Pyrotechnics carry frequent risks and known of burns, eye injuries and acoustic trauma. Other, less known effects are those that affect the population with autism, intellectual disability and also people with post traumatic stress disorder like war veterans in whom they can reactivate very vivid and distressing memories.
Some people have difficulty processing information captured by their senses. This can affect hearing, but also touch, taste, smell, vision, proprioception (sense of body awareness), and the vestibular system (Balance). Then too much or insufficient stimulation of the senses can be generated.
The children with neurodevelopmental disorders, may suffer from auditory hypersensitivity, which occurs due to alterations in the register, integration and interpretation of the sound stimuli that come from the environment. This is particularly prevalent in people with ASD, which according to the CDC’s autism monitoring center is currently identified in one of 44 children.
In the case of auditory hypersensitivity, an exaggerated hearing acuity can occur, which even leads to a sensation of pain due to this increased perception of sound. This results in stress and strong behavioral and emotional dysregulation because the threshold of auditory tolerance to certain sections of the sound frequency is very low.
Depending on the characteristics of the person, This stress can lead to self-harm, as well as physical attacks on third parties., crying, screaming, covering their ears with their hands and other impulsive reactions due to not understanding or tolerating what is happening around them.
One way to avoid discomfort is to anticipate and help them understand what is going to happen during the holidays.
There are boys who respond well to physical restraint, they can be hugged or held. But not all respond the same and, furthermore, that may be possible with younger children, but not with adolescents, who may hit and even try to escape.
You can also mitigate these effects of pyrotechnics with measures that muffle the sounds such as resorting to internal rooms of the house during parties, using earplugs or headphones that block the sound or provide pleasant stimuli. However, these are emergency solutions.
But as a responsible society we have a duty to know and understand the severe effects of a trivial and dangerous hobby such as fireworks and to be sensitive to the suffering it can cause in vulnerable people, showing solidarity and allowing everyone, without exception, to be included in the festivities. For this reason, from Fleni we recommend the use of non-sound pyrotechnics to celebrate the holidays.
* Dr. Paulina Carullo (MN 108,282) is a child neurologist, from the Department of Neuropediatrics of Fleni.
