Noises that Suck for My Blind / Autistic son

If you have an autistic child you can add to this list with me or just laugh your way through it.  If not, now you know why certain families leave the room in great haste when you make these noises!

All of these noises still to this day, or at one point have sent my son into marathon meltdowns from as little as a minute or less exposure.  So here are some of the things we regularly avoid exposing him to and some he has worked very hard to overcome.

●        Intercoms and loud speakers or speakers with any kind of static coming from them.

●        People having loud conversations

●        Whistling and all whistles

●        Horns

●        Lots of people in a room at once, crowded room noises

●        Echoing noises of any kind

●        Motorcycles or any loud engine

●        Lawn mower

●        Vacuum cleaner

●        Blender

●        Oven timer

●        Smoke alarm

●        School fire alarm

●        Too many footprints on hard floor at once

●        High pitched voices, especially baby talk, or sickening sweet tone

●        Other children crying or screaming

●        A lot of dogs barking

●        Sirens

It’s Saturday afternoon and we have a visitor to brighten up the day.  My son is sitting in a diaper on the family room floor with his underwear on his head, the dog that he let out is running circles around the family room and he is laughing hysterically.  The carpet is strewn with some crumbs from the cookie he tried to ‘help feed the dog’.   The guest starts to baby talk in a high pitched voice telling him how silly he is (while she shows the facial expression of a disapproving old hen) which make his skin crawl.   She decides to  “help” me vacuum and clean up since she just happens to be in the neighborhood.  On goes the vacuum which starts the dog barking insanely at the vacuum, the smoke alarm goes off from the toast I was making for my son which I forgot about, the other kids’ friends come stomping across the hardwood floor, the oven timer goes off telling me the roast is done, while another child turns on the blender to make a smoothie in the kitchen.  All the while my husband is trying desperately to speak to someone on the phone while helping me wrestle the now full blown “meltdown” to the ground and pad him with pillows.  All of this just in time for the "helpy-helperton" to turn off the vacuum and say, “oh, what’s wrong, is he feeling cranky today?”   Say it with me;  A-S-S-H-O-L-E!”