OTs and those in the know- what age is sensory the worst?

amother

Sun, Jun 06 2021, 3:08 pm

Dd 4.5 has a sensory processing disorder. We go thru waves as she ages. Times when things quiet down, times when things are really hard. All winter I was loosing my mind from her needing output and not having space for her. The spring came and things were really great the past few weeks. But the last 2 days with the 90 degree heat I feel like I’m gonna have a breakdown from the crying. Dd is never ever ever comfortable. The heat is really irritating to her. She changes clothes and underwear on average 4 times a day. She is complaining from every. Doesn’t like the sprinkler bec she gets sand in her feet, can’t touch anything in the park bec it’s too hot. Kvetching, kvetching, kvetching all day long. Idk how much longer I can put up with this. Today was an epic fail. She spend majority of the day till now crying (started first thing in the morn, I cut her nails after the bath and she said one was too short) Dh told me to let me know when I need him. I was about to snap so I’m currently in my bed taking time out from her. I’m wondering at what age can she address her own discomfort and will it no longer equal her torturing me. Helppp
P.s she’s in OT twice a week. It’s helping in some ways but not specifically with this

amother

DarkOrange

Sun, Jun 06 2021, 4:26 pm

It's not age related. It's related to stress at the nervous system level.
Biodynamic craniosacral sessions helped my dd.
And lots of loving touch and hugs. That's very settling to the nervous system.
Sounds like she could benefit from you getting ns support.
If you can get your ns to a really good place, your child will be able to rest into your ns as a resource and that could significantly improve the sensory issues.

amother

Arcticblue

Sun, Jun 06 2021, 4:37 pm

amother [ DarkOrange ] wrote:

wjats ns? nervous system? how do you achieve that?

another it's not age related reply here. for us it's a strep reaction. if my kiddos strep titers are high, he will be more nuts. sorry you're dealing with this. I get what it's like to deal with a sensory seeker in a small apartment.
do you have a weighted blanket for her? (5-10% of body weight only)
there are lots of small sensory toys that make a big difference.
and as amother orange said , lots of tight squeezes. my kid likes when you drum on his back.

amother

Amaranthus

Sun, Jun 06 2021, 6:02 pm

Sounds like she may have more than just sensory going on. Some of the examples almost sound like ocd. There’s a lot of overlap between sensory distress and “just right” ocd. Agree with the other posters that it’s neurological. And I believe that upstream from the neurology is inflammation, gut issues and infections. So it makes sense that it comes in waves.