Adhd And Sound Sensitivity

Hypersensitivity #: Being Hugged

I hate being hugged by 99 percent of people. Thankfully, the one percent consists of my husband and son. Some of my friends think this distaste for physical affection is because I grew up in Europe. Its not but I let them think so, because cultural aversion sounds better than neuro-biological disorder aversion.

Whether it be sound or touch, several items on this list come down to sensory processing. There are some studies about sensory processing issues in children with ADHD, but not much is known about the exact relationship between the two. We do know that people with ADHD have a higher incidence of sensory processing disorder. Whatever the cause, do not force a child with ADHD to hug anyone. Come to think of it, do not force a child without ADHD to hug anyone. Lets all just mind our own bodies. You might love embracing, but I dont, and both are OK. Were just humans trying to do our best. Doesnt that acceptance feel good? Great. Lets not hug it out.

Coping With Hypersensitivity In Adhd

While hypersensitivity and heightened emotions can feel like a burden at times, you can learn techniques to help you cope and use these traits to your advantage. People with ADHD are often very creative and empathetic, characteristics that can be big assets in our society.

Awareness and understanding of these sensitivities that are often associated with ADHD is a good first stepas is recognizing that they are part of your disorder, rather than you simply being overly emotional. This can help you avoid unnecessary and unconstructive self-criticism.

What Causes Auditory Sensitivity

Auditory sensitivity, or auditory hypersensitivity, to sounds can occur for a number of reasons. Sometimes the hearing sensitivity occurs because of a medical condition . Or, there may be a structural problem within the ear itself. It can also occur as a side effect of some medications. If this is the case, then the child or adult will need to seek further support from relevant medical professionals. In this case, it would not be correct to consider the sensitivity as a sensory processing issue.

When there is no medical reason to explain the auditory sensitivity, researchers think that the brain is not processing sounds adequately. Researchers suggest that the part of the brain that receives and filters noise and sound is working differently. They think the brain pays more attention to sounds than it needs to. It also has difficulty ignoring background sounds. Lets call this part of the brain the sensory traffic controller.

Read Also: What Does Autism Spectrum Mean

Understand Your Childs Sensory Patterns

If you are based in the UK and your child is aged between 5-12, an online sensory assessment can help you to understand if your child experiences sensory sensitivities.

The assessment will help you to understand if the behaviours you are seeing are because of an underlying sensory need, such as auditory sensitivity. You can use the summary report to know what you can do to help your child.

You can complete the form online, and Kim will have the summary and suggestions back to you within 10 workings days of submission. to learn how you can start helping your child today with an online sensory assessment.

Holistic Treatment Options For Hypersensitivity

There are a variety of treatment options to help manage hypersensitivity.

Nutrient-rich foods can help to keep emotions regulated.

Therapy can help with negative thought patterns and behaviors. Over time, this can change overall habits, and one will react differently when confronted with triggering situations.

Research suggests that exercise can help to manage ADHD symptoms.

• Meditation

Meditation and mindfulness have been shown to impact mental health positively. These practices can decrease the intensity of emotional reactions and reduce impulsive behavior.

It is recalled that adults get 7-8 hours of sleep this will vary depending on the individual. However, lack of sleep can negatively affect how your brain controls emotions and sensations.

You May Like: Can You Claim Benefits For A Child With Autism

Links Between Adhd & Hypersensitivity

Just as we have trouble filtering what goes out, says Hallowell, who has ADHD himself, we have trouble filtering what comes in. I cant back this up with research, but in my clinical experience, and in my own life, it seems that we tend to let things get to us. We take on the experiences of others very quickly, as the insect on the leaf that takes on the color of the leaf.

Maté explains that, if individuals with ADHD are born with a high level of sensitivity, it takes less stimulation for them to feel more overwhelmed, especially in distracting environments and dynamic conversations. Plus, the more sensitive we are, the more likely well feel pain. Emotional pain and physical pain are experienced in the same part of the brain, he says.

Many of us have discovered positive things about living with ADHD, and a high level of sensitivity may also be used to our advantage. But like ADHD, hypersensitivity must be managed and controlled to let the positive aspects creativity, empathy, and depth of perception shine through. Ive learned to do this, and so can you.

Adhd And Sensory Processing

People with ADHD often display a strong aversion or reaction to various things, which can stem from an inherent personality characteristic or neurological disorder . Although researchers have hypothesized that perhaps as much as 20% of the general population show traits of high sensitivity, ADHD individuals are at an even great risk, according to multiple clinical studies.1,2

You May Like: How To Interact With Autistic Adults

Adhd Noise Sensitivity What Causes Noise Sensitivity

Besides the common signs and symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, many people with ADHD also experience hypersensitivity. Many stimuli like noise, touch, movement, odors, and light can be more challenging than usual, further aggravating this condition. Why is ADHD associated with noise sensitivity and other types of sensitivity? Read on, as this article covers possible causes and solutions to better cope with these sensitivities.

What causes hypersensitivity?

In some cases, individuals with ADHD are hypersensitive. They feel and react stronger to noise or other sensitivities. In other cases, there is hyposensitivity, as they have lower reactions to these stimuli. According to research, hypo or hypersensitivity correlates with an increased ADHD score, and more women are affected than men with ADHD.

In the same way, ADHD is linked with emotional sensitivity, this condition is also associated with physical hypersensitivity. Minor noises from air conditioners, a ticking clock, dripping taps, clicking pens, or bark from the neighbors dog can trigger an overwhelming response. The brain seems to be unable to filter and properly process this information. Every noise and sensation is felt more intensely, leading to irritability, mood swings, hyperactivity, and other signs of ADHD. This noise hypersensitivity is medically known as misophonia.

The bottom line is that a major underlying cause of hypersensitivity is elevated stress and anxiety.

Adhd Symptom Spotlight: Sound Sensitivity

Rachael is a New York-based writer and freelance writer for Verywell Mind, where she leverages her decades of personal experience with and research on mental illnessparticularly ADHD and depressionto help readers better understand how their mind works and how to manage their mental health.

Claire Eggleston, LMFT-Associate is a neurodivergent therapist and specializes in and centers on the lived experiences of autistic and ADHD young adults, many of whom are also in the queer and disability communities. She prioritizes social justice and intertwines community care into her everyday work with clients.

• How to Manage Sound Sensitivity

ADHD Symptom Spotlight is a series that dives deep into a hallmark or overlooked symptom of ADHD each week. This series is written by experts who also share their tips on managing these symptoms based on firsthand experience and research-backed insights.

Sound sensitivity is one of many sensory issues that can affect a person whose ADHD brain struggles to filter out irrelevant sensory input to focus only on the details and information that matter.

If any of those sounds also trigger physical or emotional pain, it can be even harder to tune them out and focus your attention on the task at hand.

You May Like: What Are The Different Types Of Autism

Invest In A Good Pair Of Noise

Since so many of the sounds that trigger sound sensitivity are frustratingly commonplace, one of the best ways to get through daily life is to keep a pair of noise-canceling headphones with you at all times.

Telling your coworkers to leave the office when eating lunch might not be a reasonable accommodation for your disability, but listening to music on your headphones while working to shut out the sound should be.

For people with hyperacusis, wearing noise-canceling headphones is a good way to dampen external noises enough that they dont feel painfully loud while still being able to hear people talking to you.

I often wear them while working because they not only tune out triggering sounds but quiet the other random environmental noises that can easily pull my attention away from work. Its like manually installing a filter to compensate for my brains inability to filter out sensory input.

What Is An Example Of Hypersensitivity

Prior to discovering my hypersensitivity, I perceived my overly emotional responses as a character flaw. My mom would say, Why cant you get on an even keel? As a child, I didnt have an answer. This added to my already-low self-esteem.

Recognizing their high sensitivity can help people stop feeling bad about themselves, says Aron.

A friend, Denise, diagnosed with ADHD at age eight, had a similar childhood to mine. My parents would say, You need to toughen up. Dont be so sensitive. Dont be so influenced by what others think about you,’ says Denise. I still find, as an adult, that if Im fighting with peers, I immediately take their words and gestures to heart. Im too quick to accept the nasty things they may be saying about me.

Denise is sensitive to environmental noise. I need to get into a forest or a quiet place every once in awhile to calm myself down. I am also overwhelmed by the constant flow of information we are bombarded with these days.

Psychologist and ADHD coach Michele Novotni, Ph.D., says she sees higher levels of physical sensitivities and emotional reactivity in her ADHD clients than in the general population. She told me about a client whose manager made an unkind, unfair remark at work. A person without ADHD may have let the words bounce off of him, but her client, who has a high level of sensitivity, ended up in tears.

Recommended Reading: Jobs Good For Autistic Adults

You Can Help Children And Adults Who Experience Auditory Sensitivity By

• Firstly, you must understand that their responses are driven by the sensory traffic controller in their brain. The childs responses are not naughty or a difficult behaviour. They are having difficulty processing the sounds that they are hearing in the environment

• Have ear defenders or noise cancelling headphones available for the child to use in situations that might be noisier

• Give the child extra time between instructions and also more time before you repeat instructions to avoid auditory overload

• Completing heavy workactivities with the child prior to going into noisy environments if youre not familiar with heavy work, we give some examples in our article The Mystery of Heavy Work

• Reduce the sound distractions in the environment when they need to work and focus, this could be by turning distractions off or using headphones

• Supporting overall sensory regulationthroughout the day

Hypersensitivity #: Getting Angry At My Clothing

When I am having a bad ADHD day, I become enraged by my clothing, usually around 4 or 5 PM. I get especially angry at my pants. The fabric doesnt matter, nor does the size, cut, or color. Its just the pants having the audacity to be pants on me. I have ripped off clothing and thrown it into the trash in a fit of rage. Luckily never in public.

Research shows that the level of tactile sensitivity is higher in women with ADHD than in men with ADHD. This sensory over-responsivity in ADHD is associated with anxiety as well, and if you live with this, you didnt need a study to tell you that.

There is no magic fix, but your child is not just trying to be difficult when he rejects shirt after shirt as youre trying to get out the door on time in the morning. I often said that phrase to my own kid before I knew any of this, even as I had theexact same issues. I feel guilt over this, but to quote the inimitable Oprah Winfrey: When you know better, you do better.

For now, the only fix I can offer is, first and foremost, to show empathy to your kid and to yourself. Find an article of clothing that works and buy the crap out of it. Ride the trend of environmental-sustainability-gone-chic and wear the same shirt every day if its the only thing that works.

You May Like: How To Get Tested For Autism

Put On Music Or Tv To Drown Out Triggering Sounds

Volume isnt really an issue for misophonia, so one way to handle a triggering sound is to cover it with something that doesnt bother you.

Watch TV during meals to mask the sounds of chewing and swallowing. Put on music in the car to drown out the sound of the car engine. Put on headphones to listen to music or a podcast while vacuuming or mopping.

Why Is The Adhd Brain More Sensitive

You know that experience where you are thinking something that you know you shouldnt say, you tell yourself, definitely dont say that. Then before you even finish that quick admonition, the words are out of your mouth? We often say that’s due to a lack of filter. And its easy to see that lack of filter on things coming out of the ADHD brain- the interruptions, the sudden outbursts, and the awkward jokes.

But, not having a filter on things going out also means there isnt a filter on things coming in either. So everything comes into awareness- every noise, every sight, every sound, and every feeling.Neurotypical brains can adapt to sensory information. So if they’re wearing a watch, lets say, they may be aware of it for a moment after, but they soon stop registering that its there. The same happens for noises, smells, and other sensations- the brain tunes out consistent information to attend to more important things. The ADHD brain isnt so great at this. It doesnt filter out that extra info it all just keeps streaming in, picking up on every detail and piling one on top of another until the system is completely overloaded.

Read Also: How To Use Epsom Salt Baths Toddlers Autism

Intellectual Property Software And Content

The intellectual property rights in all software and content made available to you on or through this Website remains the property of earlabs.co/dbud or its licensors and are protected by copyright laws and treaties around the world. All such rights are reserved by earlabs.co/dbud and its licensors. You may store, print and display the content supplied solely for your own personal use. You are not permitted to publish, manipulate, distribute or otherwise reproduce, in any format, any of the content or copies of the content supplied to you or which appears on this Website nor may you use any such content in connection with any business or commercial enterprise.

You shall not modify, translate, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble or create derivative works based on any software or accompanying documentation supplied by earlabs.co/dbud or its licensors. The dBud name and logo are trademarks belonging to earlabs.co/dbud. No license or consent is granted to you to use these marks in any way, and you agree not to use these marks or any marks which are colourably similar without the written permission of earlabs.co/dbud.

Delivery costs will be charged in addition such additional charges are clearly displayed where applicable and included in the Total Cost.

Auditory Overload Can Cause A Fight Flight Freeze Response

Your sensory traffic controller receives sensory messages, like sound, and directs them to the part of the brain that needs to process them. It is also responsible for keeping your body safe. Sometimes it will trigger an automatic safety response called a fight, flight or freeze response. This response is a protective mechanism designed to keep you safe.

An example is when you make jump if you hear an unexpected sound. The sensory traffic controller tunes in to help us locate and identify the sound. It also makes us instantly more alert if we hear our head teachers or managers voice. Researchers think this part of the brain processes sounds differently in children and adults who are overwhelmed by sounds, noise or audio sensory inputs.

Auditory overload often occurs when there are too many sounds happening at the same time. Or, if the noise is at a certain frequency. In addition, the brain can also become overwhelmed by noise which has occurred over a period of time.

Recommended Reading: How To Know If Your Child Has Autism

Learn How Sounds Impact Your Loved One

One of the benefits of each client completing a Moore Auditory-Visual Questionnaire is its impact on relationships. Each question opens the door of communication. You will learn the intensity of your loved ones response to sounds. Each pre-questionnaire observation activity helps you look at your loved ones behaviors with a new perspective.

When you stop to observe your loved one with intention, you gain a whole new understanding of their world. Our auditory and visual observation booklets are full of fun activities and purposeful play teaching you what to observe and how to observe.