Chicago is facing a buggy problem as it prepares to experience the emergence of billions of cicadas this month.
Since the event brings an excess of unexpected noise, Northwestern experts said it could be particularly challenging to children on the autism spectrum and those with auditory sensitivities.
“Because some children on the spectrum have communication difficulties, they might not be able to explain how they’re feeling,” Feinberg Prof. Rachel Follmer said in a Friday news release. “So it’s helpful to give them tools in advance that may help them to communicate.”
Follmer likened the unexpected noise to loud toilet flushes and Fourth of July fireworks.
Follmer encourages parents to look at photos of cicadas and explain what they are, listen to audio clips of cicada noises and develop a plan of what to do if the noise is bothering the children.
Follmer said preparing children for the mass emergence of cicadas can help them deal with a range of summertime noises.
“All children can be sensitive to sound regardless of being on the spectrum,” Follmer said. “The Fourth of July is a perfect example.”
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