 and you get a chorus. But for those with hearing sensitivity, it can be an overwhelming wall of sound. Back in St. Louis, Jamie Reed has a 14-year-old son with autism. She says the cicadas have been a struggle for him. He said the noise hurts. The way he described it to me, he said it sounds like there's always a train running next to him. I'm not surprised. That's Rachel Fulmer. She's a pediatrician who treats many children with autism at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago.