Sounds being a part and parcel of our day to day life, we should learn to control it especially in a learning environment while dealing with an autistic child with sensory problems. Sound can be both a blessing and bane for an autistic child. As every autistic child is different from the other, you should keenly observe what type of reactions are produced by each individual under auditory sensory stimulation.
Frightening and loud sounds of our routine daily activities hurt the growth process and are the most difficult type of sensory stimulation in an autistic child. You can never teach an autistic child by threatening or frightening. Even during toilet training the child may be scared by the sound of toilet flushing which can be over powering. You can try a potty seat a little away from the actual toilet till they are accustomed to it. Another illustration is the local and crunchy foods.
Find out if the autistic child is a picky eater and observe specifically which food he or she blatantly refuses to eat. Loud sounds of food in the mouth while crunching can hurt the ears of the autistic child. The remedy for your autistic child will be to give alternative soft foods in the place of crunchy carrots, apples or potato chips. The loud sound of the vacuum cleaner can also hurt the ears of the autistic child. If necessary carry out these activities while the child is not in the room or provide ear plugs for the use of the child when the surroundings grow too loud.
Sounds can also cause fixation. A few children always hum and appear fixated on the sights and sounds of lawn mowers. You can use this fixation for their benefit by reading stories of lawn mowers and using the humming along with a song. Music teaches the autistic child in a great way as sound is a form of nonverbal communication. Parents and teachers should definitely use this tool in a learning environment. See particularly that sound works for you and your child. You can surely and beneficially help the child by catering to his specific requirements since autism is a difficult disorder to cope with. You can thus enable the autistic child learn to manage the sounds of every day existence.
