SOUND SENSITIVE: How the mother of a woman with autism is trying to navigate a noisy weekend ahead

MILWAUKEE — Suzette Francis helped her daughter clean her apartment off 13th Street and Locust Street on Thursday before heading out.

They weren’t leaving for a getaway. The two are trying to avoid the loud noises from aircraft practicing for the Air and Water Show this weekend.

Emily lives with autism and is hypersensitive to loud sounds.

When practicing for the Air and Water Show kicked off this week, they were caught completely off guard. Suzette reached out to TMJ4 News for help.

“It sounded like we were under attack the way the planes were going through,” said Suzette.

Brian Lawdermilk

The two have lived in Milwaukee their whole lives and haven’t had issues with the noise up until last year.

Watch: Mother of a woman with autism is trying to navigate a noisy weekend ahead

“Last year, they notified people on the news that they were going to be practicing,” said Suzette. “Nothing this year. No notice, no nothing.”

Mike Beiermeister

The unexpected sounds from the planes can upset Emily and send her into a spiral of panic and fear. On Thursday, Emily was asleep when the planes flew over.

“All of a sudden, she jumped up. She was scared. The cat is ramming his head into the door,” said Suzette. “I had to go into the closet and get her {Emily} out of the closet because she was scared.”

With the Harley Davidson Homecoming Festival and Air and Water Show colliding in Milwaukee, Suzette is helping Emily gear up for plenty of noise.

Mark Wirtz

Emily plans to equip herself with noise-canceling headphones. She also has other tactics.

“Make it real loud in the house to drown that out,” said Suzette. “That's what we have to do at my parent’s house.”

These are tactics that UW-Milwaukee Professor Karyn Frick recommended as well for those living with hypersensitivity to loud noises.

“You could go to a sound-mitigating part of your home, so say your basement, where you're not going to hear the outdoor sound quite as much,” said Frick.

Mike Beiermeister

She also advised turning up the TV or ambient noise in the basement. Another option would be to head out of town.

“For a system like your auditory system, just sensitizing it to the noise will really help that,” said Frick.

She explained that it can be really hard for sound to go from zero to lots of noise in an instance.

Dogs and cats can also get startled by the loud noises.

“It's a great opportunity to get them out of the house,” said Frick. “Take them to a state park or a county park for a walk.”

For Suzette and Emily, that’s not possible, and they feel they shouldn’t have to leave.

Suzette would like to see a practice schedule published for next year’s show, so she can help Emily prepare. She also recommended the practice runs take place farther over the lake.

The Waterstone Bank Air & Water Show takes place July 27–28. The Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival takes place July 25–28.

TMJ4 News reached out to the Air & Water Show for comment but did not hear back.

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