[rianna]

<p>I have read a few post about this and in the ones that I read/skimmed through they were all about younger children. Let me explain..... I have a very sensitive almost 9 yo girl. Very recently she has had some freak outs with loud noises. The fire alarm going off (this happens from time to time because of the oven so it is not a new thing) caused her to shake, cry, hyperventilate for at least 10 minuets. Then the next day it was the music up to loud during our family dance party and then again this morning with bell sounds from the TV. I am not sure what is happening but I would sure like any sort of insight regarding this development. There has been no trauma, no added stress that I am aware of and nothing specific that I can think of. Does anyone have any thoughts?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thank you for any time...</p>
<p>Rianna</p>

 

[LynnS6]

<p>Sensory Processing Disorder? The inability to regulate easily after the sudden loud noise of the fire alarm makes me think that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>My favorite books on that are:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325&tag=motheringhud-20&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSensational-Kids-Children-Processing-Disorder%2Fdp%2F0399533079%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1290279440%26sr%3D8-1" rel="norewrite" target="_blank">Sensational Kids</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325&tag=motheringhud-20&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FOut-Sync-Child-Recognizing-Processing%2Fdp%2F0399531653%2Fref%3Dpd_sim_b_1" rel="norewrite" target="_blank">The Out of Sync Child</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Now, it could be that she's just particularly sound sensitive and that for some reasons she's more tired/getting pre-puberty hormones/cranky/hungry or whatever and that things that are 'stressful' for her normally are now sending her over the edge. I'm very sound sensitive, but I can handle noise when I'm feeling well. When I'm stressed/tired/hungry/PMSing, it's much harder. I don't have SPD, but dh and ds do. Ds has the sound sensitivities .Therapeutic listening between ages 5-7 helped him some, but I think age helped him more.</p>

 

[earthmama369]

<p>If it's something new that hasn't happened before, I would rule out an inner ear imbalance or an ear infection, because that can feel very painful when you get the extra vibrations of a loud noise. If she's always had some sound sensitivity, then it might be worth looking into something like sensory processing disorder. I have this (as does my youngest). It can manifest in different ways, but one of the senses is auditory and some people with SPD have auditory filtering issues or auditory sensitivities. My son has filtering issues -- he has a hard time filtering out one sound in order to focus on another. So if I'm giving him instructions and his sister is singing in the background, to him she's not "in the background." Both of our voices are equally present and he can't focus. Me, I have auditory sensitivity. I can filter out background noises just fine, but I can always hear mechanical hums in the background, especially as they shift pitch and tone (that's actually pretty helpful in predicting when something like a microwave or refrigerator is about to break down!) and the sound feels annoying to me. Same with fluorescent lights -- they have a really annoying hum. Loud noises, especially in a confined space like a crowded room or a car, get overwhelming very quickly and make it hard for me to feel comfortable in my skin. They often seem to hurt my ears much sooner than, say, my husband, who can crank the radio dial at least five notches past my comfort level without feeling any discomfort himself.</p>
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<p>The Out-of-Sync child has some really good descriptions of the various types of SPD and how they can manifest in children.</p>