Effectiveness of Earmuffs and Noise-cancelling Headphones for Coping with Hyper-reactivity to Auditory Stimuli in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Preliminary Study

Ikuta, Nobuhiko; Iwanaga, Ryoichiro; Tokunaga, Akiko; Nakane, Hideyuki; Tanaka, Koji; Tanaka, Goro

doi:10.1016/j.hkjot.2016.09.001

Cited by 28 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Although a link has been found between measures of EDA and parent-report, provider-report, and research-coded behavioral problems, it is highly recommended that future research incorporate behavioral measures of stress in order to examine whether a decrease in sympathetic activity has any relevant impact on child behavior and attention to task. Previous research has examined behavioral outcomes of using NC headphones but did not incorporate measures of sympathetic activity (Ikuta et al, 2016). Methodology could incorporate ecological momentary assessment to collect behavioral data in conjunction with wearable devices to examine the relationship between noise, sympathetic activity, and behavioral responses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One common non-invasive intervention to improve the auditory environments for individuals with ASD are noise-attenuating headphones, which block sound transmission to the ears (Pfeiffer et al, 2019). Ikuta et al (2016) conducted a pilot study on the effectiveness of noise-canceling (NC) headphones in children with ASD of varying intelligence. Participants in this study had difficulty using the NC headphones when they had hypersensitivity to human voices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As noted previously, one theory suggests that auditory hypersensitivity in those with ASD may be due to the inability of the middle ear to filter human voices from environmental noise (Porges et al, 2014). Research did find, however, that behavioral responses improved for children who perceived environmental noises (i.e., noisy classroom sounds) as noxious (Ikuta et al, 2016). Additionally, a single case design study identified an increase in attention to task for a child with ASD and auditory hypersensitivity when wearing the headphones (Rowe et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effectiveness of Noise-Attenuating Headphones on Physiological Responses for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Pfeiffer

Duker

Murphy

et al. 2019

Front. Integr. Neurosci.

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Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the proof of concept of an intervention to decrease sympathetic activation as measured by skin conductivity (electrodermal activity, EDA) in children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and auditory hypersensitivity (hyperacusis). In addition, researchers examined if the intervention provided protection against the negative effects of decibel level of environmental noises on electrodermal measures between interventions. The feasibility of implementation and outcome measures within natural environments were evaluated.Method: A single-subject multi-treatment design was used with six children, aged 8–16 years, with a form of Autism (i.e., Autism, PDD-NOS). Participants used in-ear (IE) and over-ear (OE) headphones for two randomly sequenced treatment phases. Each child completed four phases: (1) a week of baseline data collection; (2) a week of an intervention; (3) a week of no intervention; and (4) a week of the other intervention. Empatica E4 wristbands collected EDA data. Data was collected on 16–20 occasions per participant, with five measurements per phase.Results: Separated tests for paired study phases suggested that regardless of intervention type, noise attenuating headphones led to a significance difference in both skin conductance levels (SCL) and frequency of non-specific conductance responses (NS-SCRs) between the baseline measurement and subsequent phases. Overall, SCL and NS-SCR frequency significantly decreased between baseline and the first intervention phase. A protective effect of the intervention was tested by collapsing intervention results into three phases. Slope correlation suggested constant SCL and NS-SCR frequency after initial use of the headphones regardless of the increase in environmental noises. A subsequent analysis of the quality of EDA data identified that later phases of data collection were associated with better data quality.Conclusion: Many children with ASD have hypersensitivities to sound resulting in high levels of sympathetic nervous system reactivity, which is associated with problematic behaviors and distress. The findings of this study suggest that the use of noise attenuating headphones for individuals with ASD and hyperacusis may reduce sympathetic activation. Additionally, results suggest that the use of wearable sensors to collect physiological data in natural environments is feasible with established protocols and training procedures.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effectiveness of Noise-Attenuating Headphones on Physiological Responses for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Pfeiffer

Duker

Murphy

et al. 2019

Front. Integr. Neurosci.

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“…A broad variety of study designs were used to evaluate the academic benefits of wearing NC headphones: five single case studies (Ikuta et al, 2016;O'Reilly et al, 2000;Pfeiffer, Stein Duker et al, 2019;Rowe et al, 2011;Smith, 2010), two randomized within-subject designs (Kollins, 2020;Smith & Riccomini, 2013), two interview studies (Pfeiffer, Erb et al, 2019;Smith & Classen, 2018), one interview/classroom observation study (Smith et al, 2018), one case study (Hooker, 1985), one pre-post-design study with no control group (McConnico et al, 2016), and one randomized controlled trial (Sumter, 1969).…”

Section: Study Designsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Academic benefits of wearing noise-cancelling headphones during class for typically developing students and students with special needs: A scoping review

Kulawiak

2021

Cogent Education

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Classroom noise impairs students' cognition and learning. At a first glance, it seems useful to prevent the negative effects of noise on academic learning by wearing noise-cancelling (NC) headphones during class. The literature and guidelines emphasize the academic benefits of wearing NC headphones (decreased auditory distraction, increased concentration, learning improvement, and decreased distress). These benefits are particularly expected for students with special needs. None of the recommendations to wear NC headphones during class refer to any empirical studies, indicating a potential research gap and lack of evidence. Therefore, the question arises: Is there any empirical evidence supporting academic benefits of wearing NC headphones during class for typically developing students or students with special needs? A total of 13 empirical studies (quantitative and qualitative) were identified through a systematic scoping review of the existing literature. A wide range of outcomes (cognition, learning, academic performance, behaviour, and emotions) were reported related to the use of NC headphones. Most of the studies refer to specific groups of students with special needs (learning disabilities, autism, ADHD, etc.). In view of the limited number of studies, small sample sizes, and lack of replication studies, all studies give the impression of being pilot studies on the academic benefits of wearing NC headphones. The

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“…An example is the integration of auditory impressions: children on the spectrum find it difficult, which easily leads to sensory overload. A frequently tested intervention is the use of headphones, which is why we created a persona who often wears headphones (Ikuta et al, 2016) (Figure 1). One in 70 to 100 children is diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum (www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism, www.autismeurope.org/about-autism).…”

Section: Designing Inclusion For Autismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design for Self-inclusion: supporting emotional capability

Boess¹

2018

Proceedings of DRS

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This paper contributes to inclusive design. It seeks to extend the current definition of Inclusive Design, addressing motion, sensory and cognitive capability, by introducing emotional capability for self-inclusion as an additional component. To illustrate this perspective, the paper presents two constructive design research cases of designing for self-inclusion. One of these cases presents a finished design to support autistic children in self-inclusion. The other case presents a design exploration method to support participants in determining the emotional priorities which should underlie design interventions. The participants in this case sought to compensate a physical disability, one, a permanent one, and the other, a temporary one. The second case is presented in order to show the potential of starting from the experience of situations rather than specific design goals. The paper concludes that valuable design potential can arise from emotional and experiential insights from combined embodiment and participatory design activities.

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Effectiveness of Earmuffs and Noise-cancelling Headphones for Coping with Hyper-reactivity to Auditory Stimuli in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Preliminary Study

Cited by 28 publications

References 16 publications

Effectiveness of Noise-Attenuating Headphones on Physiological Responses for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Effectiveness of Noise-Attenuating Headphones on Physiological Responses for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Academic benefits of wearing noise-cancelling headphones during class for typically developing students and students with special needs: A scoping review

Design for Self-inclusion: supporting emotional capability

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