I cant figure him out???

amother

Pumpkin

Sun, May 22 2016, 6:12 pm

My 13 yrs. Old seems majorly sensory..I thought by now he would have grown out of it...he has like four foods that he eats..he constantly complains about his body not feeling right..he asks for hand massages, foot massages, back massages constantly. He suffers from a bit of Anxiety but it has gotton better..he doesnt focus well in class but not sure if he is ADD ( he is very well behaved) or he is just bored..Gemorrah is not exactly exciting..where do I go from here?

amother

Sapphire

Sun, May 22 2016, 7:05 pm

If he really does have sensory issues, which it sounds like he does, you should seek out help for him to get relief.

Regarding focusing in class - if he has sensory issues, of course he can't focus! Imagine the harsh flickering fluorescent lights, noise overload, and perhaps uncomfortable seat which bothers him, all which drown out the sound of his teacher talking...

amother

Lemon

Sun, May 22 2016, 7:18 pm

Where do you live? Israel?

I would strongly recommend a psychological evaluation. There are all kinds of things that can express themselves as sensory/anxiety/ADD that are not actually those things. If in fact it is one of those things, go to a professional to deal with that issue. If there is an underlying issue, these "symptoms" won't go away until it is dealt with.

For example, being bullied in school, being abused or molested, having a bad circle of friends introducing drugs---all these things shake up a child's world and make them unable to handle the world around them. Since in general children don't like to talk about deeply emotional problems, it often manifests itself in small areas of their lives.

I know that my child was diagnosed with sensory and ADD problems and also had a lot of anxiety about certain things. He was also not eating well and spaced out a lot. We went to OT and play therapy and weren't getting anywhere. Then he finally revealed he was abused. After processing that in therapy, ALL of his symptoms disappeared, confirming that that this was, in fact the source of his upset.

I am not saying your child was for sure abused, but I am saying that various behavioral issues can stem from something specific. Especially if you and your husband do not have issues of this kind, I would be worried.

amother

Bisque

Sun, May 22 2016, 8:20 pm

pleease dont jump to abuse right away! people in general can have sensory issues. talk to your doctor and go from there. not everyone is being abused. sensory definitely has a place.

from some responses on imamother is sometimes think the whole world was abused and molested. its like one of the first things pp like to put it on. please use common sense. then if the usual isnt helping then maybe they are getting abused. but why go there first?

amother

Salmon

Mon, May 23 2016, 4:38 pm

I have ADHD and sensory issues and anxiety (not from abuse or from anything, in my case).

Some recommendations:
1) Sensory issues can be treated!! Often, an OT can treat it, but ask your pediatrician what the right next step is. My sensory issues were not diagnosed until I was an adult (in other words, no, you don't grow out of sensory issues), and they were never treated. You could save your son some unnecessary suffering. Life would have been (and would be now) better for me if my issues were caught and treated when I was young.
2) If you think he has ADHD or ADD, get him evaluated. But, if he has serious sensory issues, they can sometimes cause similar 'symptoms' to ADHD. So it might not be. But, it might be and therefore you should check. ADHD and sensory issues often occur together.
3) Take him to a psychologist to deal with his anxiety - this to can be helped. Also, a psychologist can help see if he has underlying issues - these could range from minor (not having enough friends, self-esteem issues, etc.) to major (abuse), and could be a contributing factor in his other issues, or not. Either way, they should be dealt with.

Good luck!