Although these are typical self-protective and self-regulating behav-iors, students can endanger themselves or the rest of the class.Ĭhallenges with fire drills can esca-late over time if left unattended. James screams and then bolts toward the door, pushing and hurting several people in his path. There’s a host of ways these children may re-spond to a fire alarm: Matthew covers his ears and hides under his desk in the fetal position.
Even without the SPD diagnosis, many children with an Au-tism Spectrum Disorder have an over-responsive, or over-sensitive, reaction to loud and unexpected noise. But it is anything but “simple” to stu-dents who struggle with challenges like auditory sensitivity, schedule rigidity and/or anxiety, for whom this routine school safety procedure can become a complicated and, oftentimes, painful ordeal.Īuditory over-responsiveness, a subtype of Sensory Processing Disor-der (SPD), presents itself as atypical sensitivity to certain sound frequencies or volume, as well as difficulty hearing auditory details, like a teacher shouting instructions while the fire alarm is sounding off.
Wedd wait at our assigned location in the schoolyard, and enjoy the freedom of being outside and breathing the fresh air until the “all clear” bell sounded.įor most students, the high-pitched intermittent blast of the fire alarm is simply a minor, temporary irritant. We’d shuffle down the halls toward the exit doors, without incident. The surprise of the loud, unexpected noise would make us gasp, jump out of our seats, and giggle. Making a Routine Safety Procedure (that is anything but routine) Successfulĭuring my school years as a student, fire drills were a welcomed break from the daily routine.
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