Understanding Noise Sensitivity through Interactions in Two Online Autism Forums

Abstract

Noise sensitivity is challenging for many people and particularly prevalent for autistic people. In an effort to understand these experiences from the perspective of autistic people and the opportunities for assistive technologies to support noise-sensitive people, we analyzed the posts and responses of noise-sensitive autistic people and their allies in two online forums. These forums were intentionally chosen for their inclusion and centering of autistic people's experiences as we strove to understand this space from their perspective. Our analysis of both original discussion forum posts about noise sensitivity and comments in response to them reveal three themes: sharing experiences of noise sensitivity, managing noise sensitivity, and disclosing autism. Our work contributes a foundational understanding of the lived experiences of autistic people who are noise-sensitive and the implications for the design of assistive technology to support noise sensitivity.