Sensory Problems

[indiastar]

Hi
Sorry for being thick, but ds has an appointment with an OT to discuss his sensory issues. However, I am not entirely sure what they are. He has ADHD and is on the autistic spectrum. What do they classify as sensory issues? (It was his pediatrician that pointed out the sensory problems).

My DD is 5 and has ADHD and dyspraxia. I have started looking into Sensory processing Disorder though and the symptoms she has relating to it are she was difficult to toilet train and still wets herself without experiencing any discomfort, she over reacts to touch, she had difficulty with fine motor skills and avoids them like the plague, She struggles doing up zips, buttons etc. She is constantly on the move, has difficulty making friends, she is intense, demanding and hard to calm. She has sudden mood changes and unexpected temper tantrums. She complains about the noise of the classroom a lot. She is easily distracted and fidgety and slow to perform tasks.

As you can see there is a lot of overlap between SPD, ADHD AND Dyspraxia. My main concern with sensory issues are that noise in the classroom causes her to become angry and tantrum. My OT says she doesn't help with sensory issues though so I am on my own trying to think of what will help.

Thanks for the reply. I guess that so many things overlap I never know which one is causing the behaviour etc, or whether he is just being an 8 year!!

Sensory problems means a problem with one or more of your 7 senses.

Ie he is either under sensitive or over sensitive to smell, taste, noise etc.

Almost all kids with ASD etc have these problems, so it's not exactly a separate dx.

An OT can help with sensory integration training or retained reflex therapy or auditory integration training.

However you probably won't get much on the NHS. So after you've seen the NHS OT you might want to go private if you can afford it.

Here are some books I recommend:

disconnected kids

well balanced child

out of synch child

I have just bought the Out of Sync Child and its a informative book :)

DS has just been dx with SPD. His areas are auditory visual/auditory filtering, tactile, sensory seeking/under responsive and fine motor (writing)Down here they send you on a workshop with other parents. I found it interesting and great to meet other parents, but at the same time nothing new seeing as it takes so long to get one I researched it all myself. What they also do is tell you to trial anything you have picked up for say 6 weeks THEN if you find nothings working or you still have problems ring and book and OT appointment. Very long winded way if your child has major issues.

Before your OT appointment I would perhaps buy the book and observe your child and see if you can find his areas of sensitivity yourself and make notes to take to the appointment.