Sensitive hearing? How to help?

Parents and teachers,

This is Seth Perler from SethPerler.com. I’m an executive function coach based in Boulder, Colorado, and I help struggling students navigate this thing called education.

In today’s video, I’m going to talk about hearing sensitivity in students and share a simple, inexpensive hack that can help support them.

This tip is for both parents and teachers because it’s easy to implement and costs very little.

First, I want you to understand that we live in an extremely noisy world. If you compare life today to 100, 500, or 1,000 years ago, we’ve never experienced this level of constant auditory stimulation.

People used to live in much quieter environments. We relied on subtle sounds to understand what was happening around us and to stay aware of our surroundings.

Today, we’re constantly flooded with noise.

For many people—including myself—and especially for students who struggle with executive function, sensory processing, or high sensitivity, this can be overwhelming.

Everyone in a room hears the same sounds, but not everyone experiences them in the same way.

Imagine 50 people sitting in a classroom. Some students have very effective “filters” in their brains. They’re able to tune out background noise and focus on what’s important.

Other students don’t have those same filters.

They hear everything.

And often, it feels much louder.

Imagine a classroom with:

• An aquarium filter bubbling

• A guinea pig scratching its cage

• An air conditioner humming

• Fluorescent lights buzzing

• Pencils scratching on paper

• Students whispering

• Papers shuffling

• Chairs moving

For many students, these are just ordinary background sounds.

But for students with heightened auditory sensitivity, all of those noises can feel amplified and overwhelming.

This can interfere with executive function because it makes it much harder to focus, concentrate, and pay attention to the teacher or the lesson.

The challenge is that these struggles are often invisible.

If you’ve heard me talk about my iceberg theory, this is another example of what’s happening beneath the surface.

You usually can’t look at a student and immediately know they’re struggling with auditory overload.

Some younger children might cover their ears, but middle school and high school students typically won’t.

Instead, they’ll often pretend everything is fine.

Many of them don’t even realize they’re experiencing the environment differently from everyone else. Because of that, they can’t always explain what’s bothering them.

They just know they feel overwhelmed.

So here’s a simple hack.

I often wear earplugs myself.

I use them in airports, crowded places, and other environments where I want to reduce sensory stimulation.

Sometimes I use noise-canceling headphones, but often I simply use foam earplugs.

The problem is that standard foam earplugs can be large and very noticeable.

If you hand a pair of bright foam earplugs to a middle school student and suggest they wear them at school, they’re probably not going to be excited about it.

A younger child might think they’re cool.

A teenager probably won’t.

Here’s what you can do.

Take a standard foam earplug and roll it up.

Then simply cut off the top portion with a pair of scissors.

Throw away the larger bottom section and keep the smaller top piece.

Place the smaller pieces in a labeled bag with your child’s name on it.

When rolled up and inserted properly, the shortened earplug becomes much less visible.

It still reduces noise and sensory stimulation, but it’s much harder for other people to notice.

The student can still hear the teacher and participate in class.

It simply lowers the overall volume of the environment.

You can buy large packs of these earplugs online, at hardware stores, music stores, or many pharmacies.

They’re inexpensive and easy to replace.

In fact, bartenders and event staff often keep them on hand for customers in loud environments.

For parents, you can place a few pairs in your child’s backpack so they’re available whenever needed.

For teachers, you can keep labeled bags of earplugs in your classroom for students who benefit from them. Having each student’s name on their own set helps keep things sanitary and organized.

Again, the process is simple:

1. Take a foam earplug.

2. Cut off the top portion.

3. Discard the larger bottom section.

4. Keep the smaller piece.

5. Store it in a labeled bag.

6. Give students access to it when they need a little less sensory input.

Sometimes small accommodations can make a significant difference.

That’s what I wanted to share with you today.

Again, my name is Seth Perler from SethPerler.com. If you have a child who struggles with executive function, feel free to sign up for my blog. Every Sunday I send out resources and ideas to help families better understand executive function, and you’ll also receive a free video series when you sign up.

I hope you’re having a fantastic day.

Take care, and I’ll see you soon.