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Social Story for Loud Noises
A loud noises social story names the sounds a child finds hard, says what they are, and gives them something to do when one comes. Hand dryers, vacuum cleaners, blenders, sirens, fireworks, the flush in a public bathroom. For some children, including many autistic children and children with sensory sensitivities, these sounds really are painful, not just surprising.
The story below doesn’t tell a child the noise isn’t loud. It says it is, says what it is, and offers covering their ears, counting, and the fact that it stops. Free to read aloud and to print, or make one with your child in it.
What will happen, in order
- A loud noise comes
- Say what it is
- Cover your ears, or use earmuffs
- Count to ten
- The noise stops
Read the steps together in the daytime, more than once. The free printable below has these steps at the top and the bedtime story underneath.
Kit and the Noisy World
A free story to read aloud tonight
Some sounds were too big for Kit. The hand dryer in the restaurant bathroom roared like a dragon. The vacuum growled. The blender screamed. When a big sound came, it felt like it was inside Kit’s head.
So Kit and Dad made a plan. First: say what it is. “That’s the vacuum.” A sound with a name is a little bit smaller than a sound without one.
Second: cover your ears. Kit had a pair of green earmuffs that lived in the car, and when they weren’t there, Kit’s two hands worked fine.
Third: count. One, two, three, all the way to ten. Most loud sounds were finished before ten. The hand dryer only went to seven.
Fourth, and this was the best part: every loud sound stops. The vacuum stopped. The blender stopped. Even the fire truck went round the corner, and got smaller, and smaller, and was gone.
At bedtime the house was very quiet. Only the fridge humming, and the rain, and Dad turning the page. Kit listened to the small sounds for a while, the soft ones, and fell asleep to them.
Read it a few nights running rather than on the morning of. Familiarity is the part that works. The aim is that by the day itself, none of it is new.
Why are some children so bothered by loud noises?
Some children process sound more intensely than others, so a noise that is merely loud to an adult can be painful to them. It is common in young children, and especially common in autistic children and children with sensory processing differences. If it is getting in the way of daily life, your pediatrician or an occupational therapist can help.
Do noise-reducing earmuffs help?
Many families find that earmuffs made for children help a lot in places like restaurants, haircuts and fireworks nights. Knowing they are in the bag can help almost as much as wearing them.
Should I avoid loud places altogether?
That is your call, and sometimes it is the right one. Many families find a mix works: a warning before the noise, a plan for when it comes, and leaving when it is too much. A story read on calm nights gives the plan a chance to stick.