Any advice to minimise the noises my child makes?

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annie2
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19 Sep 2007, 9:30 pm

We have a 7 year old boy, diagnosed as high-spectrum AS. At school he generally blends in not too badly with other students, but does tend to be a loner. The thing that does make him stand out is the loud noises he makes from time to time. Sometimes it is just loud behaviour, and other times it is loud hooting and noises, which make the other kids not want to be around him. He is like that at home sometimes too, and doesn't seem to be able to quieten down even if we repeatedly tell him to. He seems to have patches of being louder. I thought it had calmed down a lot in the first six months of the year, but now we are back to having "loud sessions" again. Does anyone know what triggers the loudness and anything we can work on to try and minimise it? I have tried searching the Internet, but the main thing that comes up is Aspie's reacting to loud noises, but nothing really about them making them. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.



crzymom
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19 Sep 2007, 10:12 pm

my 13 yo is constantly making what we call "sound effects" Sometimes he does it in church and I have to remind him that it's not acceptable. I remember he made lots of random noises at about the same age as your son, at the time I just thought it was part of his quirky personality. There may not be much to do except to remind him of when it's appropriate. During recess for example, or to make a whole bunch before he leaves for school, although that won't totally get it out of his system.
I used to wonder if my son had a hearing problem because he spoke so loudly, but he could hear tiny noises and I realized that it didn't have anything to do with his ears. After years and years of asking him to lower his voice several times a day, I think we might be making progress. Just hang in there, be patient. Maybe you could make a secret sign, like touching your nose when he does it when he's with you to let him know he's being noisy, and his teacher could do the same thing if he\she is subtle enough. Good luck!



SoccerFreak
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19 Sep 2007, 10:46 pm

he may be hyposentive to noise, or just not realise how loud he is being, a common problem for AS children.

If he is hyposensitive to noise (seeks out loud noises) then let him have a CD player or something to listen to. Or if it's not that just keep reminding him to use his "indoor voice".


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laplantain
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19 Sep 2007, 11:59 pm

Since lots of various behaviors bubble up when our son is overwhelmed/overstimulated, I would suggest trying to teach him how to regulate himself with proprioceptive input- deep pressure, stretching, lifting, pushing, or pulling, any kind of input to the muscles and joints that will help his brain process whatever it is that is getting jumbled.
Our OT said that whatever kind of sensory overstimulation it is- auditory, visual, etc., physical work seems to be the one kind of input that helps regulate it.

The next time he does this at home, ask him if he wants you to roll him up in a blanket (like a burrito) and just roll him across the floor a few times. We call it Pigs in a Blanket. Then see if that helps with the noises.



siuan
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20 Sep 2007, 12:36 am

I'm 29 years old and I still struggle with the need to make noise when stimulated by other noise. Sometimes I give in and do it. I'll just go AAH! lol My nemesis is the buzzer on the microwave. Much too loud, obnoxious and long for my taste.

Anyhow, my daughter does this. She invents all kinds of noises, some quite interesting. If this is a pattern in your son, see if you can identify anything that might be particularly stressful right now. I do notice that my daughter will do this more when she is struggling with something else in life (boredom is a big factor, as is too much stimulation - balance is a big big factor we work for here).


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CeriseLy
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10 Oct 2007, 2:22 am

noise that comes from me i.e. my mouth moves across inside my head - maybe the noise is giving him a physical sensation of being stroked



Corsarzs
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10 Oct 2007, 6:33 am

annie2 wrote:
The thing that does make him stand out is the loud noises he makes from time to time. Sometimes it is just loud behaviour, and other times it is loud hooting and noises, He is like that at home sometimes too, and doesn't seem to be able to quieten down even if we repeatedly tell him to.


annie2, just a thought, not a diagnosis, are these noises accompanied by facial and body tics. Z, our 10 yr old, x ADHD and Aspergers is now also being considered for an additional dx of Tourette's syndrome.

I'm not saying this to upset or cause panic. It is just something that has come up with Z and I thought I'd pass it on. I realise that hoots, growls, snarls, whistles, screeches, etc. etc. are a very real part of bringing up an Aspie. One thing we have done with Z to try to control volume issues is ask him if he can hear himself. Often the answer is "NO". It is also part of his IEP this year, apparently not much success so far.

It will be a long process. The ideas the others have offered here are very good. I intend to try some I haven't done yet.

Good luck and keep in touch.


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