Do sensory issues ever go away?

[Anonymous]

My 4yo son has some sensory issues - most prominently, he is very sensitive to noise, and also flaps his hands/jumps when he is excited or nervous.

With regard to the noise, he is in OT, and it has improved (aka, he will stay in the room now when I use a hairdryer, will use an electric toothbrush at home, etc.). However, when he is in public, and not "in control" of the noise, he still freaks out and it has started to affect him socially. (Aka, will run away from the park if he hears a siren, scared to death of the electric razor when getting his hair cut, etc.).

In terms of the hand flapping, he does stop it if I cue him, but he seems to do it almost involuntarily. I think other kids are starting to notice it.

I was wondering if anyone has any input as to whether these sensitivities will "go away" as he gets older. Or, will he just learn how to adapt better?

Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

Yes. Many kids are afraid of the noises like the razor, the siren, the flush.

[Anonymous]

Have you considered headphones for when he goes out? I think they have noise-reducing ones. I think I've seen pic's of the little boy Max on the Love that Max blog wearing some. Might be worth checking out.

Our daughter has a hyper startle reflex, sensitive hearing, and sensory issues. It's definitely improved with time, but I don't think it will ever go away. I think as they are introduced to different noises and places, they just become less sensitive to it.

[Anonymous]

My DS is now 7 and while these noises still bother him, his response is more "socially acceptable." Now he will cover his ears and that's about it. I've seen other kids his age do the same thing. I used to prepare him for certain noises (those really loud toilets flushing, etc) but I don't do that much anymore.

[Anonymous]

With my DS, he does seem to be a bit less sensitive and has also started reacting in a more appropriate way. I think they just learn from experience and learn to grit their teeth as we all do in an unpleasant situation

[Anonymous]

My son has gotten over some of his sensory issues. He used to be afraid of loud noises but now can tolerate a fire truck passing by with sirens blaring. I just got him used to noise systematically and very slowly, over time.

[Anonymous]

I was told it goes away or decreases significantly around puberty (something about the hormones). The son of a friend of mine had sensory issues until he was 12 and at 12, it went away.