#esp if they’re high pitched
My NT friend: doesn’t this silence bother u
Me, autistic: are u telling me u can’t hear this incredibly loud fridge
The lights have sound
Electronics have sound
Appliances have sound
If electricity runs through it, it has sound.
Rarely is there actual silence (and that does bother me due to lack of sensory input).
This is why the barn uses me when they think the horses are reacting to a noise they can’t hear. I’ll likely find it (it’s usually the heating or the electrical box in the indoor).
I also know when the electric fences are on.
For years I was convinced that I was either hallucinating or had hearing damage, because electronics always made this high-pitched whine that was closer to being felt than heard, and nobody else knew what I was talking about.
Then I met other autistic people.I wonder if it’s an adhd thing too.
I always just assumed it was something to do with my migraines making me really sensitive to sounds other people couldn’t hear, because I can definitely hear things other people can’t seem to. Like the fridge or the tv (remember the old box tube tvs? Those things were loud on standby.) Hell I can hear my phone when it’s plugged in but for some reason not when it’s on a wireless charger. My brother is the same way, but he also gets migraines so we never thought much of it.
Huh. Neat.
Other…people…can’t hear that?
You’re fucking with me, everyone can’t hear the fridge?No, I can hear all of those things. They just don’t bother me that much, so I’m not always forced to pay attention like someone with sensory issues would be.
Hearing also degrades with age, especially for high pitched sounds, and it’s not one of those retirement age vs. everyone else things: it degrades slowly over your whole life. It’s completely standard for any kid to hear a high-pitched electronic whine and their parent to not notice anything.
