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Forum -> Parenting our children -> Our Challenging Children (gifted, ADHD, sensitive, defiant)
My Overly Tactile/Touchy/Kinesthetic Kid- Help!
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amother


 

Post Wed, Dec 14 2011, 6:24 am
My kid is way too tactile.
Run.
Jump.
Kick.
Poke.
Squeeze.
Bite.
Caress.
Feel.
Scratch.
Smush.
Climb.
Banging.
Smashing.
Rubbing.
Etc.

That's a summary of his day. Constantly physically doing things. He's a kinesthetic learner, that's for sure. Driving me bonkers. Especially when the touching/scratching/biting involves me or his siblings.

How do I deal with an especially overly tactile kid?

I do give him lots of opportunities for touching all different textures, getting sensory stimulation by jumping, running, etc... But its not enough and I want to scream at him because he either wont. or cant. stop touching things.

Help?
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Happy18




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 14 2011, 8:30 am
Have you ever tried a sensory vest? They are weighted and I've seen them used with kids who behave in the way you described your son. Just something to look into.
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Kugglegirl




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 14 2011, 8:38 am
How old?

Needs place to get independent sensory input without disturbing others.

Still needs consequences for inappropriate touching.

Do you have one of those swings that mounts in a door frame?
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the world's best mom




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 14 2011, 9:20 am
Does he get OT? Therapy works wonders, and the therapist should be able to give you ideas of how to help him on your own. There are weighted versts and also pressure vests- an OT could tell you which one would be better for your child. Deep pressure massage helps a lot, and joint compressions. My son's OT taught me to do ear reflexology on him, and it works like magic. It calms him and puts him to sleep.

Besides for OT at home, sensory gyms are extremely helpful. There are things you can bring into your home that are used in sensory gyms. You may want to look into getting a swing, crash pads and a tunnel (if you have room for them). Tunnels fold pretty small for storage.

Feel free to pm me if you want more details about any of this.
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gryp




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 14 2011, 9:35 am
That sounds more like proprioceptive dysfunction (like you said, kinesthetic), although tactile too.

A mini-trampoline is a necessity. Seriously.

Does he like baths? Being in water gives good deep pressure. Put in some Epsom salt, parents tell me it calms down their SPD child like magic.

Joint compressions are very calming. (My website has instructional videos from youtube if you don't know what I'm talking about.)

Other things you can have around the house that kids enjoy are a bean bag chair and a hopper ball.

I never thought my kids would need these things but once I bought it, it amazes me how much they're used.

Chewing on a plastic spoon or bubble gum is also very handy for proprioceptive input and releasing frustration/anxiety/nervousness.

Please look into getting him OT.
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5*Mom




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 14 2011, 10:17 am
gryp wrote:
A mini-trampoline is a necessity. Seriously.


Sometimes, but sometimes it overstimulates and makes things worse. This is why an OT eval is so important. The OT will determine specifically in which areas he may be hypersensitive vs. sensory seeking (children with SPD are often a mixture of both), what his threshold is and what activities will be best to help your son regulate according to his profile, which he/she will structure into a sensory diet. The purpose of this is to keep him regulated so he has no need to scratch/hit/bite, etc. Depending on his age, which you didn't mention, the OT will also teach him to recognize his own body cues and learn to choose appropriate activities to self-regulate. You'll get a great education too.

You've gotten a lot of great ideas above for home management. What I found absolutely indispensable for all my kids, each of which has a completely different sensory profile, is gum. Yes, I find it everywhere, but it really helps my kids self-regulate and that's worth it to me.
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gryp




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 14 2011, 10:23 am
You're right 5*Mom. I bought a ball pit and it overstimulated my son so badly I had to get rid of it, so I know what you're saying. I haven't heard though from any parents who had that issue with a trampoline. Most SPD parents recommend a trampoline. That doesn't mean overstimulation doesn't happen with it, it very well might.
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amother


 

Post Wed, Dec 14 2011, 10:56 am
"That sounds more like proprioceptive dysfunction (like you said, kinesthetic), although tactile too. "
Can you explain what this means?

I don't have any room in my home for a mini trampoline or any of the other sensory suggestions.
I'll check out the joint compression you mentioned.

My son is 2.5

I want to get him OT, but it'll take months and months to get an eval and then actually get treatment, and I need to do something about this in the meantime because its driving me bonkers.
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amother


 

Post Wed, Dec 14 2011, 11:11 am
An example of something that seems to describe my son perfectly-

He was lying down, fast asleep, next to my husband. The next second, he leaned over, and bit my husband hard. While fast asleep. He wasn't trying to misbehave or cause trouble- he wasn't even awake to know what he was doing! But sensory seeking is such a part of him that he bites, fondles, kicks, and caresses even when sound asleep.
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Tamiri




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 14 2011, 11:35 am
Why does it take months and months to get an eval? If it truly takes so long, I assume you are waiting to do it under your insurance. Why not just get it done privately? It's not worth the wait....
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amother


 

Post Wed, Dec 14 2011, 11:38 am
All the amothers so far have been me, the OP. Maybe I'll try to make all my posts blue to identify me.

Things that might give more info-
My son loves jumping. On the bed, off high places, off walls, etc...
He wants to go on swings, but when I push him he starts freaking out and asks me to stop, even if the swing is barely moving. Thats one type of sensory input he is overly sensitive to.
He is not sensitive much to different foods and textures- he's the type that will eat a raw onion or garlic, and only after a lot say "That's spicy!"
He likes spinning.
He can bang himself into a wall and be totally chilled out about it.
When he was a baby, he wanted to be held and rocked all the time. He was swaddled- by choice- until 9 months old. (Meaning he was happiest when swaddled- I didn't force him to be swaddled when it made him uncomfortable.) At the moment though, he doesn't like being wrapped in blankets- he throws everything off when sleeping.
He always wants to rub me when I'm holding him.
He used to hate baths. Now he enjoys them, so long as I don't wash his hair. He grudgingly lets me wash his hair, but thats the one part of the bath he'd prefer to skip.
I just tried some joint compressions based on gryps advice, and he liked that.
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5*Mom




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 14 2011, 12:32 pm
Y'all need an OT stat. I second Tamiri's advice: go private.

There is a light at the end of this tunnel. Your ds sounds almost exactly like my dd. We noticed her sensory seeking before 18 months. She is 7 now and has outgrown many of her sensory seeking needs and has learned to manage the others on her own. I do have some equipment at home (mini-trampoline--she knows how to recognize her threshold and stop b-4 she gets overstimulated; hanging bars in the playroom, squeezy things, exercise bands, etc.) and she asks one of her older sisters to take her to the park when she needs to swing. I also did brushing and joint compressions for a while until she could do them on her own. She doesn't need to anymore. You will get there.
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amother


 

Post Wed, Dec 14 2011, 12:49 pm
Thanks! I appreciate the chizzuk, 5*mom.
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amother


 

Post Wed, Dec 14 2011, 2:20 pm
if you are waiting for city/state child services it could take a couple months. but if you go private to a place that takes insurance, they should be able to start right away. you need to check with them to see if they take your insurance and if your insurance covers it. they shoudl know. I took my son to OT, private, but insurance covered minus the $25 copay. not pennies, but not like paying full price!!
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the world's best mom




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Dec 14 2011, 2:52 pm
amother wrote:
"That sounds more like proprioceptive dysfunction (like you said, kinesthetic), although tactile too. "
Can you explain what this means?

I believe the proprioceptive system is what tells a person where they are in space, and where their head is in relation to the rest of their body. When a kid's system is off, they need to move constantly to try to figure out there their body is. My ds had this. He was always running and running. B"H, he has calmed down tremendously now. (He's 3).

That reminds me: holding a kid upside down is very organizing. Also, moving the kid in slow circular motions- but fast circles are stimulating. Excercise balls are good for the circular motions, though it can be done on your lap too.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Dec 15 2011, 5:35 am
I wanted to say thank you to the imamother ladies who recommended joint compression. I did it 4 times since with each of my kids- 2 times today and 2 times yesterday. My kids loved it... and they were so much better behaved. I hope this trend continues!
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5*Mom




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Dec 15 2011, 5:47 am
the world's best mom wrote:
amother wrote:
"That sounds more like proprioceptive dysfunction (like you said, kinesthetic), although tactile too. "
Can you explain what this means?

I believe the proprioceptive system is what tells a person where they are in space, and where their head is in relation to the rest of their body. When a kid's system is off, they need to move constantly to try to figure out there their body is. My ds had this. He was always running and running. B"H, he has calmed down tremendously now. (He's 3).

That reminds me: holding a kid upside down is very organizing. Also, moving the kid in slow circular motions- but fast circles are stimulating. Excercise balls are good for the circular motions, though it can be done on your lap too.


Not quite. Vestibular system is the one that tells you where you are in space. Proprioception is body awareness. When kids lack this its like they can't feel their bodies. They need deep stimulation to muscles and joints, such as is provided by bumping, crashing, kicking, biting or hitting people. Or carrying heavy things, playing soccer, deep massage, monkey bars, etc.

Regarding holding a child upside-down, linear vs. circular movement, fast vs. slow, etc. these regulation techniques are very specific to the individual child, the kind and level of stimulation he needs and his personal threshold b-4 crossing from just-right into overstim. For some children these work wonders, others can't tolerate them at all, and still others will find them overstimulating. For a child with minor issues that don't interfere with every aspect of his life, trial and error is probably okay. But for a child with significant issues that are bothering other people even when the child is asleep, I'd really recommend an eval so you can get targeted guidance and start ASAP.
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the world's best mom




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Dec 15 2011, 7:49 am
Oops. embarrassed

I knew I was mixing the vestibular system in there, but I thought the proprioceptive system was more similar to what I wrote. I stand corrected.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Dec 15 2011, 10:06 am
OP here. My kid can't stand being upside down, even the slightest bit. He freaks out!!!
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gryp




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Dec 15 2011, 10:52 am
The proprioceptive system is very close, interacts with the vestibular system. Lots of times they are mixed up and for good reason because their functions sometimes overlap.

Proprioception is feeling where your body is in space as well as feeling your body. The vestibular system is your sense of balance. You can see why they get mixed up a lot. Feeling where you are in space is part of balancing.

Vestibular sensory toys are also good for proprioception, and v.v.
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