They didn't even care what the problem was because he was trying to explain and they just ignored him and continued to insist. They must have assumed he was just being troublesome, but the pencil is a nightmare even at home.
His brother and sisters can't use pencils of felt tip pens around him because of the sound issues, so all we can use is ballpoint pens.
Sorry I've not seen this sooner, Berbs.
I, too, have a similar problem with my hearing , and light sensitivities, and taste and smell problems that also seem to be linked to an over-reactive immune system. I can really empathise with your son.
But, to deal with the hearing over-sensitivity: I can even 'sense' the central heating electronics doing its stuff. There's no noise, we think, since no one else can detect it. I wonder if, like me, your son has tinnitus. Mine became permanent when I was 26 and was probably triggered by ships' turbines when I was 19. Before that, my hearing always seemed to be more sensitive than any one else's.
Tinnitus is sort of in your head more than your ears but even small sounds or electronic 'events' can trigger it to multiply its volume to unbearable levels. It's like being struck a blow or being slapped across the ear when sound of the wrong pitch or volume presents to your senses and, yes, it can provoke an extreme reaction from yourself in response to your pain. It's very difficult for others to appreciate the pain you're in or your reaction to it.
With sudden increases in volume, of any sound, the effect on pain and tinnitus levels is instantaneous. With softer , continuous sounds, like the one coming from my computer, the effect is to build up the tinnitus gradually until it's unbearable and then you feel you have to get away from it. Any whirring or ringing noises of a constant nature can do it. I sit here in ear-muffs as we speak.
Maybe your son is suffering some of these effects, but because no one has asked him the right questions yet, he's not been able to articulate his problems fully. Has anyone in your family or your husband's family suffered similar problems?
My paternal Grandfather was 'stone-deaf' (he wouldn't have thanked you for 'hearing-impaired). He was born with hearing but a couple of traumatic events sent him completely deaf when he was 13.
I find that any sounds of a broken-up nature actually help my tinnitus because they mask any continuous background noises, which are becoming more and more common as we rely increasingly on electrical/ electronic machinery.
Baroque music, Mozart particularly and acoustic guitar music, has a very soothing effect and the tinnitus diminishes markedly, but only whilst it's on.
I should be interested to know more about the therapy you mentioned.
Topic: Berbs Blog, much madness within