Tinnitus and Autism

[Peter Q]

I wonder if some people with tinnitus may be on the autistic spectrum. According to one study, 35% of people with Asperger's syndrome are affected by tinnitus, which is much more than in the general population.

Tinnitus and hyperacusis in autism spectrum disorders with emphasis on high functioning individuals diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome

Objectives
To evaluate the prevalence of tinnitus and hyperacusis in individuals with Asperger's Syndrome (AS).

Methods
A home-developed case-history survey and three item-weighted questionnaires: Tinnitus Reaction Questionnaire (TRQ), Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), and the Hyperacusis Questionnaire (HQ) were employed. These tools categorize the subjective response to tinnitus and hyperacusis. The research tools were mailed to a mailing list of individuals with Asperger's Syndrome.

Results
A total of 55 subjects diagnosed with AS were included in the analysis (15.5% response rate). Sixty-nine percent of all respondents (38/55) reported hyperacusis with an average HQ score of 20.7. Furthermore, 35% (19/55) reported perceiving tinnitus with average scores of 27 for the TRQ and 23 for the THI. Thirty-one percent (17/55) reported both hyperacusis and tinnitus. The prevalence of hyperacusis in the AS respondents remained relatively constant across age groups.

Conclusions
Hyperacusis and tinnitus are more prevalent in the ASD population subgroup diagnosed with AS under DSM-IV criteria than in the general public. Hyperacusis also appears to be more prevalent in the AS population than in the ASD population at large. Future research is warranted to provide insight into the possible correlation between tinnitus and hyperacusis symptoms and the abnormal social interactions observed in this group.

 

[Sugar_Boy]

I was a little quiet.

 

[MiniMarshmallow]

I happen to be diagnosed with ADHD (predominantly inattentive type) before I gained my tinnitus. Though they aren't the same, ADHD and ASD are related in several ways, and if I remember correctly many people who have ASD tend to have low-level ADHD and vice versa.

I wonder if there is any correlation between ADHD and tinnitus as well?

 

[Peter Q]

I happen to be diagnosed with ADHD (predominantly inattentive type) before I gained my tinnitus. Though they aren't the same, ADHD and ASD are related in several ways, and if I remember correctly many people who have ASD tend to have low-level ADHD and vice versa.

I wonder if there is any correlation between ADHD and tinnitus as well?

There probably is a connection between ADHD and tinnitus. Both share traits of fixed ideas, excessive self focus and lack of attention to the outside/external environment.

 

[Stacken77]

fixed ideas, excessive self focus and lack of attention to the outside/external environment.

Tinnitus in and of itself share none of these traits as it's strictly a sound, a very real one to the receiver. It may however cause self focus, in the same way as pain (chronic or not) directs attention to itself - a very understandable and natural reaction to the problem.

 

[Damocles]

I wonder if there is any correlation between ADHD and tinnitus as well?

Yes, but only if you remember to add OCD, arthritis, wheat, masturbation and Sensodyne toothpaste to the list first.

 

[Peter Q]

Tinnitus in and of itself share none of these traits as it's strictly a sound, a very real one to the receiver. It may however cause self focus, in the same way as pain (chronic or not) directs attention to itself - a very understandable and natural reaction to the problem.

My point is that susceptibility to perception of tinnitus is influenced by the factors I list. As is the strength of reaction to tinnitus.

 

[patorjk]

My daughter has ASD and ADHD. No tinnitus, but she's only 6. My dad, myself, and 2 of my brothers all have tinnitus (my 3rd brother died last year, not sure if he had tinnitus) - none of us have ASD though.

 

[UKBloke]

Yes, but only if you remember to add OCD, arthritis, wheat, masturbation and Sensodyne toothpaste to the list first.

At least you spelt masterbation correctly.

 

[Damocles]

There probably is a connection between ADHD and tinnitus. Both share traits of fixed ideas, excessive self focus and lack of attention to the outside/external environment.

My point is that susceptibility to perception of tinnitus is influenced by the factors I list. As is the strength of reaction to tinnitus.

@Peter Q is right.

Recently I have suffered from:

• the fixed idea that I need a real physiological treatment.
• a lack of attention to the outside/external environment as a result of having to spend most of my time indoors to avoid the plethora of noises outdoors that will detonate the sonic bomb inside my head.
• an excessive self focus brought on by hearing the sound of my own heartbeat everywhere I go with earplugs in (that's everywhere not in my own silent apartment; where I can also hear my heartbeat, because pulsatile tinnitus).
• more excessive self focus brought on by the fact I spend most of my time indoors (see "a lack of attention") having to pace around my apartment for my hourly computer/reading breaks, with no choice but to stare at myself in the mirror and acknowledge how attractive I (still) am (despite the lack of sleep).
• (unmentioned by @Peter Q) an inability to focus due to a deafening uproar inside my head/ears 24/7.

So it seems I must have ADHD, which suggests (if I'm interpreting this thread correctly) that I may also be predisposed to tinnitus...

 

[Lurius]

There are several people on this forum with autism and tinnitus. I'm one of them. I will let the others come forth by themselves, as I'm not a fan of outing anyone without their blessing. I also know several other people with the tinnitus + autism combo outside of this forum. It's definitely not just a coincidence. Autistic people handle stress worse than neurotypicals, are more subjected to stress than neurotypicals and their sensory input is more sensitive as well. When my mom got tinnitus in 2004, I remember my greatest fear shifted from "dying horribly in some kind of accident" to "getting tinnitus", as I was just 20 years old back then and undiagnosed, but I still knew that sounds was affecting my brain differently than everyone around me.

I think fate has a poetic-ironic way of flipping you the bird this way.