My 4yo seems to be having difficulties with certain environments and the frequency of 'difficult' days has increased over the last year. I'm wondering if anyone has been in the same situation and what they did to manage/help DC cope better.
When he was a baby he coped ok with most situations, he didn't really cry very much at all but he seemed stressed by messy play and swimming (he'd go really quiet and stoney faced) enough for me to stop taking him. As he's got a bit older he hates having messy hands and until recently refused to engage with activities that involved playdough, glue, paint etc. Nursery has helped him to do these activities but after potty training he realised he was capable of washing his own hands so was more willing to have a go, he does take himself off to wash his hands a lot or he gets the baby wipes to sort himself out. When he knows he can do that he's more willing to participate. He's always been very routine driven.
He's never liked soft blankets or being cuddled a lot, again it didn't distress him in the typical way of crying or making a fuss but he used to get this look on his face and he definitely wasn't relaxed. Bedtimes he was happy to lay in his cot, then his bed, and just drift off with nothing to snuggle and no blankets. He's better with his duvet now but I had to wait until he was asleep before tucking him in with comfy blankets.
I recently took him to a playgroup with his little brother and he had a full on melt down outside the room and refused to go in. Eventually, when I ignored him, he came in and gave the activities a go but he just seemed so anxious. We went back to the same playgroup the other day and although he seemed more relaxed he was still uptight. Afterwards he had a huge meltdown over really small and insignificant things and just ended up sobbing on my knee when we got home. It was as if he'd had sensory overload, he didn't say it was the playgroup when I asked him, he really couldn't tell me what was wrong.
He is quite lively, sometimes it's as if he can't hear me at all and I have to physically hold his hands and talk to him. Even then, he'll be looking around the room and seemingly unable to look at me. He gets obsessed by certain things and can't take his focus from them, he's very clumsy and always has to be leaning on me or having physical contact.
Writing this down, it doesn't seem like there is an awful lot wrong, but something just doesn't seem right. Is this part of a wider difficulty he might have? Other than making allowances is there anything I should be/could be doing? Obviously I know I should seek help and I will, it's just I could do with hearing other experiences.
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Behaviour/development
Sensory difficulties for 4yr old?
9 replies
CoffeeBreakIn5 · 18/03/2017 22:56
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