Noise Cancelling Headphones and Autism

Noise Cancelling Headphones are often seen as the solution to sensory overstimulation in autistics. 

Pop on a pair of headphones. And Voila, the autistic problem is solved like magic (sarcasm intended).

Are they really the solution they are touted to be? The answer may surprise you. 

Context Matters!

Noise-canceling headphones work best for constant, low-frequency sounds such as airplane engine noise, traffic hum, or the rumble of a train. This is because these sounds are predictable and can be effectively canceled out by the headphones' active noise-cancellation technology.

Noise-canceling headphones are less effective at canceling out sudden, high-frequency sounds such as a car horn, a dog barking, or a person's voice. These sounds are more difficult to predict and cancel out because they vary in frequency and amplitude. While noise-canceling headphones may reduce the overall level of these sounds, they may not completely eliminate them.

Additionally, noise-canceling headphones can sometimes make certain types of noise worse. This is because the anti-noise wave generated by the headphones' noise-canceling circuitry can create its own sound wave that may interfere with the original sound. For example, some people report that noise-canceling headphones make the sound of people talking or typing on a keyboard sound more pronounced.

Moreover, noise-canceling headphones can be less effective at canceling out higher frequency sounds, which tend to be more directional and can leak into the ear more easily. This can be an issue in windy environments, where the noise-canceling technology may struggle to cancel out the sound of wind blowing into the microphones.

It's important to keep in mind that noise-canceling headphones are not a magic solution for all types of noise. They work best in specific environments and for certain types of sounds, and may not completely eliminate all unwanted noise.

And that has been my experience. I went to my first undergrad football game armed with noise canceling headphones only to find that noise cancelling amplifies sounds like the cannon shots that were fired every time my school scored a touchdown. I got the fright of my life that day and almost went into meltdown mode. Honestly, I have been vary of noise cancelling headphones since that incident

All is not lost -  I've heard that some noise-canceling headphones have multiple modes or levels of noise-cancellation that can be adjusted to suit the user's preference or the environment they are in - these maybe something autistics may want to look into. The fact of $$$ technology of course always continues to be a barrier and I imagine the more the features the more the $$$ involved for the disabled person who is already facing higher barriers to earning and employment. 

How do Noise Canceling Headphones Work!

Noise-canceling headphones work by using a combination of passive and active noise control techniques. Passive noise control involves physically blocking sound waves from entering the ear, while active noise control involves generating a sound wave that cancels out the incoming sound wave.

 Mechanism detail:

• Microphones: Noise-canceling headphones are equipped with one or more tiny microphones on the outside of the earcup. These microphones pick up the sound waves in the surrounding environment.
• Noise-cancelling circuitry: The microphones send the sound waves they pick up to a noise-cancelling circuitry, which analyzes the frequency and amplitude of the sound wave.
• Anti-noise creation: Based on the analysis, the noise-canceling circuitry generates an "anti-noise" wave that has the opposite frequency and amplitude of the incoming sound wave.
• Speakers: The anti-noise wave is then played back through the headphones' speakers, which are positioned near the ear.
• Cancellation: When the anti-noise wave meets the incoming sound wave, the two waves interfere with each other, effectively canceling each other out.
• Noise reduction: The result is a significant reduction in the amount of outside noise that reaches the listener's ear.