Anyone have a "sensory seeking" child?

[chipper10]

Can anyone share their experiences with me? DS is 2. He sees a speech therapist and a developmental therapist. He had an Occupational therapy eval last week. The OT said he is very sensory seeking. He has low reception (I can't think of the exact word she used), so he is seeking out the feeling by doing things intensly. We will be meeting soon to discuss where we go from here. It sounds like DS will be seeing an OT weekly though.

 

[QVCshopper]

I have a 4 year old girl who is developmentally delayed. She is very high energy and currently gets speech, emotional/social, and fine motor therapy through early intervention. She had huge temper tantrums, hid from people, and just seemed so unhappy around 2-3. My only advice is to seek out therapy through your state's early intervention program. It's a difficult and humbling process, but these groups are there to help you and your child. My daughter is doing much better than a year ago. While we still need to conquer some things, we are in a much better place than last winter. I have high hopes that she will only need speech therapy when she gets to kindergarten.

A friend of mine did have a child who was very sensory. She went my route, with early intervention, and her son is now 4 and has also made huge improvements.

IMHO, I think children develop on different schedules. I found the most difficult thing to deal with is other people, because they don't understand that your child needs extra help because they don't see anything physically wrong with him/her. For me, it's best to ignore people and leave difficult situations.

Also, I recommend reading Raising Your Spirited Child by mary sheedy kurcinka. It's an amazing look at how certain children are really affected differently by certain things. I think there's a sensory section in there, but my DD doesn't have that too much.

Good luck. It's a long road, but it gets better.

 

[koolaidmoms]

We have a DS (5) who has sensory issues. He loves tight (to me bone crushing) hugs especially when he is in need of reasurrance or scared. They used to give him a weighted bag (about 5-10 lbs) to put on his lap at school to kind of keep him still and keep him from seeking out inappropriate stimulation. He also had a half ball that he could sit on to work on his core strength - he has low upper body muscle tone. We have him in swimming and gymnastics to work on this.

He also has a high pain tolerance which can be very scary. He fell 6 ft. from a pole in preschool and never even wimpered. He then turned and bumped his head on the metal bridge on the playground and got a huge bump but he never even noticed. The teacher and I were both shocked when we saw this happen. But if he sees the blood forget it - he is screaming even if it is a paper cut.

He also has clothing issues. No tags, only elastic waistbands (getting harder as he gets older) no zippers (although he will tolerate one on his jacket just not touching his skin) and no snaps.

He is in OT, PT and Speech 2xs a week for 30 minutes down from 3xs a week in preschool.

Any questions you have PM me if you would like. Also, I suggest the disabilities community board. There are a really great group of people over there who have been dealing with these things for quite awhile. Hope this helps some!

 

[dogluva]

Can anyone share their experiences with me? DS is 2. He sees a speech therapist and a developmental therapist. He had an Occupational therapy eval last week. The OT said he is very sensory seeking. He has low reception (I can't think of the exact word she used), so he is seeking out the feeling by doing things intensly. We will be meeting soon to discuss where we go from here. It sounds like DS will be seeing an OT weekly though.

Two out of six were sensory seekers. I said were because they have outgrown many of the issues.

For my kids it was a way of helping them focus. They were very overstimulated as young children. One of them is taking medication for ADHD. He is doing really well.

 

[chipper10]

IMHO, I think children develop on different schedules. I found the most difficult thing to deal with is other people, because they don't understand that your child needs extra help because they don't see anything physically wrong with him/her. For me, it's best to ignore people and leave difficult situations.

This is one of my biggest problems, because I feel like no one understands what's going on, so they are just ignoring it. Ignoring is not going to make the problems go away. I wish family would just ask us questions if they are confused. I had to leave a family party last night, because I just got so upset with everyone. Luckily, I made it home before I lost it and just started crying.

He also has a high pain tolerance which can be very scary. He fell 6 ft. from a pole in preschool and never even wimpered. He then turned and bumped his head on the metal bridge on the playground and got a huge bump but he never even noticed. The teacher and I were both shocked when we saw this happen.

DS is the same way. He never cries from pain. He's had knots on his head and never said a word. He jumps off the couch and never gets hurt. On Sunday, I was putting together his car that he can play with outside. Somehow, he ended up with a pretty bloody forehead. I still have no idea what happened, because he never cried. (I'm guess he fell though.)

 

[kymmyk13]

My DD4 had Oppositional Defiance Disorder, OCD, anxiety disorder, ADHD, Speech and developmentaly delay. She has speech therphy and occupational therphy once a week and play therphy once a month. We have many of the problems mentioned above. Don't be afraid to ask for help we used early intervention with the state until she was 3 and no longer eligible then she started the special needs preschool at our local elementary school. SHe has sensory issues being textures of foods (which is very difficult, right now she will only eat a handful of foods and of course they are not the best for you but if I want her to eat I have to give her these foods; She can not be in a rooom with alot going on, she seems to do OK if it outside, we are going to disney next month and without my DH and somedays I really worry; she use to throw tantrums where she would hurt herslf or others) she is getting better once we got help. Do not be afraid to ask for special things that you need, our church has even had nursury workers come in early for us on Wed. nights so that she could eat her supper in the nursury and not in fellowship hall which is too stimulating to her. Make sure people know what is going on so that they can understand. Her theraphist reminds mean at each appointment to pick my battles and she is right if not it would be a fight all the time.

 

[KirstenB]

Our dd Zoe is 3 1/2 and has high functioning autism. I knew virtually nothing about sensory issues before she developed them. My only other experience was our older dd's friend, who is very sensitive to tags, etc.

Zoe is a bit of a seeker. She's under-stimulated within her own body, so she seeks out stimulus to help her body "wake up". She goes to special ed preschool, and they do lots of movement there. One day in early intervention, the "team" had come out to our house, because the speech therapist was concerned about Zoe's arousal state.

While they were there, I was swinging Zoe around and bouncing her. They pointed out that I was subconciously trying to help her body wake up. That day started cluing me in as to what she needs. Like I said, this sensory stuff was very new for me, so I did a lot of reading.

I'll tell you that as she's gotten older, she's become more a blend of seeker and avoider. Be on the lookout for changes. As far as family goes, I try to be very open and candid with family and friends about Zoe's condition and her needs. Sometimes she gets overstimulated being around all her cousins, so we have to cut our visits short.

If you haven't already, you might want to loan your family any books you have on the subject. Like I said, it was new and confusing to me, and I live with Zoe everyday!

 

[chipper10]

If you haven't already, you might want to loan your family any books you have on the subject. Like I said, it was new and confusing to me, and I live with Zoe everyday!

Do you recommend any books on this?





DS is in EI. He has been since last March. Right now, he is seeing only a speech therapst (weekly) and a developmental therapist (every 2 weeks). He will be seeing OT very soon. We just had the eval last week and the results as well.

I think that I'm just very scared right now about what is going on. I keep searching online for information about sensory seekers, but I just don't think I'm searching right.

 

[dreamer17555]

My son is 2 and is a sensory seeker too. Like yours he has an OT and a Speech therapist. I would recommend a book called the Sensory Seeking Child had Fun. Its really helped me.

-Becca-

 

[krismom2000]

The Out Of Sync Child- by Carol Stock Kranowitz was like my bible for the first few years...

 

[KirstenB]

The Out Of Sync Child- by Carol Stock Kranowitz was like my bible for the first few years...

krismom---I was just googling this book. I couldn't remember the names of the authors. OP, this is a great book to start with educating your family.

OP---the sensory stuff is hard to wrap your mind around. Your OT will be a wealth of information. He/she should be able to come up with many suggestions for your seeker to channel some of that energy!!

 

[koolaidmoms]

One of the things we did to tell our family (huge - like a village) and friends about our sons diagnosis, Autism/Asperger's with sensory issues and ADHD, was to write them all an e-mail letter explaining the diagnosis. This kept our family from telling each other and getting facts wrong and making dire predictions when none were needed.

We included an excerpt from some research we found that explained some of the issues he has and why he does the things he does. We also explained how our DS has not changed that he was still the same little sweet boy he was 2 days ago and the only thing that has changed is we have applied this label to him to get him the help he needs to grow up and be a wonderful person.

We thanked them for their understanding, love and support and asked them if they had any questions to please ask us. We really wanted them to understand and continue to be part of DS's life in a positive manner.

Don't know if this would help your family but it sure helped ours.

 

[princessesx2]

DD 3 is sensory seeking...she has a sensory diet from her ot we do daily at home. It includes deep pressure play (blanket wrapping, brushing) plus she has a backpack she wears at school (regular day care) to help her stay centered. She is enrolled in dance class that allows her to move and focus her body movements. She has a necklace that she will chew (instead of toys or clothes) ..but many days she just seems "motor driven"
I love the Out of Sync Child, Sensational Kids, and Starting Sensory Intergration Therapy by Bonnie Arnwine

 

[CraftyCrissy]

My almost-7 year old son has Sensory Integration Disorder and severe Speech Apraxia. He is a sensory seeker too. From the age of 9 months he was receiving EI services for speech, OT and DI for about 30 hours a week (including private services too.) At age 3 he transitioned into our local school district's preschool handicapped program and received integrated speech sessions (whole class for 45 minutes a day) and one-on-one 3 times a week for 30 minutes at a time. He also received one-on-one OT 2 times a week for 30 minutes at a time. The school day was 3 1/2 hours, 5 days a week. On top of schooling we did a ton of private services - OT and Speech with the same private therapists. His OT and speech sessions were often run consecutively (meaning he'd do an hour of speech and then just change theraptist and do an hour of OT) and/or the therapists would work together with him. He transitioned into regular kindergarten with a one-on-one aide and held it together very nicely. This year, 1st grade, still has the aide but barely looks at her. He receives speech twice a week in small-group setting for 30 minutes and we still do private speech and OT.

Long road - very long road. We started early and will continue forever, no doubt. He has learned how to accomodate for himself, deal with issues whether they be academic, social, emotional or physical. He's at the top of this class academically but lacks a bit socially. We're working on that one. His OT is the key to his success. Our OT has a sensory cert, which isn't very common but very necessary for a child like him. Weighted lap pillows, tight hats, sleeping with giant stuffed animals on top of him - all the norm for him. We have done (and continue to sometimes use) TLP, Carulli and EASE 4 with him with great success.

My point is to let you know you're not alone and this is not something you cannot handle. My suggestion to you is to read The Out-Of-Synch Child and also its corresponding The Out-Of-Synch Child Has Fun. As another poster stated, it was our Bible for years. Do not be afraid to ask questions and QUESTION those answers. You do what works for your child and for you. Talk to other parents, try new things and most of all - let your child teach you and learn new ways of parenting and living through him.

We fought hard, very hard, for years and will continue to do so so that he becomes the person he needs to be. We fought with EIS and preschool handicapped, sued the school district, moved to a new district. I fight with our new district and keep them on their toes. Educate yourself and never let an administrator or therapist talk down to you or belittle you. FWIW, I am a Behaviorist and Inclusion Specialist and was a SpEd classroom teacher for ten years. My sister is a Pediatric Speech Therapist. Together we make quite a team. But in the end, I am a mother. Terrified and horrified over what could happen and making sure it doesn't. I one time had an EIS Director say to me, "I understand you think you know your son best because you have so many professional letters behind your name, but really, I know what services will help him." My response was, "I do have many letters after my name that qualify me to make therapuetic decisions for ANY child. But, when it comes to William, the only letters that count are M.O.T.H.E.R. Whatever name or designation you choose to put after that doesn't affect me. I've been called worse by people I actually respect!"

Please PM me with any questions, concerns or venting. I'm on DIS all the time!

 

[carrie6466]

I have an almost 6yr old sensory seeker. She has been diagnosed with PDD-NOS, sensory disorder, speech delay, and ADHD. She is in a Special Ed Kindergarten class right now and doing very well. She goes for OT 2 x 30 min/week and speech 3x. She started the school year with a 1:1 aide, which she no longer has. We had several meetings and decided to see what would happen. So far it's been about a month and things are going pretty well. She is in a small class, there are 12 students, 1 teacher, 2 assistants. I'm going to be finding out on Thursday what the recommendation for 1st grade is going to be.

Family is similar to what some others have said. Everyone told me in the beginning that if I just left it alone she'd catch up, that she was the baby, etc. I left it alone for a bit. By the time she was 4, she still hadn't caught up. She's been getting speech and OT 1:1 since Feb of '08. She's still not 'caught up'. Most of my family and my in-laws still don't get it. We love them anyway LOL

DD loves a lot of spinning in circles, she doesn't get dizzy much. She is always on the trampoline and like some of the others, loves the weighted blankets, big stuffed animals and pillows and anything super fast. One of the biggest problems we have is that she'll jump from or climb on anything without thinking of the consequences. I guess it wouldn't be so bad, except she's a little clumsy LOL She hasn't gotten hurt yet, thank goodness.

Anyone who wants to chat feel free to PM me!

 

[perpetualplanner]

My oldest DS(13) has/had sensory issues. Both the books The Out of Sync Child and The Difficult Child (which has nothing to do with their behavior) were great books for me. He's been through speech, OT and PT around age 8 and is now an "average" 13 yr old. He still has quirks but not much more than most kids. I know he's fine now and can succeed in life - when he was younger I used to worry a LOT. The clincher is my sister (who is a child's therapist) recently told me that she no longer worries about him either. He's become an average teen to her

Just keep working at it but try not to make it the focal point of your child!!

 

[chipper10]

Thank you everyone for all your suggestions and stories. I'm going to go to Barnes and Noble this weekend and look at those books. I'm glad that I am not alone. I just feel like no one really understands what is going on with DS. Family and Friends just try to ignore it (which is not helping us at all).

 

[GraceLuvsWDW]

My DD5 (almost 6) has sensory issues. I too know what it is like to be confused, alone and lost about how to proceed. The books mentioned here are good ones. There is also the Out of Sync Child Has Fun (I think that's what it is called) that has a lot of exercises that are good for sensory seekers. The more you read, the more you research the more you will be able to say "that's sounds just like my child" and find ways to help. Some very important things for us:

The sooner you approach the disorder as if it's not a disorder but just a way in which they are different and explain that everyone has their differences and not to be ashamed of theirs was very helpful for me. It allowed me to help my daughter take responsibility and control of her issues and help her to help herself when she can.

Brushing technique helped us a lot. My daughter will now ask to be brushed. Heavy lifting and pressure helps her also.

I was told that other neuro disorders can also be present when there are sensory issues. Being prepared for other news of this sort down the road was important as the intertanglement of these disorders can be quite complex.

I'd love to write more but strapped for time now. Good Luck, Know that you are not alone!

 

[della]

The Out Of Sync Child- by Carol Stock Kranowitz was like my bible for the first few years...

I second this. There is a companion book as well with great activities for the sensory child.

Two of my 5 kids were sensory seekers. My 3 yo is presently pushing his head against me (really hard)for sensory input. Early Intervention is key. A good OT with a sensory background can be very helpful. As they grow guide them toward things they enjoy-horse back riding is great for sensory kids. My one dd was a huge sensory seeker, at 10 she enjoys dance classes and swimming.