How to make schools less noisy-and why it matters | Ana Sofia Brito | TEDxSaintAndrewsSchool

In her talk, Ana Sofia Brito asks teachers and administrators to consider accommodating students with invisible disabilities.
Ana Sofia is in sixth grade and has been attending Saint Andrew's school since the second semester of second grade. She’s originally from Brazil and moved to Florida four years ago, and she is still learning new things around her. You will usually find her listening to music, drawing, reading Harry Potter, and FaceTiming her friends during her free time. After school, she is usually not very busy unless it’s Girl Scout Cookie season. She also enjoys the theatrical and acting world as she partakes in the school musical every year. She joined TED-Ed to spread her word about the injustice of a lack of accommodations for students who have sensory sensitivities, a topic that may not be well understood but is one that she knows very well. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@YorkPepPaty]

Honestly just do what Japanese schools do. Allow the kids to eat outside or in other areas. If the kids were respectful enough to clean up then it wouldnt be an issue.

[@tdeo2141]

Children with autism are so susceptible to be sensitive to noise. It's torture to force them to have lunch amidst all the ruckus.

[@BChauTieu]

This is why I never stayed in the lunch rooms. Schools just need to provide more space or chance for students that are sensitive to noise to be able to leave to a court yard or somewhere else that’s isn’t as loud. The lack of empathy also in the comments aren’t shocking.

[@beckys8877]

Our son had noise sensitive issues as a toddler and little kid, he couldn't stand noisy restaurants or school assemblies, the teachers let him wear head phones or ear plugs or just go wait in the library. By 2nd grade we moved him to a Montessori Charter School that was much more quiet and peaceful with half as many students and that was helpful. Not everyone fits into chaotic public schools, and finding other choices can make a big difference.

[@tdeo2141]

My son still has the same issue. I can't afford Montessori. He found a spot at the very top of the stairwell of his public school to have lunch at - right by the door to the roof which is always locked; but it's away from the chaos and the noise. Unfortunately that also distances him socially from the other kids.

[@alexisdespland4939]

also design lunchroom future lunch in a way that dosen't echo existing sounds that would tend to make it louder.

[@bubbles.stu26]

I haven't even finished watchint this and already gave it a thumbs up. This was so stressful. We weren't allowed outside after lunch. Everyone was crammed into the gym. It was awful.

[@paulmarshallenergytherapym8034]

I am 57 now. But I was a neurodivergent little boy once who remains to this day sensitive to noise and environmental conditions. I will never forget my first day of senior school. The chaos & noise literally made me throw up.

[@user-uv1pg6fk8d]

διαφωνω υπαρχει και η εννοια του σεβασμου στον αλλο ειτε εισαι παιδι ειτε εισαι ενηλικας

[@Newton-Reuther]

​@@user-uv1pg6fk8dNo one takes you seriously when you use that Communist alphabet.

[@tdeo2141]

My son has the same issue. He found a spot at the very top of the stairwell of his school to have lunch at - right by the door to the roof which is always locked; but it's away from the chaos and the noise. Unfortunately that also distances him socially from the other kids.

[@paulmarshallenergytherapym8034]

@@tdeo2141 that’s a memory for me. I would always find hiding places and I went through my entire senior school friendless. I just couldn’t manage to “normal” enough. I have done great things with my life, but I am very resentful to the system and how it totally let me down.

[@tdeo2141]

@@paulmarshallenergytherapym8034 Thanks for this update. I’m glad you’ve had a good life despite these obstacles. That’s a positive outlook and it gives me hope. I expect my son will also do great things but I wish there was more I could do to help him. Did you find that your social life improved after you hit university/college and had more autonomy as to where you could go etc?

[@brave2145]

Someone who has problems to move has an aid - a wheelchair etc. Get a noise cancelling headphones 🎧 if you need - same as support in the bathroom the speaker mentions

[@ClayKicker]

invisible challenges will always be different than seen ones just look at some of the comments already so unfortunate

[@Aldridge517]

I wandered around during high school lunch. The courtyard, the library, the staircase. When I finished my food, I was out

[@abdullahbakuvi7026]

Anyone else wondered what the bars around her were the whole time😅

[@taylors4243]

most schools allow people to eat outside the cafeteria. are you in the 1960s?? @TED TALK smh, wtf is this?!

[@noneofyourbeeswax8045]

I have an extreme sensitivity to noise as well to the point that I feel excrutiating pain from noise. I understand the comments and I often feel bad to limit others because if my limitations. I actually found though that surprisingly many people said that it feels really good to be in a quieter environment which makes sense considering we used to walk around in a forrest and are just not made for the fast paced and loud world that we now live in. I have two invisible disabilities and it's true that it is extremly difficult to be taken seriously. I think better education here especially in schools is crutial so thank you Ana for being part of the conversation! We need to internalise compassion and awareness for other people's reality early in life and find actual individual solutions

[@aakuster]

Kids have to be quiet all day long in class, and we can't even give them lunchtime to let off steam?

[@RooseyGirl]

@aakuster thats not what it's about... It's about having options for all needs. And also keeping all kids safe, cuz if the noise in a cafeteria gets to a point that can cause permanent hearing loss I'd say that affects everyone in that cafeteria... when i was a kid, we ate in the cafeteria and then went outside to play. We also had picnic tables outside in case we chose to eat outside

[@kathrynleskosky75]

Noise monitors can be found online for free. I emphasize with this exact issue. With a shred of creativity, any school personnel could find solutions that don't infringe on the freedoms of others. Social noise is an irritant to the nervous system. As adults we can navigate these issues, kids need our support and guidance to figure out how to deal with this as it is the accepted norm. I will end with this, "Let silence be the criteria against which you measure everything" and "Don't speak unless your words can improve the silence."

[@user-wh9vy2fx8y]

This is Super Duper Seriously Cereal

[@nehallatifi3100]

In India, teachers make the children read aloud to prove themselves.😢

[@chelseabunker2391]

Kids in the USA have to read out loud in front of the class too. At least I had to anyways. Our country is huge with many states so I cannot speak for everyone

[@kratosaurion002]

And there's nothing wrong with that... teachers however need to mediate these situations. You can't help a kid who is insecure to avoid these interactions because of sensitivity.... however you as a teacher need to make the other kids stay respectful when someone is trying to improve and overcome said sensitivity...

[@king_ltc_]

You’re responsible for your own accommodations. I have depression and anxiety. I don’t ask my teacher to quiet down the class because I get more anxious when it’s loud. I don’t ask my teacher to cancel the test because I’ve been going through a tough period. I have my own accommodations through the school and with my teachers so they can still teach to the majority of individuals who don’t have issues like me. Ridiculous.

[@madisonbadger9454]

This is ridiculous. Let kids be kids. Lunch time is important for kids to build social skills with their peers.

[@Newton-Reuther]

I agree! We should remove all accessibility. Only the strongest survive.

[@RooseyGirl]

@madisonbadger9454 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government' programs and services.

[@Atarnishedsoulplayer556]

Ted talk has changed

[@OneaeBlack]

People don't need to yell scream shout to speak to one another, a quiet whisper is usually best with a funny joke anyway. Who really truly wants to be an obnoxious loud mouth?

[@jitendrasingoriya515]

How about using an earplugs

[@breezystl777]

Why not just get noise cancelling headphones?

[@kikimab]

Just give every student noise canceling headphones like a silent rave - good luck to that young woman when she goes to work and makes everyone walk on eggshells around her because EVERYTHING is about her. And then everyone will complain that students aren’t socializing anymore.

[@RooseyGirl]

@kikimab its not that everything is about her... i dont know what her invisible disability is, but i have a son who is autistic and has adhd and he perceives the world very differently than me and other people. Just because he has those conditions doesn't make him any less part of the society or less important than anyone else... people with disabilities have the right to equality dignity and respect for integrity. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government' programs and services.

[@kikimab]

@@RooseyGirl I have no problem with the school accommodating students with sensory sensitivities or regular students wanting a separate, quiet eating space, but making the majority of students bend their natural (loud) behaviors to a handful of students isn’t fair to them or their social development. A school cafeteria isn’t meant to be as quiet as a Sunday church service.

[@RooseyGirl]

@kikimab i agree with you on that for the most part. The only caveat i have is that if the noise levels in a cafeteria can reach levels that can cause permanent hearing loss, i would say that affects everyone in that cafeteria.

[@alexisdespland4939]

are you saying no talking allowed that would be fairest but uninforcetable., they should be made to listen to how loud everyone is.

[@OneaeBlack]

How could good student learn in such stressful noise pollution? It's dangerous. Chronic stressful sickness.

[@skywatcher7272]

That's the problem. Everyone forced to bow down to 1 person. The one person should go somewhere else if it's too loud. Just common sense😢

[@SEEZOO986]

😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

[@invincibleCYJ]

🥺🥺🥺🥺

[@RooseyGirl]

But its not necessarily just 1 person... i dont necessarily think kids in a cafeteria should have to be forced to be quiet in their free time. A quiet room where people can go if needed is the perfect solution for everyone.

[@asecretcourtofcrowsandcloc4084]

It’s not bowing down to anyone, it’s working together to come up with a solution that yes well it might be specifically designed to address the needs of a particular group of people, as mentioned you would have positive affects for everyone. She’s right at the consequences of being in environment above decibel threshold can lead to long-term hearing damage therefore it is a Great skill to teach kids to be aware of how loud they’re being and the noise level and environment

[@malinasworld]

Installing ramps, hand rails or making space for a kid in crutches doesn’t impose on anyone else’s socialisation and school experience. Demanding silence from children during lunch break because one kid can’t just pop in ear plugs on the other hand…

[@RooseyGirl]

@malinasworld i can assure you it's more than one kid, maybe not to her same degree. Beside, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government' programs and services.

[@kingqp]

Non issue.

[@cya915]

🎉🎉🎉

[@AngelicaThaliaAponte]

Fresh 15 years old. I walk in the huge yellow cafeteria. The ceiling with the bright lamps carried such a weight of how old it was. I was alone. I had no other thoughts. I was still scared and yet too brave enough to choose to sit alone. Days go by, someone says hello. I welcome them. Another person introduces themselves and I welcome another. Things become more in-depth. I thought I hated it here even when sitting with people. I wanted to understand why I felt so wrong so I forced myself to be alone. Until the people around me noticed and slowly went away. I sat alone again. Within the feeling of the loud laughter of young students. I wanted to laugh. I wanted to say hello all over again. But I had a home, who never welcomed me. A home where I was ashamed. I became so obsessed with this cafeteria that I ditched around the same time just to keep the memories of the last two minutes 12:14pm because I knew where my gate, hate wanted me. School is awesome. It is your home that should always be questioned first God bless and stay in school. (⁠ ⁠╹⁠▽⁠╹⁠ ⁠)♥⁠╣⁠[⁠-⁠_⁠-⁠]⁠╠⁠♥

[@apostrophe8891]

In my school our teacher literally use microphone speakers to shout at us and announcements also happens from speakers , kids hollering is less of a pain for me and i rather enjoy liveliness in it , for people with senstivity towards noise , they can wear some headphones or put some cotton in their ears (to cancel the noise) . School is already a hellhole factory to make obedient slaves , let's not make it worse by being selfish and putting YOUR NEEDS qbove everyone else's!!

[@RooseyGirl]

@apostrophe8891 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government' programs and services.

[@daledevernon56]

There will be kids who will take advantage of this particular kind of disability so that they can enjoy the benefits that come along with it

[@bru512]

What a bunch of nonsense TLDR Wear headphones or earplugs if you don't like the noise

[@gabrielbou251]

Who cares that's part of the experience

[@JoyNoelle]

"Who cares" if a child is suffering 😮 WOW, OK! I hope that if any children in your life find themselves struggling with severe noise sensitivity, they find more compassion and understanding than you're offering this child🫶🏾

[@kratosaurion002]

@JoyNoelle They can always be somewhere else tho. You can't expect people to change their ways if they're really not doing something wrong and for the sake of someone else's sensitivity, I get it but it just shouldn't be that way.

[@malinasworld]

@@JoyNoelleYou expect the entire school to mute themselves for one child? There are other options than turning schools into nunneries.

[@RooseyGirl]

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government' programs and services.

[@RooseyGirl]

@malinasworld what makes you so sure its only one child? Just because shes the one that couldnt handle it anymore and is speaking up doesn't mean she is the only affected.

[@DrewKane]

The world shouldn't have to adjust to you, you should adjust to the world.

[@RooseyGirl]

@DrewKane Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government' programs and services.

[@pariabehzad1473]

Love you Ana💗

[@Oscar-gt9xp]

Life is challenging. Stop victimizing yourself and others.

[@mattm1841]

If you can't handle being around others or noises or smells, you need to leave the situation, you don't need to make it a part of your life to now change everyone else's situation to match what you want reality to be. The masses don't cater to the few the few cater to the masses

[@RooseyGirl]

@mattm1841 must be nice to have such an entitled was of thinking; especially when you have ABSOLUTELY NOOO CLUE how many people are actually affected in silence... beside you also never know what your future holds, so its always a good idea to lead with compassion.

[@mattm1841]

@@RooseyGirl so your idea of compassion is to force a few hundred kids to be quiet so one can be comfortable. So hundreds have to be uncomfortable for the one to be comfortable. That's compassion in yours eyes... Must be great to be you

[@RooseyGirl]

@mattm1841 No, you are only focusing on one thing mentioned in the video... as i stated in a different comment, if in the cafeteria the noises can reach levels that can cause permanent hearing loss, i would say that affects anyone in that cafeteria... when i was a kid, we could eat in the cafeteria and then go out to play or hang out. We also had picnic tables we could also eat at outside... Also a quiet room is a perfect solution

[@RooseyGirl]

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government' programs and services.

[@OneaeBlack]

Then all that stress is brought home to family, what are these school teaching exactly? Would it not be more useful to be quiet like a library so that student may still study before class? Alkaline Health Benefit?

[@juankusoff]

If they want to study they can go to the actual library

[@OneaeBlack]

@@juankusoff Where they banned all the education study books?

[@OneaeBlack]

But then people had problem with loud music concert? Makes no sense. Clueless!!!

[@DigitalAshes]

Concerts aren't schools

[@OneaeBlack]

@@DigitalAshes Exactly!!!

[@OneaeBlack]

Support Future Doctor.

[@OneaeBlack]

❤❤❤❤❤ When are the clueless baby boomers going to learn better? ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤