Many years ago I worked with a young boy who was believed to be deaf by the school nurse because he failed a hearing test administered at the school site. The nurse contacted his parents stating that he needed to see his pediatrician in order to address her concerns. The parents took him to their pediatrician who did not agree with the nurse’s assessment and sent a note back to the school stating as much. When I spoke to the parent I told her he was not deaf, he hears fine, completes all of his classwork, enjoys working with the other children, responds to me, and asks questions when necessary. The parent was confused as was I. He was not deaf, he was autistic, but because he didn’t know the school nurse, had never interacted with her before, nor did he like the sound of her voice, he simply tuned her out.

He’s  not deaf, he hears fine, completes all of his classwork, enjoys working with the other children, responds to me, and asks questions when necessary.

If you have ever worked with children with autism, you know the joy they bring because they are pure joy. They are funny, silly, wiggly, inquisitive, smart, and loving however, sometimes children with autism go deep inside themselves and block off the world, this includes voices that are unfamiliar to them, voices that are not pleasing to the ear, and voices that cause pain in their mind.

Since many children with autism are extremely sensitive to sound, they prefer to be spoken to in quiet whispery voices or voices that are melodious. Voices that bring about happy feelings. After I realized what he did, we talked about it and laughed and then he gave me a big hug. They can hear you just fine. The question is, how can you get them to respond to your voice? Maybe the attached article can shed more light on this subject for you. Enjoy!