(UK) Noise-cancelling headphones in schools today
'They’re just part of the daily equipment that the children and schools need now'
A June 5th story published by the British education magazine, tes, was yet more evidence that we are learning to adjust to the decline of children.
It was all about the growing use of noise cancelling headphones by children. As a teacher, I’ve seen this. I’ve also noticed it in church and various other public places.
The coverage in tes was the result of an investigation by Zofia Niemtus
The rise of ear defenders in schools: what teachers need to know
The question was posed: Why has there been an increase in the number of pupils using ear defenders in schools and is it a positive intervention?
Niemtus wrote quite a detailed article about headphone use and gave a number of possible reasons for this development. She cited a number of experts, but it seems too early to really understand the all the benefits or detriments on headphone use.
Two things I always look for in stories like this are, one, the role of AWARENESS and two, any mention of AUTISM.
I found both.
Typically these reports dismiss any real change in our children’s developmental health, after all, all the autism we see now is merely because of greater awareness.
Niemtus asked,
So what’s changed? Has there been an increase in sensory processing issues or is something else going on? And whatever the reason for more pupils struggling with noise, are ear defenders actually the right solution?
That question about “an increase in sensory processing issues” is a critical one. Are kids today developmentally different? Do they have sensitivity to sounds that kids just didn’t have in the past? That wasn’t really addressed.
The link was made to autism.
Dr Ruth Reisman, an audiologist and lecturer at the City University of New York, explains that there could be a variety of conditions that explain why young people are choosing to wear ear defenders in the classroom. . . .
“Then there are things like hyperacusis, which is like sensitivity to loud sound, which we see more in the autistic and the ADHD population and in some of the auditory processing population. And there’s phonophobia, which is fear of sounds - again we’ll see that a lot in those with sensory integration issues in general, and also in the autistic population.
Greater awareness OR more need?
Reisman explains that there has also been an increase in advocacy and awareness around all kinds of health concerns, including both hearing issues and neurodivergence. That could have led to an uptick in the adoption of support solutions without there necessarily being a higher prevalence of auditory challenges.
“So the question,” she asks, “is what came first?”
Whether it is the result of more awareness or more need - or both - schools are clearly having to find support mechanisms for more children in this area.
Niemtus didn’t come to any conclusion about which came first, more awareness or more need. No one seems really interested in that question.
I suppose we are to believe that some children throughout history have always been unable to tolerate normal sounds in their environment, and they just suffered in silence.
Normalizing noise sensitivity
Niemtus added,
Daniel Woodrow, headteacher of St Gregory CEVC Primary School in Suffolk, says schools like his are having to become more accustomed to such conversations.
“Ear defenders and noise cancelling devices have really taken off and I think there are lots of reasons for that,” he says. “We’re more aware now that there are more children who are sensitive to particular sounds or noises and we’ve noticed that as children join the school, things like that are more of an issue for them now.” . . .
“But I also think ear defenders have just become normalised,” Woodrow explains. “And I think, as schools, we’ve become more aware that they’re a good thing. I think training for staff has improved, so people are more aware of them as an option.
“They’re just part of the daily equipment that the children and schools need now. When we go out on a trip, the questions will be: ‘Have we got the first aid kit? Have we got the inhalers? Have we got the ear defenders?’”
Niemtus discussed reducing reliance on headphones and working with parents. In the end, it’s one more thing for classroom teachers to deal with.
So the issue of blocking out noise in schools is clearly a difficult one, with plenty of complexity for teachers to navigate. Most say that knowing the child well and supporting their individual needs is important, so this should be reflected in the school policy. Open and frequent communication with parents and other professionals is also key - and concerns over too much use need careful consideration.
Inclusion
“Something that always really stuck with me from Erasmus projects was how wonderful it was in Iceland that in the schools everybody had a hook for their coat and a hook for their ear defenders - they were used by everybody,” she says.
She draws a comparison with automatic doors and escalators providing greater accessibility, arguing that “what’s good for some people is good for all - it’s not just for those who can’t”. And she says that schools should remember this when considering the needs of pupils.
“If children are dependent on ear defenders,” she says, “it’s partly because, as a system, we’re telling them they’re different and then they rely on them to be able to navigate difference.
“And that’s where I think we’re still part of the problem, because we’re saying, ‘Use these because you’re different,’ rather than, ‘These are just one of the things that help all of us.’”
Once again, schools today are addressing the neurodivergent needs of children that we never noticed in the past. I guess we should congratulate ourselves for the enlightenment of the 21st century. It looks like the only real problem here is anyone sounding an alarm about all the special needs we see in children today.