Study on the sound in residence for children with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to clarify the problems of sound in residence as perceived by children with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities and their families, and to summarize them as basic materials for improving the living environment. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 1,405 parents of children with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities. The results showed that about 60% of the children had noises that they hated, specifi cally, “the sound of vacuum cleaners and hair dryers” and “the sound of motorcycles and cars running outside” were the highest ranked. Among “infants and elementary school children,” “the sound of vacuum cleaners and hair dryers” was the most disliked, regardless of the severity of intellectual disability, while “the sound of motorcycles and cars running outside” was disliked by a high percentage of “junior high and high school students” with severe intellectual disabilities, and “the sound of thunder” by a high percentage of those with mild disabilities. In addition, regardless of the age of the children or the severity of their disabilities, the top sounds that troubled the families were “loud or strange voices” and “the sound of jumping or running around” by children.