Sonic Interference
Many people with ADHD find it difficult to filter out sensory information and focus on one thing. That’s why someone with ADHD may have trouble focusing on a conversation that’s happening in a busy coffee shop or loud bar. There are so many things going on at once and their brain is listening in and processing all of it.
This person describes their inability to focus in stimulating environments as “sonic interference.” They describe their brain as “going blank” when music is playing or someone is having an audible conversation nearby. They can’t help but focus in on what’s going on around them instead of filtering all that out and only hearing the person who is talking directly to them. As they’ve gotten older they’ve learned how to cope with this, but it still happens almost every time.