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In a 2026 study, Keenehan investigated factors associated with hyperacusis and misophonia in children by surveying parents of pediatric otolaryngology patients with the HAQ, a modified DMQ, and a medical history questionnaire including white noise exposure. They found that otalgia predicted higher hyperacusis scores, that older age, ASD, and otalgia predicted misophonia, that misophonia and hyperacusis were strongly related, and that white noise exposure showed no association with either condition. From this they concluded that otalgia may serve as a clinical marker of hyperacusis, that misophonia overlaps with neurodevelopmental sensory-emotional phenotypes, and that no evidence supports a link between early white noise exposure and pediatric sound intolerance (Keenehan et al., 2026).

Older age and ASD predict misophonia in children

Keenehan et al. (2026) surveyed parents of 375 pediatric otolaryngology patients aged 3 to 18 years, using a modified Duke Misophonia Questionnaire (DMQ) alongside a medical history form, and tested predictors of misophonia with binary logistic regression. They found that older age and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were each significant predictors of misophonia presence, with ASD carrying a substantially elevated odds of misophonia. The authors concluded that misophonia is more common in older children and frequently co-occurs with neurodevelopmental conditions, reflecting a broader sensory-emotional processing phenotype that overlaps with autism spectrum features. (Keenehan et al., 2026).

Misophonia and hyperacusis are strongly related in children

Keenehan et al. (2026) assessed 375 pediatric otolaryngology patients aged 3 to 18 years with the Hyperacusis Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and a modified Duke Misophonia Questionnaire (DMQ), and compared hyperacusis severity between children with and without misophonia. They found that children meeting criteria for misophonia had markedly higher HAQ scores than those without misophonia, indicating substantial overlap between the two conditions. The authors concluded that this relationship points to shared auditory sensitivities and a possible shared neurobiological basis, while still treating misophonia and hyperacusis as related but distinct disorders. (Keenehan et al., 2026).

Otalgia predicts hyperacusis severity in children

Keenehan et al. (2026) surveyed parents of 375 pediatric otolaryngology patients aged 3 to 18 years, measuring sound sensitivity with the Hyperacusis Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and collecting medical history including reported otalgia (ear pain), then modeled HAQ predictors with multivariate linear regression. They found that frequent otalgia was the strongest predictor of elevated hyperacusis scores, and otalgia also predicted misophonia presence in a separate logistic model. The authors concluded that otalgia may serve as both a symptom and a clinical marker of hyperacusis in children. (Keenehan et al., 2026).

Early white noise exposure shows no association with pediatric sound intolerance

Keenehan et al. (2026) surveyed parents of 375 pediatric otolaryngology patients aged 3 to 18 years, recording exposure to white noise within the first three years of life and assessing sound intolerance with the Hyperacusis Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and a modified Duke Misophonia Questionnaire (DMQ). They found that white noise exposure as an infant predicted neither hyperacusis scores nor the presence of misophonia, despite a majority of the sample having used white noise. The authors concluded that, although concerns about prolonged white noise exposure persist, their data show no link to sound sensitivity symptoms, and they called for more research on its long-term effects given widespread parental use. (Keenehan et al., 2026).