Comment by funki

I know a few people on the spectrum using ANR headphones or earbuds in social or loud settings (party/bar/restaurant/subway) to lower the ambient noise, just as you would wear a pear of sunglasses in the sun or on a brightly-lit stage. To them, it is a welcome fix to the alternative they had before: be exhausted by the stimulation, or stay home. The tendency of "the young" to do it too is a bonus: now they don't stand out so much.