How do you know that your kid is sensory?

FranticFrummie

Tue, Mar 31 2015, 5:28 am

It depends on the age of the child. Pretty much ALL toddlers are sensory, as they're learning about their environment. They will develop strong likes and dislikes by the time they are about 4 or 5, and then you'll have a better idea.

Some kids are sensory seeking, some are sensory avoid ant, and most are a mixture of both (that often seem very contradictory).

For example, DD likes to play really rough, have have things piled on her, jumps on a trampoline for hours, but will be driven insane by a seam in her clothing that bothers her. She loves feeling any kind of texture with her hands, feet, and tongue, but is extremely picky about texture in her food. It cannot be too mushy, hard, spicy, have food touching each other, or have sauce on it.

Confused yet? Welcome to parenthood.

The best thing to do is to expose your child to as many different sensory experiences as possible, and just observe to see if any patterns develop. The varied exposure early on can help prevent a lot of issues down the road. Keep track of the exposures and responses, and if something seems worrisome, ask your pediatrician.

LisaS

Tue, Mar 31 2015, 5:42 am

I had never heard of sensory sensitivity until my son was about 7, and once I learned about it I thought, "Aha - that explains why he gave me such a hard time about wearing tzitzit, he won't wear certain underwear, spent every recess on the swing, is sensitive to sound, etc."

Noticing how he is different from his siblings makes it easier for me to know.

On the other hand, I live in Israel, and haven't done anything about it yet, other than be more understanding. They don't talk about it so much here.

His sensitivity makes him talented in certain ways, for example he is very good with his hands, and quite agile.

FranticFrummie

Tue, Mar 31 2015, 5:46 am

The main thing is that it helps you understand your child's frustrations, and you can use that to be a more patient and understanding parent. As the child gets older, you can use those cues to know how to channel your child's talents, and where to get support in weak areas.

Sensory isn't good or bad, we all have our quirks. Just being more in tune as a parent is always a good thing!

the world's best mom

Tue, Mar 31 2015, 8:47 am

Everyone has sensory preferences. It becomes sensory processing disorder when it interferes with regular daily life. So it's totally fine to hate wearing turtle necks, but it's not fine to hate textures of food so much that you gag every time you eat something not crunchy. It's not fine to crave sensory input so much that you just have to get into every messy thing you see, regardless of what it is and what will happen if you do. It's not okay to be so sensitive that you can't wear most clothing.

I took ds to be evaluated for OT when he was 7 months old. The therapists thought I was nuts that I already thought he was sensory, but I showed them why and they ended up agreeing with me. But he was rather extreme.

amother

Bisque

Tue, Mar 31 2015, 9:08 am

the world's best mom wrote:

Could you say, what signs your son had.

Scrabble123

Tue, Mar 31 2015, 12:46 pm

I think that it's not just about being easily irritated or more in tune to or less away of certain feelings, but the ability to deal with them when necessary. For example, I may not like itchy material clothing, but if I understand that it's cold and that I need a sweater and the only sweater available is made from the thickest, most irritating wool out there, I'm going to wear it and be able to not just "deal with the feeling" but also not be bothered because I understand it's importance. I do not like the feeling or taste of the topical gel used at dentists, so I choose to forgo it, but then I know that the needle is going to pinch a little more than if I had placed topical on before. That's ok with me though: I'm willing to forgo the topical and deal with the discomfort of the shot; however others just find it impossible to mentally and physically deal with either. If I have a rock in my shoe, it's one thing to take it out, and another to harp on it and feel and complain about the rock even once it's removed. I may even choose not to remove the rock from my shoe if I'm in a hurry and simply don't have the time to stop; however for some that would be impossible. So it's not that I don't feel the rock, but it's that I've weighed the circumstances and decided that although a rock is annoying, I can only remove it once I get on the A train and am sure I didn't miss it. I feel the rock, I don't like it, but I put up with it because I need to. A person with a sensory disorder would either just be totally out of touch with the rock and not understand the importance of removing it, or be overly annoyed and willing to miss their train and still complain once it's removed, or a variety of other explanations, etc. etc. Somehow I think that a lot of explanation as to the importance of certain physical feelings may help a sensory issue, but I realize I'm wrong because if that would work then it would not be a condition: so I guess that if explanations of the importance of a feeling do not work, then the child may be suffering from some sort of sensory condition.

the world's best mom

Tue, Mar 31 2015, 1:18 pm

amother wrote:

Could you say, what signs your son had.

This was a number of years ago, but what I remember was that:

-As a newborn, he screamed non-stop. The only things that sometimes calmed him down were swaddling and rocking. An OT saw him at one month old and said he for sure has sensory issues.

-By a couple of months old, he loved laying on beds and couches. I would lay him down to change his diaper and he would stop screaming and start smiling.

-He could not tolerate baby food- when the speech therapist tried feeding him, he screamed so hysterically that I couldn't calm him down.

-He craved real food, which I was scared to give him at seven months old. I brought along food for myself to show them how he lunged at it and tried to grab it and screamed when I wouldn't give it to him.

amother

Aquamarine

Tue, Mar 31 2015, 2:21 pm

In my son's case he is overly sensitive seeking, I was actually the one to bring it up. He would LOVE deep right hugs touch everything in his view no matter how dirty or dangerous it will get. He would touch my face as a toddler, kiss me all over it... as his mother it was OK and when I didn't want it I firmly told him to stop or made him stop. But if he did it to his siblings or friends it's a problem. He jumps out of his skin sometimes if something bothers him, like a label in his shirt, ... the interesting thing is that when he gets extra sensory input he calms down and is as calm as anything.
Sometimes it's worth to be aware of why your child acts in a certain way and either get professional help of find diy/at home ideas that may help.
I have taken courses in early childhood and child development as part of teaching degree so I had knowledge in this area that helped me identify the issue but often when a child has issues in a sensory area a mother will notice something even if she can't identify the problem she can be aware enough to seek someone's professional/experienced opinion.

amother

Bisque

Tue, Mar 31 2015, 2:55 pm

the world's best mom wrote:

Wow that actually sounds like my turtle-neck hating daughter. So what can we do about it now that she is in preschool? Do I assume that she had learned to deal with her sensory peculiarities?

the world's best mom

Tue, Mar 31 2015, 4:42 pm

amother wrote:

Wow that actually sounds like my turtle-neck hating daughter. So what can we do about it now that she is in preschool? Do I assume that she had learned to deal with her sensory peculiarities?

It's possible. The question is if she is functioning well in life in general. Does she have a hard time getting dressed every morning? Does she avoid doing anything messy? Does she eat well? Does she play well and have friends? If yes, then that is not sensory processing disorder. That means she outgrew it. If not, then you may want to get her OT.