Table 6.
Results of sound sensitivity questionnaire.
| Question | SMS | Siblings |
|---|---|---|
| Shows current oversensitivity or distress to sound a* | 72/98 (73.5) | 3/24 (12.5) |
| If not current, ever shown oversensitivity or distress | 5/26 (19.2) | 7/21 (33.3) |
| The problem has | ||
| Cleared up | 1/72 (1.4) | 4/10 (40) |
| Improved | 26/72 (36.1) | 3/10 (30) |
| Become worse | 3/72 (4.1) | 1/10 (10) |
| Remained unchanged | 42/72 (58.3) | 2/10 (20) |
| Triggers intolerance to sound (top 2) | ||
| Mood | 14/21 (66.7) | — |
| Tiredness | 10/21 (47.6) | — |
| Responses to distressing sounds (top 5) | ||
| Covers ears with hands | 62/75 (82.7) | — |
| Gets upset (but may not cry) | 45/75 (60) | — |
| Gets anxious or tense | 42/75 (56) | — |
| Cries | 32/75 (42.7) | — |
| Says something like “I don't like” | 34 /75 (45.3) | — |
| Awaken from sleep | 30/73 (41.1) | — |
| Anything make child's reaction worse (top 2) | 46/73 (63) | — |
| Mood | 23/46 (50) | — |
| Tiredness | 33/46 (71.7) | — |
| If warned, does child cope better | 45/75 (60) | — |
| If familiar, does child show less distress | 38/72 (52.8) | — |
| Anything help (top 3) | 46/72 (63.9) | — |
| Warning/explanation | 21/46 (45.7) | — |
| Avoidance/headphones | 22/46 (47.8) | — |
| Familiarity | 5/46 (10.9) | — |
| Severity of problem, median, range b * | 4, 0–10 | 0, 0–5 |
| Rating of distressing sounds, median, range | ||
| Fireworks | 6, 0–10 | 0, 0–3 |
| Balloon burst | 4, 0–10 | 0, 0–1 |
| Sudden shout | 3, 0–10 | 0, 0–4 |
| Jackhammer | 3, 0–10 | 0, 0–3 |
| Loud music | 2, 0–10 | 0, 0–5 |
| Thunder | 2, 0–10 | 0, 0–5 |
| Median number of distressing sounds (range) out of 24 | 10 (0–24) | 0.5 (0–5) |
Note. SMS = Smith–Magenis syndrome.
a
Data presented as number of “yes” responses/total number responding to question (% “yes”).
b
Data presented as median, range of Likert scores. — indicates data not reported.
*
p ≤ .05.