Thanks KJP - she does quite a bit of that. Will make ear plugs from wet paper towels if needed and will ask to leave if it gets to be too much for her. It's really the learning that makes it tough for her. She's an auditory learner with CAPD - it's got to be tough to screen out the background noise and focus on the important stuff. Downside of her time at special ed school is zero tolerance for people that interfere with her learning. She wants to learn so badly.
Non learning environments are better but still have limitations. I don't see her being fully comfortable in loud, busy places just getting better at tolerating them if she needs to be there. (ie airports). She can attend a public lecture with adults but gets very frustrated if I try to whisper a comment to her or if people are chatting nearby. She does better at outdoor events but a loud indoor basketball game is torturous. She LOVES theater but couldn't do a rock concert without ear plugs. Not long ago went to an amusement park with a group of friends but would only ride the gentle "swing ride". Usually there are a few coasters and others she likes - even willing to wait in long lines with hundreds of people. But that night was a no go. It was night time so maybe all the holiday lights were extra stimuli that made it harder. She lasted the whole evening and she had no problem waiting for her friends as they rode everything. But again it was outdoors and she could choose the level of participation she was comfortable with.
