Sensory Issues | Imamother

amother

Tue, Jul 27 2010, 11:08 am

Hello.
My child is 18 months old knh. Very active and cute, talks, eats well, bH walks fine plays w other kids...
last nite at a wed I was talking with s/o and I was telling her that my baby keeps on waking up in middle of the night and the only way she calms down is if she falls asleep in mine or dh bed. lady starts saying that she for sure has sensory issues!!! I was like!!!! this is only going on for bout 3 weeks and its not everynight. then I told her wen I sit her on my lap to make her hair she cud bang her head into me. but thats only because she x like wen I do her hair and she also does that after a bth when she is very active!! plus she doesnt always chew her food so my sis piped up, so that added fuel to the fire. So I called up a therapist referal agency told her everything. she said that she x think I should be worried about anything but If I want I can have her evaluated. she says that the not chewing business cud be from getting in her bak teeth late. so for that she might need feeding therapy. So now I waiting for letter from Health Dept. Now I need u ppl out there that have experience in these stuff to tel me anything bout sensory stuff.

SingALong

Tue, Jul 27 2010, 1:27 pm

its hard to know for sure if she is behaving just like a typical todler of if she has specific sensory issues that are causing ehr to behave like this. an OT who does an evaluation will look at her, talk to you and determine based on her overall behavior what's up. you may even fill out a sensory profile, which is like a list of questions for parents that help guide the OT.
My DD age 6 constantly woke up me and DH for years, only wanting to sleep in my bed till she finally grew out of it and we rewarded her for staying in her room. no sensory issues, just a kid who wanted to be with mommy!

ra_mom

Tue, Jul 27 2010, 5:53 pm

The only way for you to know if you child is sensory, is for you to learn about sensory integration/processing disorder, and then use that information to see if it matches your child's behavior.

(An OT evaluation will not be helpful unless you know what the issues are for your child. When it comes to sensory issues the mom has to be the one to tell the therapist what goes on sensory-wise on a daily basis, in detail, as the therapist will only be seeing your child for about a 30 minute evaluation. You need to be prepared.)

There are two types of sensory issues.
Children with hyposensitivity seek sensory input. They are likely to play a bit rough. They might throw themselves at things. Not realize to be careful at a playground. The might not feel every bump or fall. They might chew quickly.
Children with hypersensitivity try to keep away from sensory stimulation. They might not like the feel of labels on clothing. They might cry easily at sudden noises. They might not like different textures of food. Might stay away from fast quick or rough play.
Bear in mind that many sensory children have both hyposensitivty and hypersensativity. They may be sensative about some things, and at the same time be rough with other things.

You can read up about SID in the book called Raising A Sensory Smart Child or some other book.