The World
Of
SENSORY ISSUES
In this world you may have a child with sensitivity to sensory stimulations- too reactive, not reactive enough. Or like Kent, my son, depends on the situation.
There is ONE main reason I decided to blog on this subject... I finally got answers for my son after multiple people, and doctors, said he was "Just being a boy".
I kept asking people that said, especially these doctors, "What Boy gets asked a question and stands there, stares for a minute, and hits himself in the head then throws himself on the floor as if falling forward- where most people would stop and brace themselves- until he hits the ground"???
"HE IS JUST BEING A BOY".....No.My constant response was this. I knew it was more than that..so I started recording everything that I considered out of the ordinary. The list ended up being two pages long..
His food repertoire decreased dramatically, he started covering his ears when toilets flushed, sinks were on, someone talking (not loud just one person talking in the same room) when he tried focusing on something the voice would keep him from focusing, he began getting OVERLY active, rough house playing increased to the point he started hurting others and somehow not hurting himself, his pain threshold was sky high. But on other days he would step out of bed and say "Ow the carpet hurt me", as if overly sensitive, then jump up and down and punch the carpet while saying "Hi-yah!"..maybe it was a boy thing?
NO. It was not.
My son also has a lisp and some minor speech problems so I began taking him to the therapy center I work at that also does hippotherapy and occupational therapy. His speech is being taken care of with NO problems and he adores the speech pathologist. Then we began the evaluation for OT.
OT ADVENTURES.....
The evaluation was so hard she couldn't even finish it, the behavioral aspect increased when the sensory issues increased. His second session she told me about his sensory modulation problems. BASICALLY, he doesn't comprehend the senses as he should, and overcompensates seeking out rough counter-active's. Even the toilet flushing or sink, he doesn't simply cover his ears, he covers his ears and yells and then may even proceed to run into objects or bang his head. The THIRD session was co-treatment of speech and occupational therapy on horseback (hippotherapy). He kept slipping off, wouldn't fix himself, etc. Hippotherapy at TherHappy is the reason I found out he stopped wanting to ride his bike- he has limited trunk control. All of which can be fixed with the therapies offered (that I sought out proactively) as well as the hippotherapy.
I know it will not be fixed overnight, and I know my son is high functioning. BUT being told for months that your son almost injuring himself and becoming a different child because of things that keep bothering him, that never used to, and KNOWING YOU WERE THE REASON YOUR CHILD HAS HELP..it is nice.
Don't ever stop being an advocate for your child. You know your child more than anyone. You are your child's parent. If someone says it's "normal" it may not be normal for your child. If it is "typical" maybe it is NOT typical for your child. Keep fighting. In the end...mommies always win ;)
In the mean time..we collect the notes from each therapy session. We implement sensory procedures at home as well as speech.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY TO ALL THINGS.I look up more things to do for helping my son with the sensory obstacles we encounter and through trials we learn together. (Busch Garden's water spraying fans were not good...took me and my mom to hold him down to get through the tunnel the first two times).
Share any idea's you may have of sensory learning tools, we could use them!
Next time you see a child with his hands over his ears, hitting himself, having rough play at the park or play place, walking on tip toes, etc...be kind and patient, perhaps they are working through a sensory obstacle...
