noise cancelling headphones | Autism PDD

I actually had good luck with a pair of noise-deadening headphones I
bought in the "riflery" dept. of m local sporting goods store for .99

We use them for air travel, near busses and shuttles w/loud brakes. public
restrooms, blenders, and vacuum cleaners.

I carried them everywhere I went until just recently. Miraculously my son's
ears seem to be getting a litlle less sensitive! We were in the hair salon, and
someone turned on a hairdryer--he didn't even notice!!!!!!!

But, boy, am I there with you on this one. I was considering the $$$ BOSE
ones myself. Try low-tech first. You'd be surprised. GOOD LUCK!There's a good website for Crutchfield electronics. My husband said they'd
be great to call because the specialized in audio equipment. If nothing else,
they can give you a start and then you can shop around for the best price. I
found their prices to be good.I have the Bose ones for myself - they are pretty expi and htey do work quite well - I think 250 and I won them in a contest ( which NEVER happens ) - and I would not have bought them for myself - but we often buy things for our kiddos that we would not get for ourselves Does Bose make some? I hear they work well but we have never tried them.Bose does make some, they are expensive, and they may only be good at cancelling out droning noise like an airplane engine makes.  My daughter flips out for loud sounds (how many ways can I say that fireworks are bad???) but also for high pitched sounds (like the whine of a fan or the whir of a refrigerator).  I'm wondering if there are headphones that address both the low end and high end sounds.  My husband braved the bus trip with her this morning and he still does not want to talk about it, it was that bad. No advice to give...we don't have public transportation in this neck of the woods lol.  I just want to say welcome to the boards.We did Tomais!He still has low auditory comprehension scores!1:8Swankyankee,
I"m so glad they helped! They have truly been a life saver for me, and have
made travel by train, shuttle, or air possible! My son just loves his, and he is
so relaxed, knowing there is a solution to his problem right in my purse at
all times.
I am curious about which brand you bought. I like the idea of the slimline
(ours are so bulky). Can you let me know, maybe I can find some new ones
online Thanks!

I'm a praccticing OT and I would highly recommend for your child to try Therapeutic Listening.  It is a good treatment that can assist with auditory hypersensitivities.  CAontact a local OT or look on the providers website at

Vitallinks.com

Hope this helps!

Allison

I am glad to hear that the the ear muffs worked out OK.

OK, time to admit that I have worn noise protective ear muffs on airplane flights.  I have been using the Peltor Bull's-Eye Shotgunner, which is not noise canceling and has no provision for adding music, similar to these. but they are slimline.  This URL points to Amazon.com.
Dad2Luke&Alan39313.975787037Everybody, thank you so much again for your replies.  Just wanted to say that I found noise reducing ear muffs at Sports Authority, good up to 26 DB, for .  They are slim, black, and not incredibly obvious.  They fit my daughter's head well, not too tight and not too big.  She rode the bus today without incident (not a hint of screaming banshee!)  and wore her ear muffs happily the whole way.  She was smiling and her whole body was relaxed.  And when she was outside next to a noisy train at the light rail station, she asked to wear the muffs again.  I am SO happy.  You guys are the best.  I never would have thought to look in the hunting department for help! ASK your ot or st about AIT! It does help out! This should keep them from covereing the ears anymore. MamaKat,
I bought the Allen Low Profile Shooter's Muffs. I couldn't find them online but I did find them in the store.  They look EXACTLY like the ones Dad2Luke&Alan mentioned (thanks for that link!).  My husband wants a pair for himself now, too.

I talked to my daughter's OT about her sensitivity to noise (she keeps telling me there are "noises in my ear").  Her OT is going to start some auditory training this week.  I hope that helps!

Be ready with those ear muffs! It is very common for auditory processing
and sensitivities to become even more disregulated at the very start of a
listening program. Let your OT know how she reacts, so she can plan her
next session accordingly. The disregulation usally disappears very quckly,
so don't be discouraged.

Hello, I'm a new member although I've been lurking on the boards for months.  What a great place to be, this place is so helpful.

I have an immediate concern - my daughter ( 4 years old, diangosed with ASD) is hypersensitive to sound.  We want her to be able to ride the city bus but she turns into a screaming banshee because of the noises it makes. 

Has anyone had any experience/luck with noise cancelling headphones and if so, which ones work best?  I don't care how bulky they look or how big they are, but they should be over-the-ear and be able to reduce low frequency (drones, bumps, thumps) and high frequency (brakes, hydraulics) noise.

Any advice would be very appreciated!
This info is from the web: Noise canceling ear phones work better from lower frequency noises.  The intent was for airplane travel since they is where folks with money are trying to listen to music.  They are supposed to work well on the husshing noise that planes make.  I would think that if all you are interested in is deadening sound w/o listening to something else a pair of ear protectors (such as used in shooting or on a noisy work place) would work just as well and be cheaper.   Maybe you should try those first.  Your DD might not want anything on her ears...

Here's a place that sells shooting gear
http://www.cabelas.com
Look for hearing protectors under accessories
straight hearing protectors
Hearing protectors with built in AM/FM radio (and jack for iPod)

These folks are a bit more politically correct -- they sell working gear:
http://www.duluthtrading.com/
look for protective accessories
hearing protectors with radio

Hope that this helps.

Dad2Luke&Alan39309.5230208333Thank you all so much for your replies and great suggestions.  I found muffs for car racing online at Sports Authority, so we'll go to the store this weekend and see how they work.  I read product reviews late last night that say the noise canceling earphones make a hissing sound, which won't work for us.  The passive noise reducers will probably be better...but my daughter might be freaked out enough by her first bus ride that she'll start to flip out when she sees the bus coming down the road.  Her OT is going to start some auditory training next week.  In the meantime, I'm going to research all of these leads! 
Thanks again!
hmm... i know this does not help, but figured its an interesting fact, ya know how these headphones cancel out some sounds?

All sound is is compression of air, it would be similar to waves on the ocean, when these waves hit your ears you sence it of course, these headphones also sence these waves and emit the opposite wave, resulting in little or no wave at all.do any of them cancel out all sounds. I need a pair hmmm.. im sure they can get pretty close, but i doubt any exist currently that can cancel out all sound, i suppose its possible, but unlikly, partly because they have to filter out multiple sounds, and so they can only handle so much canceling work at once, their will always be a little bit of backround noise eather from the headphones themselfs or from the environment.I use a pair of Noise Canceling Headphones which work really well. They are
really really good at canceling out all the background noise. I especially love
using them on the train and airplane as they do an excellent job at canceling
out the noise. This is where i got mine from <a
href="http://www.monstercable.com/headphones/">Noise Canceling
Headphones</a>
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