Helping Autism Hyper Sensitivities – We installed the Acoustiblok a couple of months ago, in the course of a complete renovation of the bedroom of a man with autism (“Adam”) who has autism hyper sensitivities, especially to sound. The renovation included creating a private en suite bathroom. We put Acoustiblok inside the walls between his suite and the rest of the house, and in the ceiling of the rooms below his suite.

In addition to the Acoustiblok, lots of insulation was packed in. The walls and ceiling were relined with half-inch plaster board (not just drywall). And the door to the suite was replaced with a solid “Safe and Sound” type. Adam says Acoustiblok does provide more sound insulation. He has said that now “I sleep like a baby”. (I note that if he is suffering a food reaction, he can still have some insomnia. But he is much less disturbed by external sounds).

Most sounds from inside his suite are hardly audible in the rest of the house. So, for the greater part of the time, when he is coping, others do not have to be disturbed. This promotes greater independence. For example, the filling of his bathtub cannot be heard outside his suite. This quality can create some challenges of its own. For example, when he is in distress and needs help. We have to address these challenges by other kinds of technology.

We had some constraints that may have limited the total effectiveness of the Acoustiblok installation here.

1. As I reported to you, the larger roll was damaged in transit, some sharp handling equipment slashing through the first six linear feet of the roll. So the contractors who installed the Acoustiblok had to be a bit mean in stretching the rest to fit the space. They had to cut and splice the material more than we would have liked.
2. I printed out your excellent material from the Internet. I consider the contractors did a fair job of installation. I worked hard to educate them in the qualities and purposes of a product that was new for them.

On balance, we are very glad we installed Acoustiblok. I intend to recommend it to other agencies and families planning to build or retrofit living accommodation for people with extreme sensory challenges. Please keep me posted about any new information or other developments.

Elizabeth Bloomfield, M.D.
Guelph Services for the Autistic
Southern Ontario, Canada