Have Children with SENSORY Issues??

hello C.,
i am a mother of a child who has had this problem since he was 1 year old. i find i have to be very patient with him and help understand his difficulty. he is now 4 and we have discovered other issues but we are taking it one day at a time.i wish you luck and if i can help in any way let me know.M.

Hi C.,

My son, now 7, was diagnosed with SPD shortly after he started Kindergarten. He had a very difficult time assimilating and we ended up having to remove him from school. It was a really hard time for all of us because we didn't understand what was going on with him. We got him diagnosed and then enrolled him in OT for nearly a year. OT helped him and us learn how to cope. I'm proud to say he's now moving on to 1st grade, making friends and generally doing much better. We still can't take him to movies or sporting events and amusement parks can be a nightmare but he's beginning to manage much better.

Good luck...try OT. It really helped us all.

My now 17 year old daughter has sensitivity issues. I could not vacuum when she was home when she was little because she couldn'tstand the noise. I eventually hired a house cleaning service to clean when we were gone. She has other issues with touch and light and even taste and smell. Someone here suggested the book The Highly Sensitive Child by Elaine Aron (http://www.hsperson.com/pages/child.htm). Her books bout highly sensitive people are very helpful in understanding a sensitive child. There is a quiz at the website to help you determine if you or your child is highly sensitive. My daughter answered yes to 21 out of 23 questions! My son answered yes to 7.

I don't know how old your child is, but if 3 yrs or older - school district can do an OT eval., and child may qualify for services funded by school district. Often child needs a sensory diet incorporated into their school day.

Wonderful resource is the book - by Carol Kranowitz - The Out-Of-Sync Child.

Blessings!

Hi,

I don't know for sure that my child has sensory issues but I'm suspicious. We have been through lots of testing and the doctors and school have still not determined a complete disorder (they think anxiety, ADD, possible autism-no learning disability determined through school testing but has struggled academically since kindergarten...going into 5th grade now), however, a friend of mine that I hadn't seen in a while was talking with me yesterday and recommended a book called "Sensational Kids". She thought my son's "issues" sounded very familiar to SPD. If you have not read that book yet, I would recommend it. I've just started it this morning and I can't put it down. This friend that I spoke with has a son with SPD and has been taking him to Occupational Therapy for a year and she has seen a huge improvement. Good luck. M.

Hi there. I myself don't have a child with sensory issues, but am a RN and know a wonderful person who works in this field, Dr. Alexander Bingham, in SF. You can google him for contact info. Also, I recommend reading the book "Raising Your Spirited Child", in it it talks about children with these issues, and how more and more children are becoming more sensitive to things around them, and what we, as parent need to know to raise these special, gifted children.

Hi C., I have two kids with Sensory Integration Dysfunction. It's been a real challenge since birth for both in terms of sound, touch, in every way but sight. Both of my children have also been diagnosed with autism, but the sensory intergration remains the largest challenge for them. We recently got the youngest one potty trained (he's 5 now) which was a huge challenge due to sensory issues.

Hi I have 2 boys with spd-my oler son is sensitive to touch light an noise and my younger one is a sensory seeker-opposite spectrums very challanging-we do amazing swim therapy with Alon Altman in Berkeleyhis cell is ###-###-####-not sure where you are but my older boy is much more in hios body and less sensitive to touch I use to not be able to get socks on his becausethe seam tickle and he can hanle all socks now I think the water really helps!

Hi two of my four kids had issues like this. Until I figured out that they were just overly sensitive I found it annoying. My daughter used to scream when we put socks on her. I tried every kind and she always wailed that they 'hurt'. Finally a friend suggested putting them on inside out. That did the trick. Apparently in very sensitive children, the seam on the toe of the sock can be extremely bothersome. Inside out it doesn't press in the same way. My son was the kid who saw you come home with bags from the store and said, " I hope you didn't buy anything for me!" With him we opted for always prewashing everything, using very loose fitting clothes without waistbands and tee shirts without tags. He hated collars, belts, and buttons. He's 24 and still dresses that way as much as he can.
don't know if this helps much, but good luck!

Hi C.,
My 7 year old daughter has a sensory integration disorder. She has not been 'officially' diagnosed but it is apparent. From the moment she was born, she was sensitive to her enviornment. Loud noises, the feel of clothes, getting her nails trimmed...all were challenges. Like the other Moms who responded, I vacuum when she is outside (her Dad would take her when she was little, now she goes in the backyard with her sister). We cut all the tags out of clothes. Clothes and shoe shopping is a MAJOR ordeal. I have to summon all of my patience to do it. We usually have to go to 5 or 6 stores to find one pair of shoes that will be okay. She tries on every article of clothing before we buy it because I am tired of wasting money on clothes she won't wear because there is an applique or seam that bothers her. I feel bad for her because there are times she desperately wants a certain piece of clothing (a shirt with Hello Kitty or something) but when she tries it on, she can tell immediately that it doesn't feel right. For birthday parties, we couldn't sing "Happy Birthday" to her for the first couple years because it was too loud and she would end up in tears. For attending events, I found that if we were the first to arrive, she would do much better because she would have time to orient herself. Team sports were a nightmare and we won't go there again for a few years. Try sports like swimming, dancing or hiking. I did read "The Highly Sensitive Child" and found it a little depressing. If I had to do it all over again, I would have taken her to an Occupational Therapist when she was young. Apparently there is a brush therapy they do to help develop the skin touch sensors.
Good luck and feel free to email me with questions,
E.

Hi-

Our 3 yo was at one point diagnosed w/slight sensory issues. I myself didn't put a lot of stock into it cuz this seems to be the latest & greatest popular diagnosis. That doesn't mean I'm disputing it by any means, I just feel that it wasn't the case for our son. He also has a slight speech delay & at the time of the observation, he wasn't able to completely articulate & express himself. He recieved a few OT sessions, I got all the various exercises to work on w/him at home & by the end of it all even the OT (she didn't diagnos) felt it wasn't accurate. That said, I've heard of a great book,' The Out of Sync Child.' I myself haven't looked at it but a freind of mine has a son w/the same problems & she said it's been relaly helpful for her & her family. Your child is eligilbe for assessments, & services for free thru your local regional center. Best of luck!

Another book you might want to try is Raising Your Spirited Child by Sheedy Kurcinka. It discusses the strong personality type of children who can be very challenging = spirited. Many of them are also very sensitive to touch etc. It is a very positive book and has good tips.

Hello C.,

My daughter has sensory integration dysfunction as well as PPD NOS. We has problems with sound ie. loud noises. We also have some problems with motion and balance. She is 8 years old now but when she was younger we had problems with touch like with grass and sand. She hated it. Now she doesn't mind at all. She currently is seeing an Occupational Therapists, they are very helpful with this kind of problem.
How old is your child? Do you have a boy or girl? We live in Elk Grove, where are you located.

Thanks T.

I have worked with children with sensory issues in a school setting but hearing about clothing I havn't dealt with that part. I know with my own children for a very long time after them being born I used dreft forever and then merged to detergents clear of any scents such as cheer clear etc. FeEl free to ask any specific questions and I will help in anyway I can.
GOD BLESS!

Dear C., My ten year old adopted son has dealt with sensory issues on a mild scale all his life. It especially showed in the food area, although he has a definite preference for some materials. He does not prefer change and has trouble giving things away. This year we chose to have him tested and he now has a diagnosis of PPD NOS( My definition- something is going on, but he scores too high to have a more specific diagnosis.) He got early intervention because he also had a hearing loss when he was small. For us, as we prayed, we gave on some issues, and taught him how to conform on others. He is at grade level, going into the fifth grade, but because of the early intervention, he was younger than everyone until he repeated fourth grade for social reasons. Each child is a gift from God you have to try and figure out. Ask for all the expert's advice, read the books, and use the resources on your own terms. I know God showed us to do many things right before we understood as much about our son's issues as we do now. Only the Lord knows who your child will be, and I pray He will guide you in His love for the best for your child.A.

I have a 5 year old boy with Autism. He has many of the same issues you talk of. He freaks when he gets sweaty because he can't stand the feel of his sweat in his hair. He will cover his ears when he hears a "loud" noise. He constantly smells everything, and he peers at things from the corner of his eyes. He also complains that his pants "hurt" him. If you haven't already, I would suggest seeking out your local Regional Center (mine in the Sacramento area is Alta California Regional Center www.altaregional.org) for an evaluation. Then I'd seek the help of a well qualified OT (occupational therapy) therapist. They have special classes and "trainings" that your child can attend to help overcome some of these sensory issues. Good luck and I hope you find what works for you and your family. Please let me know if you have any specific questions and I will try to help.

I am a special educator, and I work with kids with all sorts of sensory issues. You are not alone. I recommend the spd foundation--they have great resources. I also started a clothing line for kids with sensory sensitivity--all the clothing is tested by hypersensitive dressers. you can find us at www.softclothing.net. Hopefully it will help your child!