Hyperacusis in autism spectrum disorder, etc.

Abstract

A questionnaire survey to investigate hyperacusis in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was carried out targeting their parental guardians. Fifteen children between the second grade of elementary school and third grade of high school who were using hearing protectors were the subjects of the questionnaire survey. The parental guardians were asked to answer 40 questions about their child's symptoms, history of symptoms, and measures taken against the symptoms. Although hyperacusis-associated symptoms were mainly recognized between two and five years of age, most children had normal hearing. The numbers of children whose symptoms improved or remained unchanged with advancing age were almost the same, however, the symptoms became worse in some children. The sounds that the children reacted adversely to differed greatly and the symptoms were not always related to the level of the sound pressure. The most common sounds that the children reacted adversely to were babies' voices or crying voices, although they could tolerate sounds with associated pictures, such as on television. Most children started using hearing protectors at the age of seven years and had become calm since then. Many parental guardians indicated that none of the treatments that they had attempted to help their children get used to sounds were effective, although some parental guardians answered that their children got used to the sounds of a vacuum cleaner after they started using it themselves. The results of the questionnaire survey suggest that environmental changes and hearing protectors are effective against hyperacusis in children with ASD.