Fireworks and your Autistic Child

We used to live in Florida and had annual passes to one of the popular theme parks known for their firework shows. While we loved the fireworks, our eldest didn’t.

The sensory overload would lead to a meltdown every time. He started with covering his ears and then screaming in pain, or crying in sorrow. While he loved the lights of the fireworks, and seeing the patterns form, sparkle, and fade away. However, the noise and the concussive shock wave of the explosions were a little too much for him.

Now that we don’t live in Florida anymore, we typically only have to worry about fireworks twice a year, but that can still be quite a bit when you have sensory issues. Depending upon the size of the fireworks and the sound sensitivity your child might have, one or more of these options may work for you.

So we had to come up with alternative plans so he could enjoy the fireworks as well.

Stay Indoors

Some people think staying indoors means not getting to enjoy the fireworks, however that’s not always true. If you can find some place with a window where you can view the fireworks, it will stop that concussive shock wave, and it will reduce the noise.

The first time we took him to watch fireworks, we didn’t realize how badly the fireworks would affect our son. As he started covering his ears, screaming at each explosion, I picked him up and ran. I saw some of the theme park workers standing outside of the shops that they had just closed and asked if I could take my son inside, explaining the situation as quickly as possible.

They opened the doors, and we stood at the door. It was still too much for him noise with the large commercial fireworks and we had to go further inside, but it often works for smaller neighborhood displays.

Move Back

Sound starts to fade off fairly quickly when you move away from the source. If you’ve ever been front row for a concert right in front of the speakers versus the back row/nose bleed section, you know what I mean. (If you want to get technical, we can talk about the inverse square law, and sound absorption of different materials as to the scientific reasons why if you’d like.)

Fireworks can be as loud as 155dB. That is louder than a jet at takeoff or a jackhammer. But by putting distance between it and you, and you can still see the show with it being a lot quieter.

At the theme park, their shows were extremely large, and are able to be seen all over the park… including the parking lot. This is where we’d typically watch the fireworks. Sure, we missed about 10-15% of the show that was lower in the sky, but we got to see most of it, and from a distance my son could enjoy it.

Tip 1: As a bonus, by already being in the parking lot, or right next to it, we got to our car faster, and out the gate before everyone else, making our drive home much smoother and faster.

Tip 2: Being away from the crowd also helped reduce the crowd anxiety that many people on the spectrum also have.

Wear Hearing Protection

Like a lot of families with someone on the spectrum, we carried hearing protectors wherever we went. Even with distance, we often needed to use the hearing protectors. That cut the noise to about a fourth of what it would normally be, making it much better for our son, and in turn for us.

Whether you choose something like an in ear, ear plug, or over the head hearing protectors, both will be a huge benefit for you. We brought headphones like you would get at a building store with us to many events. It often cuts the noise down by 20+dB, which is fairly significant.

Tip: For New Years, you can decorate them, or make them look like ear muffs so they blend in a little better, if you or your child is concerned about standing out.

Watch it on TV

Sometimes, the best option is knowing how to avoid the situation all together. Luckily, they almost always televise some large show. By watching it on TV, you get to avoid the crowds and you can control the volume.

Our eldest enjoys watching fireworks on YouTube and on TV, as it lets him be in control of the volume, and now he can watch the fireworks any time of the day, without caring about the time (so he won’t be tired the next day.)