Family Experiences of Decreased Sound Tolerance in ASD.
Decreased sound tolerance locks autistic youth out of daily life; parents buy time with warnings, breaks, and avoidance, but they still need our help.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Farley et al. (2022) asked 88 parents of autistic youth to describe how everyday sounds affect their kids.
Parents listed the noises that set off ear-covering, yelling, or tears. They also shared the tricks they use to keep life moving.
What they found
Loud, sudden, or high-pitched sounds were the main triggers.
The most common parent moves are: warn the child ahead, give a quiet break, or skip noisy places altogether. Even with these tactics, sound issues still block full participation at home, school, and in the community.
How this fits with other research
Adams et al. (2025) widen the lens: coping self-efficacy and income lift parent quality of life, while daily stressors drag it down. E et al. fit right in—sound intolerance is one clear daily stressor that chips away at family life.
Laposa et al. (2017) asked special-ed teachers the same noise question. Teachers vote for thick walls and carpet. Parents in E et al. vote for warning, breaks, and escape. The two views dovetail: change the room and change the plan.
Rossow et al. (2021) show that in minimally verbal preschoolers, sensory hyper-reactivity links to internalizing symptoms. E et al. give the parent view of that same hyper-reactivity across all ages, keeping the story in the same sensory family.
Why it matters
You now have a parent-checked list of trigger sounds and go-to fixes. Pair these with teacher-approved room changes for a full-court press against noise. Start sessions by asking which sounds scare or anger your client, then build warning cues, break spots, and exit plans into the behavior plan. Small auditory tweaks can open bigger doors to school, parks, and stores.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Decreased sound tolerance (DST) is the most common sensory difficulty experienced by autistic individuals. Parents of 88 autistic children and young adults between the ages of 3 and 30 described coping strategies and physical and emotional responses used to deal with distressing sounds, and their impact on daily activities. Loud, sudden, and high-pitched sounds were most commonly endorsed as distressing, most often causing autistic children and young adults to cover their ears or yell, while producing stress, irritation, fear, and anxiety. Parents reported warning their child, providing breaks, or avoiding noisy settings as the most used coping strategies. Overall, findings indicate that DST leads to fewer opportunities for autistic children and young adults to participate at home, at school, and in the community. Further, results suggest hyperacusis, misophonia, and phonophobia, subtypes of DST, are present in autistic children and young adults.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2022 · doi:10.1152/jn.00142.2017