#ear defenders

[pigeon-cave]

Because I think I’ve seen some confusion regarding these two items

[locketdream]

they are autistic and trans ok?? genderless nonbinary icon!! - shane/angel

[clownrecess]

(tw for an extremely brief mention of autistic meltdowns)

I want to talk about different ear defenders.

This post can also be used as a way to find what pair of ear defenders is best for you, because its informational and descriptive on all of them (All based on my experiences, of course.)

Sensory aids are a great way to help prevent overstimulation, aid the calm down from a meltdown, or just help you to feel safer (and more!). I first started using sensory aids when I was nine, which was when I developed an extremely severe sensitivity to sound. I got ear defenders, which was really helpful. I now have six or so different pairs! The first brand I got was Mpow, but specifically Mpow Kids. Mpow is sort of confusing for me because when you look up Mpow ear defenders it comes up as something completely different than what I'm talking about, same when searching Mpow Kids, so you do need to look around a little bit.

This is the exact pair I have. Something really good about this pair of ear defenders is that its flatter, which is good if you are worrying about bulkiness. It blocks extra sound quite well, but in a way you can still hear people talking to you. However, it doesnt do this perfectly (there is a brand I think does it perfectly in my opinion. Which I will talk about later.) and whilst I can hear people I'm talking to for the most part, I often have to ask them to repeat themself because it makes it hard to differentiate different mouth sounds, which is frustrating. The ear defenders also tend to create kind of an "under water" sound to every noise. It also causes a lot of pressure build up after wearing them for a while, resulting in a bad headache. I also would not reccomend wearing glasses with them. It IS possible, I've done it, but it is really uncomfortable. Despite it being marketed as a kids size I think that they could fit most people.

These are peltor ear defenders. I have two different pairs. The overall noise blocking is about the same as the Mpow Kids ear defenders, except it is a slightly easier to understand people, and the water noise is gone! These headphones are usually a lot bulkier than the Mpow ones. The pair in the photo aren't bulky generally, but are in comparison to Mpow. Most peltor ear defenders are extremely bulky though, so if you want one like the photo you'll need to look around a little bit. These headphones do create the pressure issue again, but it takes a lot longer to do so. You can also easily wear glasses with them, it still isnt extremely comfortable, but it's a lot more comfortable in comparison to other pairs.

These are my absolute favorite brand for ear defenses: Hear Tek. Hear Tek filters the noise near perfectly in my opinion. It blocks noises whilst still allowing me to hear what people are saying to me usually quite easily. The pressure does build up quicker than the Peltor ear defenders, but not as quick as Mpow Kids. It is uncomfortable to wear glasses with them. They are a little bit bulky. Hear Tek also comes it tons of cool colors and designs, as seen in the photo! I personally just have plain red ones with a black over head peice though.

These are Howard Leight ear defenders. They are the cheapest option, but with the cheap price also comes cheap quality. They block very little noise, and are extremely bulky. They have zero pressure build up though, and you can easily wear glasses with them.

Thank you for listening to my talk of ear defenders lol

[autisticdreamdrop]

2 of our emotional support plushies!!

they're autsitic like us!!

shane love drawing plush art

[the-firefly-jar-system]

feeling particularly upset about lack of ear defender representation rn :/

anyway here’s a cool picture of us in our ear defenders! we take pride in making them look like they belong to us. they are part of our everyday, after all. anyways i’m gonna go replace the rainbow wrap on the top hehe

-ash🌈☁️

[sirenium]

I need to get over the fact that there's no way around being visibly autistic. I need to get over my aversion towards stimming in public. I need to start wearing ear defenders. I need to start using methods of communication that don't require my voice more.

I need to break this suffocating mask, because I am still being flagged; I am still being seen as weird, despite trying my very best to blend in. I am harming myself, and it's all for nothing.

[sicksadstar]

Keep ear protection on hand!

Keep stim toys on hand!

you'll never know when you might need them

[nd-polls]

Noise Canceller Poll!!

All the time, people call my Ear Defenders "headphones" and I *hate* it. I dislike it because it feels like they are calling them are want instead of the need they are and, as I need them for education and work purposes and this misnomer makes people think they have batteries (when they don't) and leads to people trying to make me remove them, however, I can also understand someone liking this term as it can help normalize your device and make you feel less "odd" or like you stick out. I wanted to see if many of the latter exist before making a post about this subject. I would love as much data as possible, so please share.

[germcore]

don't feel shame wearing ear protection - Allison

[sushi-paws]

Ear Defender Pals, time to hop on this super fun trend for ear defenders!!

🌱Sprout🌱

🫧Axolotl🫧

👑Crown👑

[stal3bread]

To autistic people who wear ear defenders out in public, do you get infantilised more when you're wearing the ear defenders as opposed to other methods of noise reduction (e.g. headphones, earplugs, etc)?

I just ordered a pair of ear defenders online (they were on sale lol) and I'm excited to try them out since I want some sort of alternative to my headphones (which I adore) that (hopefully) works better than my earplugs. However, I'm slightly worried I'll be babied by strangers in public. I don't really mind being infantilised that much, since I'd much prefer having my needs met while being treated like a kid than not have my needs met while being treated like an adult, but I just want to know if it's something I should expect.

I'm going to wear them out for the first time to the airport in a few days, since I'm getting a sunflower lanyard at the airport and I have declared myself as autistic to the airline, so it feels like a somewhat safer environment to wear my new ear defenders in. Also I'm worried about something happening to my headphones maybe, so I'd like to have an option of over ear noise reduction that isn't as expensive and therefore dangerous to lose.

[locketdream]

ear protection is a must-!!

here's Star with no tech noise canceling headphones - we wear our headphones or earbuds pretty much 24/7 and that's okay. sounds causes us a lot of anxiety and sounds can LITERALLY hurt us. earplugs, ear defenders and noise canceling earbuds and headphones are okay. sadly we cannot wear headphones 24/7 cause we get headaches and pain in our ears and head so we switch from headphones to noise canceling earbuds when we start feeling ill but we like the pressure of the headphones so we like that more.

stay safe and wear those headphones! - Allison

[clownrecess]

Normalize autistics being completely unmasked. We deserve to be ourselves!

Normalize stimming in public, whether that's flapping or repeating words.

Normalize wearing ear defenders.

Normalize AAC use.

We deserve to be ourselves without being stared at or treated badly.

[autisticdreamdrop]

this user wears ear protection

[the-firefly-jar-system]

let’s start a thread talking about our different disability aids! (yes, even the “embarrassing” ones)

we’ll go first

we just started allowing ourselves to wear our ear defenders out in public!!

we have panty liners for some leaking

we use text to speech for alters who have speech loss or are non/semi-speaking

we use a back brace for chronic back pain

we have a “support bag”, which has: communication cards, grounding cards, and lots of stim toys in case we forget

we also tend to bring an emotional support stuffie when we go out places!

edit: forgot to add, we use a weighted blanket to help with sleep and also as a stim tool

[raynedayys2]

Are you noise canceling headphones? ...because I want you here with me.

Neurodivergent & constantly overstimulated rizz