Sensory help

[Daffodils07]

My 3 year old has some sensory issues, he hates any type of cream on him which makes putting sun cream lotion on almost impossible.
Hair cuts are an absolute nightmare which results in me having to do them as (and I have tried most hairdressers in my area) will not do his hair!
I have to put him in the shower and not let any hair near him.
He will only drink from one bottle, myself and nursery have tried to get him to try cups etc and let him choose but he will not use them.
This did result in me having to syringe drink into him as he would not use a new bottle as his old one had broke(the bottle was the exact same but new).
It took him two days to use it and was very distressing for him.
The HV did reffer him to OT but it has been rejected because he has no other problems.
Just wondering what I could do to help him through this.
TIA

I would go to the GP and ask for a referral to a Paeditrician for assessment OP. A lot of this sounds like it could be ASD.

He has been assessed for asd as I already have 2 other children with it and the HV was really concerned with his behaviour.
But the paeditriction said no, even though we were in there for 2 Mins and she asked my son 2 questions about his comforter that's it.
I didn't even get the time to tell them about my concerns about his sensory, about the nursery concerns about him being very behind with his social skills.
That's why the HV referred to OT, I know a lot of children have sensory problems at this age, but his are impacting on most of his life.

Oh the poor little love. I know it’s probably not much use in the grand scheme but Malibu do a factor 50 spray oil that’s a lot lighter on the skin than creams, you can barely tell it’s there.

I will try that, thank you

Sorry, telling to tell you where to buy it from might have helped...

It’s £4.99 from Home Bargain.

How is he with having his hair washed and with hand washing? You mentioned nursery had expressed concern with his social skills - what are their concerns?

My 4 year old is very similar and has had these issues for a while now.

Cheers jiltedjohn, will have a look for it when I next go there.

HairyMcclary he doesn't like other children in his space, doesn't play alongside others either just gets aggressive or upset.
He also gets very upset if they change the routine there and we used to get calls almost daily to come and pick him up.

Hates water on his hair and face, not so much on his hands but hates dirt on them.

Does he push or hit other kids if they come near him? It's hard to punish I'm sure as it sounds like he's doing it out of anxiety rather than real aggression.

Hi there, I'm am OT, I know a lot of OT referrals don't get accepted because the referrer doesn't focus on what the Occupational need/ dysfunction is. In English, the problem must focus on 'doing' . We deal with sensory issues more often than other professionals because more often than not it effects the things a child does.

I would recommend you contact the service to reconsider- try to contact direct so you don't have to go back to bottom of waiting list with a new refrral. .
Before you do this think through the activities of a normal day and consider all the 'doing' activities eg eating, drinking, playing, learning, listening, sitting, washing, sleeping, swimming - these are all examples of 'occupations' -the acticities that we all need and want to do to get on with life-and you'll need an issue with an occupational issue to have your refrral accepted.
I have no doubt life is difficult with a child with sensory needs, but feel sure OT can help.
Unfortunately the training in sensory integration therapy is expensive and time consuming and therefore suitably trained OTs in the health service are few and far between so waiting lists are long. A lot of therapists end up self funding this training (several thousands of pounds and study in own time) due to training budget cuts and then after that investment they realise how much demand there is in private sector.. and waiting lists stay long! But those that have the skills are generally fab and passionate about it!

I'd advise you try again for refrral and if that's no good abd you can afford it go private. You might be able to get a sort of 'package' so it doesn't go on and on. Have a read of Sensory Integration Network website and Contact the royal college of occupational therapists for someone local to you.

In the mean time look at pinterest for sensory diet ideas .
Good luck!

It sounds like focusing just on his sensory difficulties is clouding potential other difficulties. See health visitor, get them to assess where he's at developmentally. If there are concerns which it sounds like there are a rereferral to paeds sounds appropriate.

Rachael, thanks for the helpful post. It's hard to know where sensory issues fit in and where to seek advice.

Is it normal for children with sensory difficulties to go a bit loopy when in situations of extreme sensory input, eg noisy places, or beaches where sand and water in abundance! Almost like they get a bit out of control and rather than getting scared and shying away, they get right in there and almost go the other way? Hope this makes sense! 😀