Sensory Integration Disorder or "Normal" Child?

T., Please Please get him evaluted. My daughter did all those things and she is autistic. The earlier you get it diagnosed the earlier he will get help. Don't be afraid there is a lot of help now and my daughter is doing great she is eight. She still holds her ears when she flushes the toilet. Take Care M.

Hi I am a mother of three wonderful little girls. My oldest daughter is six and we have recently been working with some sensory issuse with an occupational theripist to help her resolve some of her issues. On the questionair that we filled out they ask several questions about children who are sensitive to loud sounds. Although loud sound is only a portion of why we are working with an occupation theripist, I thought that your question seemed very valid, and if nothing else perhaps looking into having an occupatonal theripist visit with you may be very helpful. My husband and I have been very immpressed with the change in our daughter and also with our theripist. I wish you all the best. K. in Wyoming

Hi T.,

I have a 6 year old that was diagnosed with Sensory Integration Disorder when she was 3 1/2. I knew something was wrong from the minute she was born. She wouldn't sleep well, she would throw up if the texture of food wasn't what she expected, she hated loud noises and bright lights, she hated grass and sand, clothes bugged her, the list goes on and on. (She is not autistic!) We took her to a vision and sensory center to have her evaluated. The results helped so much because kids can be sensory defensive or sensory seeking. They can give you ideas on how to calm your child. We started brushing our daughter and had a weighted blanket made for her. The minute the blanket went on her, she slept through the night because we learned that she needed everything to be based on the horizon to know where she was in space. If she were laying down or swinging or tipped upside down, she didn't know where she was and she would panic. The blanket grounded her and she knew where she was. This all starte dto impact her socially as well. She couldn't control how she felt on the inside so she would try to control the things she could, particularly situations and peers. Now she is in first grade, has a ton of friends and knows what to do when she is feeling overwhelmed. We wouldn't be at this point without the help of the OT that specialized in sensory issues.

I would have your child evaluated just for peace of mind. None of the things they do will hurt and you could walk away with some really great strategies to make your child feel much better. We only went to OT for a couple months and then did the things they suggested at home. It made a world of difference.

I have a son who was exactly like that at your sons age, mind you he does have some learning disabilties, but in the language and comprehension area, it would drive me crazy, right down to the whole sock/shoes thing, I mean you are describing him at that age, I can say I just humored him and went with the flow, but tried very slowly to change these things, like the shoes and the socks thing, if they weren't right I would say ok I will fix them in 5 minutes, he would have a "melt down" but I would wait 5 minutes and go back and adjust them, I would slowly up the time and eventually I no longer had that problem, I do still have issues at 16 w/ the tantrums for lack of a better word when things aren't going how he thinks they should be or his things get touched or moved that sort of stuff, Know to the toilet thing my 6 year old will NOT flush a toilet he hates the sound and my 3 yearol daughter is the same way, if it is the automatic type bathroom my son will run out like a crazy man, not so much my daughter, and I have learned to just wait until they are done and out and then I go back in and flush, they get that nothing is going to happen but the sound scares the heck out of him. I say pay close attention, but don't assume the worse, If you are really worried then go have him checked out, the worst thing that could happen is you get some concrete answers one way or another.

I apologize up front, this is long. I am the mother of 3 and my oldest son has high-functioning Autism. He has dealt with sensory issues since birth. He has some of the same sensitivities as your little guy. I am NOT at all implying that your son has Autism. What I want to tell you is that it is critical to his development and happiness(yours also) to get his sensory needs addressed. If you are able to get professional advice from an occupational therapist or other, I would do it. You might be able to get advice on a sensory diet. You may find it helpful to scan the web for reading material, such as The Out of Synch Child. You may want to look into attending a conference on SI issues. It is amazing and frightening how consuming sensory issues can be for some little ones. It's equally amazing how much better things can get when you find the right techniques. Usually it's something pretty simple too.
My own son was afraid of bandaids, stickers or anything like that for a few years. It would send him into a fit if the bagger at the grocery store would offer him a sticker. He would scream in terror. He was terrified also of any dolls or stuffed animals that talked or sang.
I learned early on how important it was to pick my battles. If he wouldn't wear windpants, because they were noisy, that was O.K. If he insisted on wearing his Oscar sweatshirt for 3 days straight, that was O.K. It wasn't going to kill anybody, and it definitely wasn't worth the trauma. I learned the importance of planning transitions or changes. We all need comfort, and SI kids live in an overstimulating and sincerely scary world.
You can find inexpensive and creative ways to help him feel comfortable. My father-in-law gave my son a pair of headphones, used for hunting to block out sound, to help him deal with sounds. Wow! We got a lot of use out of those headphones, and now he barely needs them. We hung a special swing in the house to help give him the stimulation he craved. We got strange looks, but who cares. My son has gradually built up his tolerance for a lot of things. It's so important to limit the wrong kinds of stimulation and find the right kinds. If he has sensitive ears, bombarding his auditory system will not raise his tolerance. Giving him input where he can take it will, like vestibular or proprioceptive. If he is sensitive to textures and will only wear sweatpants, than buy him a drawer full of sweatpants. What seems like a minor thing to us, may be a major thing to them. Something big enough to ruin the whole day (at the very least).
Have hope. Following his lead, trusting your instincts, and finding good resources will help you find out what you can add and what you should illiminate to help make your son's world a happier place to be. Good luck and Merry Christmas!

Whoever evaluates him should consider OCD as well. Good luck.

Hi T. -

From what I remember of the little bit I looked into it when I was teaching, sensory integration issues were more of things like not liking to get their hands messy (so they don't like to finger paint, play with play doh, etc) and they are often the ones that can't walk down a hall way w/o ruuning their hands along the wall. There is something about needing to touch the wall as they walk.

I googled 'sensory integration symptoms' and here is a link to a site that listed some, http://www.incrediblehorizons.com/sensory-integration.htm. You might want to google it yourself and see what some of the other sites say - some had treatment descriptions as well.

J.

T., my son, who is 6, dislikes a certain loud sound, the sound of the vacuum cleaner. He prefers to be in his room while I am vacuuming. He also requests that I cut the tags out of his pajamas and he is pretty picky about bumps in his socks around his toes. I consider this to be pretty normal; there are things I can't stand, like having two tv's on at once in the house, wearing my winter coat while driving. You know your son. I think you can distinguish between him expressing his particular annoyances and expressing symptoms of typical sensory integration disorder. The fact that you are concerned enough about it to ask is an indication that you should have him evaluated. You know best. Trust yourself.

T.,
I am an occupational therapist who has treated children with SPD (sensory processing disorder). If you are questioning his behaviors I would definitely seek out an evaluation with an occupational therapist. Many pediatricians are not trained in identifying SPD. A comprehensive evaluation would be more beneficial. The SPD network (www.sinetwork.org) is a great place to start. You can search the database to find a therapist in your area. Have you read the "Out of Sync Child"? This is a GREAT resource for parents and may answer some of your questions. If you have further questions feel free to email me (____@____.com).

The "fear" of loud noises sounds just like my boys. (They hate those automatic flushers too! lol) I've come to the conclusion that kids have way more sensitivity to loud noises than adults. The good news is that the older they get the more mature their little eardrums get. My 6 yr old doesn't cover his ears anymore over loud things that he used to, but my 4 yr old still does.

As for the other sensitivity stuff, that sounds JUST like a boy that goes to my son's school (boy is in 2nd gr.). He will not wear clothes like you described and sometimes gets overwhelmed by his environment and will throw incredible temper tantrums. His parents have him on meds, but when they find one that works, it ony works for about 3 mths and then they have to switch to something else. My son's teacher had him in class last year and she and the other students learned to pick up on his nonverbal clues and head off a meltdown before it occured. I would talk to your dr and decide what course of action would work best for your son. Best of luck!

I have a 7-year old child who was diagnosed with SID (also known as Sensory Defensiveness) within the last year. Those do sound like they could be symptoms of SID. I have been reading books from the library to learn more about it. I would recommend the following books: The Everything Parents Guide to Sensory Integrative Disorder (I don't know the author); Sensational Kids by Lucy Jane Miller; The Out Of Sync Child and The Out Of Sync Child Has Fun both by Carol Stock Kranowitz. I would also recommend talking to your pediatrician and your child's school. The school district may be able to help, even if your child isn't in school yet. Good luck and if he has SID, try to remember to be patient with him and his obsessions-they make him feel safe and in control.

Have him evaluated, at least you will have a better idea of what is going on. Our son was diagnosed with this when he was 4 he is now almost 8. We have learned so many things to help both us and him understand what he is going thru and how to deal with it. I will admit I was a little bit in denial and probably could have taken him in sooner but I thought I was not a good mom if something was wrong with him. Now I know it was nothing I did to make it happen but there are alot of things I can do to fix it.
Good luck and it does get better as they get older.

Hi T.!
I am currently having my 9 year old evaluated for Sensory Integration Disorder. Based on our experience, I'd say it can't hurt to have a therapist who is well versed in these various disorders, check it out. Once my 9 year old hit school age his teachers thought he had ADD or Aspberger's Disorder. I wasn't too keen on putting him on meds and good thing I didn't because these child therapists really think he has Sensory Integration disorder. At least we can let people know who care for him, what he's dealing with and I think that has helped tremendously.
For instance, his teacher was able to confirm with me that he seems very bothered by all the noise in the classroom. It was easy to confuse his distracted-ness with ADD, when in reality the noise was just really getting to him. So just this knowledge alone helps his teachers know how to help him more. His desk is now a bit further removed than just being in the center of it all.
So that has been our experience, hope it helps :)
T.

My daughter is like that. She is 6 and she thinks that everything feels weird she will not wear coats, long sleves, socks have to be turned inside out and the seam can not be on her toes at all. She will not even wear pants she has to wear a skirt or a dress and the skirt can not be on her waist either so I don't know what it is. She just tells me that everything feels weird I just do what I can to try and make her comfortable that way I don't have to hear her scream at me that I did it all wrong again lol. Sorry I just deal with it every day because her doctor wanted to send her to rehab for it but they will not take her because they say they don't deal with that kind of issues so I don't know what the issue is called but it is not good.

Good luck if you find something that works please let me know ok.

Thanks

I have had a couple of my kids display these behaviors. My oldest son would not wear jeans, only sweat pants. He hated shoes and would cry and scream for us to let him go stocking footed. He is now 22 and wears jeans and shoes. He grew out of that by the age of 9, I would say.

Our daughter use to cover her ears at fireworks. Any loud noise would send her crying and running for cover. She is 13 now and likes fireworks.

I think these may be just things that certain kids have trouble with. Just be patient and he will grow out of it, it has worked for us!

Hello T.,
I always say that my daughter marches to the same beat as every one else just in a different direction. I was advised by my therapist to read the book "The out-of-sync-child" by Carol Stoc Kranowitz, MA. Is an easy read and has checklists it in. I found that was very helpful as my Daughter has this disorder and it Hyposensitive. (She feels no Pain.) I got a referal to an occupational therapist who has experience with sensory processing (Intergration) disorder. She refered me to the following web site as OT (which is what she needs) is not covered by most insurance. I was told that as we caught it early her adult life will be easier. This disorder will never go away, but we can give out children skills to deal with it. Right now my daughter is running around my house shirtless, jumping on a mini tramplolene while rolling on one of those big balls. Good luck

http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/

G. & Elizabeth

He's still young. I wouldn't worry about it too much. But also, it can't hurt to have someone check him out. I really like Jennifer's method of gradually making him deal with it.

You would know best - If it makes you nervous, have him tested. Your public school should be able to test him for free. If not, your Dr can refer you. He sounds like a lot of "normal" quirky 5 yr olds I know. It could also be a sign of Asperger's, which is mild and totally mainstream. It just means you get to learn different tricks to getting him to do/act the same. Either way, he still sounds like a super fun kid who keeps you on your toes!!! :)Good luck!