like? How do they work for you?

[PeterPan]

Bose, pricey but work. Where do you want to use them? Is this for APD? Fm would be common. Have you tried ADHD meds?

[mamashark]

Bose, pricey but work. Where do you want to use them? Is this for APD? Fm would be common. Have you tried ADHD meds?

 

My husband recommended Bose too...

 

DD9 is 2E- gifted and adhd, although the OT disagrees and says it's not ADHD, but rather SPD. We had bad experiences with meds for the adhd and better experiences with OT and high doses of Omega 3 as prescribed by her Dr. I wonder if the headphones would be helpful when she's working on her schoolwork at home. (the OT recommended them to us)

 

DS4 - OT that DD sees also recommended them for him for use when we go to the store. We are awaiting evals for him so no official diagnosis.

[summerreading]

So I may be dense, but I recently found out that "noise canceling" headphones can mean canceling background noise without canceling all noise and after having the recommendation made for 2 of my kids, I'm trying to figure it out now as an option to help improve focus when background noise is present.  Do any of you use headphones like this? Which do you like? How do they work for you?

 

How old are your kids? I have used a wide range of noise canceling headphones for work. Make sure when you research them that the noise canceling is not coming from a noise that the headphones produce. Some say they are noise canceling but just have a switch for white noise, which I find distracting.

I think how old your kids are would be a big factor in the price you want to spend. My kids destroy headphones and I would only consider buying something higher end for a teen.

[prairiewindmomma]

We *just* got them for my teen.  I find them really annoying as he cannot hear me anymore when I am trying to talk to him.  :lol:

He chooses to pipe in music over bluetooth.

[Guest]

Some tips I thought you might find useful from Temple Grandin's website.

"NOISE SENSITIVITES

The child can wear headphones or earplugs when he/she goes in a noisy place. However, it is important to never wear the headphones or earplugs all day. This will make your child more sensitive to sound. The earphones or earplugs must be off for at least half the day.

Children with autism, sensory processing disorders, ADHD and many other disorders, will tolerate loud sounds more easily if they initiate or have control of exposure to the sound. If a child cannot tolerate being in a noisy supermarket, let him/her control the amount of time spent in the supermarket. If he/she fears the smoke alarm, take an old smoke alarm and wrap it up in a towel and let the child turn it on. Gradually he/she may be able to tolerate it with less and less towels wrapped around it. Another approach is to put the dreaded sounds on a recording device. In some cases, this may not work because some electronic audio formats are compressed and do not provide a high fidelity recording. A very high fidelity recording is needed. If a high quality recording is available, the child can turn it on all by him/herself at gradually increasing volume. It is essential that the child has control"

http://www.templegrandin.com/faq.html

I use the process of desensitization, so the times we have actually used noise canceling headphones are very few. We do not have OT yet as we are waiting on the new evals. Since you have OT, he/she is probably already working on desensitization. I just wanted to point out the caution on how long to use them, in case you were not given guidelines on that.

Hope all works well :)

Edited August 14, 2017 by Guest

[mamashark]

Some tips I thought you might find useful from Temple Grandin'so website.

 

"NOISE SENSITIVITES

 

The child can wear headphones or earplugs when he/she goes in a noisy place. However, it is important to never wear the headphones or earplugs all day. This will make your child more sensitive to sound. The earphones or earplugs must be off for at least half the day.

 

Children with autism, sensory processing disorders, ADHD and many other disorders, will tolerate loud sounds more easily if they initiate or have control of exposure to the sound. If a child cannot tolerate being in a noisy supermarket, let him/her control the amount of time spent in the supermarket. If he/she fears the smoke alarm, take an old smoke alarm and wrap it up in a towel and let the child turn it on. Gradually he/she may be able to tolerate it with less and less towels wrapped around it. Another approach is to put the dreaded sounds on a recording device. In some cases, this may not work because some electronic audio formats are compressed and do not provide a high fidelity recording. A very high fidelity recording is needed. If a high quality recording is available, the child can turn it on all by him/herself at gradually increasing volume. It is essential that the child has control"

 

http://www.templegrandin.com/faq.html

 

I use the process of desensitization, so the times we have actually used noise canceling headphones are very few. We do not have OT yet as we are waiting on the new evals. Since you have OT, he/she is probably already working on desensitization. I just wanted to point out the caution on how long to use them, in case you were not given guidelines on that.

 

Many people have used them with success, but in our case, we moved to the country to avoid city sounds so canceling them out when we are in the city would not serve my kids well long term. Different situation :)

 

Hope all works well :)

 

 

Thanks for this information - If we choose to get the headphones they would only be used for very specific situations as needed!

[PeterPan]

Honestly, most people I see who are out and about with headphones in public places are not using active canceling but regular, and the kids are on the spectrum. So if you actually need that for your 4 yo, I would be wanting some deeper evals pronto, not just MD/OT. 

 

Here's the thing I'm having trouble sorting out. What are you trying to block? My dd needs a limited distraction environment to work and has some borderline APD issues. She does well in a private office. She wears noise canceling earbuds that are maybe $20 on amazon, and she plays music. The only time she uses the Bose headphones is on planes, in overtly noisy, VERY noisy environments, and that's because she gets migraines, like out and out vomiting migraines, from the noise.

 

So you're trying to sort out whether the issue is distraction ($20 solution and a limited distraction environment) or APD or ASD or what, kwim? 

 

Even when they talk about using headphones for ASD, it's really meant to be a limited thing, not all the time. And to need that every day in a home, I don't know. I'm just saying I would get that sorted out. 

 

Also, these are exceptional. If the person in question can wear them, they're pretty good. Not good enough for a jet plane, but they're better than others I've tried. They're very soft and kinda small, which would help them fit in children's ears. I would *not* expect the dc to be able to hear you. If there's something really bugging him, say the a/c unit in a hotel, these might be enough.

Mack's Ear Care Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs, 50 Pair

 

I really like the Bose headphones for planes, but with long use I still get headaches. For me personally, I think maybe I'm somewhat sensitive to the active canceling noise. That's all I can figure. 

 

Most people I see giving headphones to kids are using the $14 kind you buy at walmart or the hunting store, you know the cute blue ones. Not active noise canceling or anything fancy. I wouldn't let my ds8 near my Bose headphones, mercy.

 

Edited May 13, 2017 by OhElizabeth

[Dmmetler]

The Pelnor kids ones aren't noise canceling, but seem to be pretty good at muting sounds outside the speech range. This was good for DD when she was younger for things like plane trips, when I was vacuuming, or other mechanical sounds that seemed to send her sensory system into overdrive. At age 2, her response to sounds was extreme enough to lead to having her evaluated (she would have a meltdown at the sight of a vacuum cleaner because the sound hurt her so much), and having those pink earmuffs where she could get them averted a lot of meltdowns. At 12, she probably hasn't needed them in several years-desensitization works.

[Pegs]

DS has earmuffs to ward off sensory overload for specific situations. Nothing fancy, though.

 

He keeps them in his backpack whilst out and about, and I check in with him about when it might be a good idea to put them on and take a break.

 

If we need to speak, I signal to him to please expose one ear, and we keep conversation short and concise.

[Guest]

My kids have tick marks from this checklist:

 

 

"Below are red flags for hypo and hyper sensitivity to noise:

 

Fear of sounds from hair or hand dryers, vacuums, flushing toilets, etc

Overreaction to loud or unexpected sounds (covering ears, crying, running away, aggression)

Annoyed or distracted by sounds most of us either don’t notice or become used to such as fans, clocks, refrigerators, outside traffic, etc

Becomes upset with others for being too loud (but are often times very loud themselves)

Prefers to keep television, radio, or music very loud

Dislikes noisy places such as malls, movie theaters, parades, fairs, etc…

Enjoys making noise just to make noise

Doesn’t respond promptly to name being called

Needs you to repeat yourself often or doesn’t seem to understand what you said

Unable to recognize where sound is coming from

 

It’s important to note that terms related to auditory processing are not always defined consistently. While auditory hyper and hypo sensitivities could be considered an auditory processing disorder (since they refer to a dysfunction in the processing of sound), this term is commonly used to describe dysfunction in the brain’s ability to translate sounds. Central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), now commonly referred to as simply auditory processing disorder (APD), is when normal hearing is present, yet the brain has difficulty interpreting what it hears. Symptoms of this condition can look similar to auditory hyper and especially hypo sensitivities in many ways, yet key symptoms include difficulty with interpretation of sounds or language, speech delay, and difficulty learning to read. In this instance, an audiologist will help identify the issue and may refer to a speech and language pathologist for treatment."

 

Found here:

http://nspt4kids.com/parenting/understanding-sensory-processing-disorder-auditory-system/

 

This does NOT describe my kids whatsoever:

 

"Three Disorders in One

Jack Katz, M.D., a pioneer in the field of auditory processing disorder, says that APD comprises three distinct conditions that often overlap but may occur in isolation.

 

Sound discrimination problems. When children learn to talk, they mimic the sounds they hear to produce speech. A child with APD may not speak clearly, using similar (“dat†instead of “thatâ€; “free†instead of “threeâ€) rather than exact sounds long after peers have corrected themselves. Typically, children with faulty sound discrimination will run words together and drop word endings and unemphasized syllables when speaking. Reading and spelling may also be affected.

 

Auditory memory problems. This part of the disorder makes it difficult for a child to memorize numbers and facts, and also affects his reading and language skills. Children with auditory memory problems typically take longer to learn their telephone numbers and addresses, and have difficulty remembering basic math facts. Verbal instructions and lists are similarly tough to retain.

 

Language processing problems. This component of APD is the most troublesome. It affects a child’s abilities to understand what’s being asked of him and to socialize with peers. A child with this cognitive glitch has trouble taking oral tests and becomes confused when reading and telling stories with lots of characters and events. He will often pass up a chance to hold a conversation because of the time it takes to process words being spoken and to formulate responses."

 

Found here:

https://www.additudemag.com/a-labor-to-listen-is-it-adhd-or-apd/

 

Big difference! My kids have *never had* articulation issues or sound discrimination issues, learned alphabet with sounds (8 yr old by age 2, 13 yr old by age 2 1/2 in *two languages*). Neither has issues carrying on conversations in noisy places. 8 yr old would still respond to directions even while covering his ears with background noise he found irritating.

 

ETA: 8 yr old no longer covers his ears.

 

One cannot assume what someone else's child may be dealing with simply based on a few words in a post. There's a difference between auditory over-sensitivity as part of SPD and APD. The OP has not shared anything here that would make what her children are experiencing to appear as CAPD.

Edited May 14, 2017 by Guest

[MistyMountain]

I like the peltor ones. The adult ones are adjustable and fit my kids. They are affordable and very comfortable and they do make it easier to concentrate in background noise but they can still hear you.