Explanation.....

Why he covers his ears- 
He covers his ears a lot but we knew it wasn't because things are too loud-  we knew it had something to do with visual processing.  He will do it when he doesn't like the way something looks or if something is 'different' in appearance-  out of the norm.  And although we still don't completely understand it (because he definitely can't explain it) we do know it is sensory based.   And that sometimes he can't process something visual AND audible at the same time.  So he will opt to cover his ears and process visually, or walk out of the room (while his DVD is on) so he doesn't see it and process it just audibly.  And while we recognized that it was a sensory issue related primarily to visual stimuli- it took me a while to understand that it's the combination of things that makes it difficult.  It's all a learning process for sure-  day by day!  We keep headphones around on a regular basis now just in case he needs them somewhere while we are out.  He also has some at school.

It was really cute though at the fair-  I am sure you noticed him covering his ears while in the cars.  Again, we knew it wasn't sound related because there is TONS of noise at the fair and he only covered his ears at certain times-  during visual stimuli (or movement now that I think about it) or during times when he doesn't know what to expect.  ANYWAY-   he really wanted to push the buttons on the car he was riding in but didn't want to uncover his ears (this was pre-headphone stage) so he figured out that he could lean forward and push it with his elbow!  I think you can see that in one of those pics!