Has anyone had a six year old really upset at the feeling of being dizzy?

[BertieBotts]

Had an odd experience with DS today. We went to a park which had a roundabout, had the idea of giving him a "dizzy challenge" to run around a certain course and get back to the roundabout, DH span him slowly for the trial run and then faster, and during the fast one DS suddenly burst into terrified tears. Of course we stopped the roundabout and asked him what was wrong and by the time he could speak he said "You did it so fast that the floor started to come up to me!"

So after talking to him, it turns out (we think) that he's never actually experienced being dizzy before, and he really freaked out. He doesn't like being held upside down or any fairground type rides - I couldn't even get him to go on a normal merry go round a couple of months ago. And he won't ride a bike, terrified. (Scooter is fine, though). We had to explain that the floor wasn't really moving and it was just a feeling, but that didn't help.

Is this normal, and he will grow out of it, or should we be concerned? I have never ever seen a child so distressed by being dizzy before, and neither has DH - we thought he'd find it funny. Actually we didn't even realise that he'd never got to that point. He tends to mimic the "dizzy walk" quite well, although it wears off conveniently if he wants to look where he's going.

I did say to DH at least we don't have to worry about him getting drunk when he's a teenager

I don't know loads about sensory stuff but he gets frustratingly fussy about socks. He keeps saying that the bit at the end is uncomfortable and I keep saying "but every sock has that".

Funnily enough I am reading Too Fast Too Tight Too Loud Too Bright at the moment because I'm constantly feeling out of sync. So thinking about it the other things I notice:

He doesn't sit properly on chairs. Has to have one or both legs out the side. And tips the chair to the point he's fallen off a few times.
Doesn't stop moving, ever, even when he's asleep he fidgets like mad and never ends up with the duvet on him. (I think pretty normal for boys his age though?)
Gets weird quiet hiccups mixed with burps when he's nervous.
Has had various tics over the years which appear at times of stress and then go again. Sometimes vocal, sometimes physical.
Along with the sock thing he's fussy about lots of clothes - rejected some trousers because the pockets were crumply () and currently won't wear long sleeves of any kind under other long sleeves (which is new this year, and will be fun when it gets colder!) At the moment he wears a t-shirt under a coat, which I think is weird.
He won't wear anything tight around his neck which I think is quite normal/common.
Goes through phases of putting odd things in his mouth and says "But I need to do it" when we tell him not to (stuff like pens, receipts, the necks of his t-shirts)
Almost phobic about getting water on his face. It took us three years to get him to have his hair washed without him climbing out of the bath via any means possible. He now even has showers! But very very gingerly and doesn't cope at all if any water gets on his face. He will sometimes wash his face but tries to get away with the lightest touch possible with a cold flannel. He won't let the hairdresser wash his hair.
Still pretty fussy about food (from 9-22 months he barely ate solids at all.)

Thanks for the link, I've had a look. It seems like it's quite commonly linked with various SEN? But DS doesn't appear to have any kind of special needs apart from being a bit sensitive (and not overly sensitive - even in the examples I've given, like with the socks, once he's got over his strop about the socks he'll put them on and then not mention it again all day, and he did stop biting stuff after a while).

I don't want to dismiss the sensory stuff, but equally I'm wary of labelling him. He's socially confident and although he hasn't started school yet (we're in Germany) he's always been good at following instructions and focusing when asked to so I don't anticipate this causing issues at school. Obviously I'd want him to have whatever support is helpful but if it's mild, then I don't want to be creating stuff which is going to mark him out as "different" - does that make sense?

I wonder if he's just articulate about how being dizzy makes him feel?
I used to faint a lot. I knew before it would happen because I got a sense similar to the weird rush of being dizzy. Both are pretty unpleasant, you feel out of control and like you can't stop it. I'm not sure from what you said that it's anything more than this?
So very unpleasant to experience, but totally normal?

IME DCs find being dizzy funny. I and all of mine had experienced it by about 2yo. Totally stumped.

Hm, I was responding to your original post, then I read your second one. Not sure now, tho some of the fidgety/fussiness is normal, my eldest loves a fuss about socks, which t shirt has the best roar, which tissue can no longer be used as it is too torn.
Sorry not to be more help. Sounds like others have more experience in these areas.

It could be vertigo.

Many people think it is a fear of heights but it is a fear of being out of control when dizzy, and can surface when playing games, like spinning round a mop, swings at the playground fairground rides/ roller coasters.
I have studied this/read around vaguely as part of my degree, but don't know much else, sorry.

It could be vertigo.

Many people think it is a fear of heights but it is a fear of being out of control when dizzy, and can surface when playing games, like spinning round a mop, swings at the playground fairground rides/ roller coasters.
I have studied this/read around vaguely as part of my degree, but don't know much else, sorry.
All my notes are elsewhere but I will look and see if I can find any authors or theorists.

not sure why I'm telling you twice

I don't have spd or vertigo but have always hated hated hated being dizzy. I don't go near roundabouts and probably haven't since I was your ds age. The teacups at Disney are my idea of hell. Give me a roller coaster with 360 loops though and I'm at the front of the queue.

I would get him checked as other posters have suggested but it doesn't automatically follow that there is something wrong and it is possible to live a fulfilled life that doesn't involve being spun round....

No that's okay to respond to my original post :) I don't think, TBH, that the sensitive stuff is THAT out of the ordinary it was just a response to the question PolterGoose asked.

That is a good point about the fainting feeling, I get that too, I haven't had it for a while but if I don't eat and then try to run or something especially if it's hot my vision goes spinny and I start to black out and have to sit down. And recently I've been getting a sense randomly in the day where everything feels spinny but it's not very strong, doesn't affect my balance, makes me feel a bit sick but I often feel sick anyway. He definitely doesn't like the feeling of not being in control. It's hard to get him to swim, too. Won't take his feet off the ground even with armbands (I had some success with a pool noodle!)

When people are saying "Get him checked" - would I take him to the GP? (Well, paediatrician it would be here as a first port of call but they basically do what a GP does.)

The thing is I mentioned this to my mum and she said "That's funny, I remember at your last house he was running around in circles and then laughing and saying "The floor is moving, it's making me fall over!"" I do vaguely remember that, though I'd forgotten it before. From the speech patterns and the house he would have been about 3, maybe 3.5-4 years old. He's just six now so I suppose it's possible he's forgotten that.

Bathsheba, that was exactly mine and DH's reaction!