Promoting Participation and Social Interaction for School Children with Hyperacusis.

Hyperacusis occurs when everyday sounds, that wouldn’t trouble most people, are perceived as disturbing, painful or excessively loud by the affected child. It affects about one child in each class in middle school. This project aims to achieve better understanding for the needs of children with hyperacusis in a school setting, with a special focus on sound environments

Hyperacusis is a condition where every day sounds are perceived as disturbing, painful, or unbearably loud. It affects about 8% of the adult Swedish population and approximately 3.7% of 11-year-old children. Hyperacusis can be linked to various factors, including neuropsychiatric disorders, Williams syndrome, noise exposure, head trauma, stress, and anxiety. However, it often occurs as an isolated condition without a clear cause. Due to its association with developmental disorders, it is commonly viewed as a pediatric condition.

Hyperacusis often causes withdrawal, leading to decreased participation in school and social activities. This impedes the quality of life for the affected child and poses a potential health risk. Given the continuous reports about poor sound environments in schools, affecting the learning, behavior and well-being for students (and teachers well-being) negatively, it is fair to assume that sound environments in schools poses challenges in everyday life for children with hyperacusis.

Despite prevalent and debilitating, much research about hyperacusis in children is still needed in terms of diagnosis, consequences and strategies to ease the burden of hyperacusis in school.

This study investigates the consequences of hyperacusis in school children from both caregiver and child perspectives. To our knowledge, no prior research has focused on children's viewpoints regarding this condition. Additionally, the study aims to identify which sounds are most bothersome to children with hyperacusis through listening tests based on recordings made in schools. We also explore how clinically used hearing tests can assist in identifying hyperacusis.

In collaboration with Luleå Municipality, a survey was distributed to all caregivers of fourth-grade pupils in public schools across Norrbotten municipality. This was followed by interviews with children about their current sound environments in school and their perceptions of these sounds.

The expected outcome is to develop successful strategies for school inclusion and propose suggestions of how to improve sound environment guidelines, minimizing exclusion and stress for children with hyperacusis, with possible beneficial carry-over effects to a broader public as well.

Utilizing a mixed method design with questionnaires, interviews, sound recordings, and hearing/listening tests, this interdisciplinary collaboration across engineering acoustics, psychology, and educational science seeks a holistic view of hyperacusis problems and solutions.

The study was approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority.