Sensory issues | Imamother

cassandra

Mon, Jan 10 2011, 5:24 pm

Two hyper two hypo. The 2 hypo had OT- one for four years and one for two and a half (but started when he was six months). Only one of my hypers had OT, but it was mainly for gross motor, the other hyper was always just on the border so I never did it for him (since I already had three kids in private, out of pocket OT Rolling Eyes

) I also learned to give the hypos the stimulation they need, and deal the the, er, quirks of the hypers. Sometimes I forget, especially with my oldest who is hypo and spends much of her day in a classroom, and then need to remind myself that her rough patch might be solved with some dough or something.

(Though I have found since coming to Israel there are many more opportunities for her to get messy on a daily basis, which helps....)

5S5Sr7z3

Mon, Jan 10 2011, 8:52 pm

My son has sensory issues, major ones, but we couldnt get him approved for therapy. we do lots of playing with the shmutz, the snow, play-dough. I have toys with different textures on them (a spiky ball, fuzzy blocks, etc). It's a work in progress, but we're getting somewhere! Food is still an issue, and it's one thing I cant force. Some textures he claims are 'yicky'.

Bliss

Mon, Jan 10 2011, 9:06 pm

I'm trying to figure out my daughter now. She's 5 but I've noticed all along that she has minor sensory issues. But now it kinda jumped to the next level. She would often cry in the morning that she doesn't want to wear this because it's bothering her here and there. She keeps on straightening her pullover in an effort to get comfortable. She seems very irritable. I'm not sure what to do about it. Maybe I can get some advice on this thread.

Aribenj

Mon, Jan 10 2011, 9:08 pm

Yes. But I havent quite figured it out yet. Its like hes undersensitive. Sometimes. And hes also hypersensitive. Sometimes. And hes also sensory seeking. Sometimes... So whenever he gets assessed we get inconsistent results because of course, he behaves amazing with adults, especially one on one... Weve seen 2 OTs and both say he has mild motor delays (WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING???) but no sensory issues...

His behavior therapist, speech therapist, and teachers all think he has sensory issues, and they are the ones who have known him the longest, so I dont know...

I am going to talk to one last OT next week, but this time I requested the owner of the group to do the assesment herself and Im taking his speech therapist with me, so she can sort of help me plead my case.

Well see...

the world's best mom

Mon, Jan 10 2011, 10:03 pm

I have 2 kids who are extreme sensory seekers. They both get OT 3 times a week. I read Sensational Kids, which is similar to the Out of Sync Child. I learned to do reflexology on ds, as well as joint compressions, deep pressure massage...

Dd craves feeling different textures. The dirtier she gets, the happier and calmer she is. I've learned to allow her to wash the walls and the furniture with wet baby wipes. I take her out in the rain so she can splash in the mud puddles. Stuff like that really helps. She matured a lot around her 3rd birthday, and she's really not so difficult anymore.

Dd likes some textures, and dislikes others. His issues are that he strongly craves movement, music, and cuddling. I noticed this when he was just a newborn. He has a strange love for laying on beds. Colorful lights also calm him down very well. He is really a handful.

sunset

Mon, Jan 10 2011, 11:14 pm

wow! what a wonderful forum! I'm having quite a hard time with my 3.5 ds! there r some other issues but pertaining to this thread his teacher said he might have sensory issues because he plays with water a lot when he washes his hands...I know he's always loved water, "washing dishes", but I never thought it'd be a sensory issue...got to figure that out. but I like all the ideas mentioned ..shaving cream..gonna try it!

zipporah

Tue, Jan 11 2011, 12:55 am

Is playing with water an issue?

My 2.5 year old will climb on our kitchen drawers to splash if I leave a pot soaking. He pushes chairs to sinks to run the water and play and throws tantrums if you stop him. He takes his clothes off for our other kids' baths and tries to jump in.

I thought it was wasteful... and annoying... is it something to mention to someone?

c.c.cookie

Tue, Jan 11 2011, 1:08 am

I've got 2 with sensory issues. My almost 8 year old is sometimes hyper (smell, sounds) and sometimes hypo. He's a sensory seeker, which makes him act like he has ADHD sometimes - can't sit still, jumps around, touches everything in sight etc. We've gone for OT, and did a sensory diet, but I find it very frustrating, because it doesn't cure the problem, so if we're not consistent, he just goes haywire again.

My 20 month old also has sensory issues. He's hyper sensitive, and also has poor motor planning. We had to go for OT for basics like turning over, sitting up, crawling, standing, chewing.

I myself also have sensory issues. I'm hyper - can't stand being touched, having my personal space invaded, noise drives me nuts. It didn't bother me so much growing up. We were 5 kids, nicely spaced, I was number 4, and my house was quite calm and quiet when I was growing up. Now as a mother I'm really suffering. Especially when I'm tired, and even worse when I'm pregnant - my kids running around and playing loudly drives me crazy. One of my kids is a real touchy kind of kid (in the literal sense - she uses me like a security blanket.) It really drives me batty!

c.c.cookie

Tue, Jan 11 2011, 1:11 am

zipporah wrote:

If that's the only way thing he does, I don't know if you need to speak to someone. Try to give him structured legitimate time to experiment with water, and maybe other things too - clay, shaving cream etc.
If he seems to be a sensory seeker in other aspects as well it may be worth speaking to an OT.

zipporah

Tue, Jan 11 2011, 1:37 am

c.c.cookie wrote:

zipporah wrote:

He also pours out any granular stuff (sugar, flour, coffee, salt) and runs his toys through it. He climbs on my counters to get to them...

Sorry to hijack... I just didn't even know what sensory issues were til I saw this post.

c.c.cookie

Tue, Jan 11 2011, 1:41 am

zipporah wrote:

c.c.cookie wrote:

zipporah wrote:

I'm confused - is he only running his toys through it, or is he touching it, too? It sounds like it might be worth speaking to an OT. As a start, I think you should try giving him all sorts of textures to play with and touch. It sounds like he craves that.

Seraph

Tue, Jan 11 2011, 2:22 am

My son (well, both of them now) are sensory seeking in terms of constantly on the move, constantly running, jumping, spinning, touching everything, etc.

My sil is an OT and recommended doing deep pressure massage, wrapping him tightly in hugs, tightly in blankets, making "sandwiches" with my kids, and doing heavy work that is grounding, like having him pick up and move heavy things, because it helps him "feel where he is".

Brushing, from what I heard, is for hyper sensitive kids. The only thing my son is hyper-sensitive to is water and temperature. Oh, and also to crowds. Everything else he's under-sensitive.

According to my OT sil, its not defined as sensory integration disorder unless it disrupts day to day life to the extent that you can't live normally. Otherwise its just sensory "issues", which are very prevalent today. But according to her, most kids would benefit from OT and sensory gyms. Some kids just need it to function and others just would function better with it.

For the record, bird song and high pitched frequency sounds are supposed to help with sensory issues.

I want to read the out of sync child, I just need to get my hands on it.

aqua

Tue, Jan 11 2011, 4:44 am

Aribenj wrote:

A lot of kids are mixed - in some areas they can be hypo and in other senses they can be hyper. So you should try and think about each of the 5 senses - and how he reacts in each 'sense'. It can be really confusing to diagnose! I'm a speech therapist and I work with kids with sensory issues together with an OT, and it can take us a few weeks to get a really accurate profile of the child.

Does your OT not have a form/questionnaire for you to fill in before you meet? That's really the most efficient way to do it. It gives you time to really think about each area, and pay attention to things you might not have noticed previously - or realized they were caused by a sensory issue at all. Then the OT gets to see the profile before she meets your child, so she knows what to look out for, or which areas she wants to assess further. Good luck!!

Mkay

Tue, Jan 11 2011, 11:10 am

Seraph wrote:

I just bought it in Amazon.