We have been to the neurologist, thats who diagnosed his Tourettes. I was pursuing an ASD diagnosis at the time but they insisted he didnt qualify because he did have any speech delaying or significant abnormalities of speech and she said those are a must check box for an autism diagnosis. They insist that sensory processing issues are also part of ADHD as well as stimming.
I even tried to get around the lack of OT services offered by my insurance by requesting PT based on the school OT's recommendation but no luck. The schools OT provided services for retained primitive reflexes and sensory integration and the PT said that they dont provide the services that he needs that I would need to take him to an OT for those services. It has been a battle all these year and I have always thought that it wouldnt have had to be if he had the Autism dx instead of the multiple dx'x that they put together to cover all of his symptoms and difficulties.
Fwiw, while DSM4 included language criteria, DSM5 does *not*. He sounds like he would get an autism diagnosis if you went to a private clinic, as he's needing significant support. The language issues are probably also there, btw. There is more detailed testing, like the Test of Narrative Language, the Test of Problem Solving, and the Social Language Development Test, that would probably all show things on him.
Now back to your Disney question! I think you might want to be cautious about the fireworks. You've been before, but also it sounds like your ds is more dysregulated this time than he was last time. Has his *stress* been up? When things are stressing my ds, that happens. Reducing stress is a major goal for our behaviorist as we work with him. School stress can affect it.
Anyways, my ds did fine at one night of the fireworks in MK and our last night totally melted down and flipped out. You sound like you have a long day planned. You might want to go back to your resort and swim before dinner, skipping the fireworks with him entirely. Or, if it's going to be a long hard day, maybe have a plan B so that if he's having a hard time or needs to do something different you have a plan. You could go back to Main Street (farther back, instead of closer) and get an ice cream cone and watch from farther back. Go ride the monorail and see if you can see the fireworks from there. Some place quiet where he can vege, do whatever calms him.
I don't think the dessert party is a bad idea. I thought about it myself for my ds. I gave up because I realized we would have to wait in line to get in and then be trapped. Are you taking headphones? You might want to take headphones AND noise canceling earbuds. You can put the noise canceling earbuds under the headphones. Or alternately now they have things like the wireless noise canceling headphones. We have those now, but they're $$. Anyways, something like that would give him a chance to pull back in, be quiet wherever he is, and get centered again.
As far as your sensory, it sounds like you need some more help. He probably has more retained reflexes. You should not need to give him bruises to get his system called down. There's research behind using a variety of textures and temperatures to make the brain work through adjusting to the changes. So when I work on my ds, I do his feet, and I do a variety of things, rotating through them:
-light stroking with just a pen or fingernail
-firm massaging/kneading with your thumb
-ice cubes
-something abrasive like sandpaper or a boar bristle brush
-nail brush
And I'll go through that sequence 4-6 times. It can be pretty irritating to him, so he plays on the iphone while I do it. As an adult, I do other things for my own sensory. I use a steam room at the gym (very intense!), then I use a pumice stone on my feet. I also lift weights. Weight is incredibly calming to the sensory system. If he's having dyspraxia (coordination) symptoms, you can look at the book
Beating Dyspraxia with a Hop, a Skip, and a Jump. He can do things like running while carrying 2-3 pound weights, using a weighted slam ball, etc.
The mindfulness would help him, but it sounds like he needs to do it with a counselor, who can teach him some techniques he feels comfortable with, rather than doing it with a CD. He would also be a candidate for TRE (Trauma Release Exercises), which you can learn to do by googling online. As he grows, he wants tools like this that he can do for himself to calm his body.
There's some new software, just out of beta and open to the general public, called Mighteor. We're using it, and it's kind of early to say. It works on mindfulness and what is called Interroception (your brain and body's self-awareness) by working on heart rate while they play games. So they'll have goals, like make your heart rate go up into the red zone and hold it there for 20 seconds, or keep your heart rate in the blue for 30 seconds, etc. The kit comes with a tablet, bluetooth heart rate monitor, and the apps already preloaded and ready to go. They also give you 90 days of parent coaching. There's also a coupon, Zones20, for $20 off. Anyways, we're doing it, and so far I think it's useful. He's realizing more quickly when he's not calm and what that feels like and how to make choices to get back to calm. There's a $$$ book on Interroception that costs $40+ that includes heart rate exercises, but this heart rate monitor and with game apps is a much better way to do it, to my mind.
.
