sensory/naughty/something else?

[lattelov3r]

Hi ladies hope you don?t mind me posting basically I?ve had concerns about ds 6 since he was 2 or 3 little things early on like not roleplaying (he can now) and endless hours of lining toys up or stacking them over and over (he still does this know but not as much) he has always been very active and always in motion and fidgeting. At age 4 nursery referred him to speech therapist as he has ?jumpy speech? through this he was referred onto an OT who met with us for 30 mins or so and performed various things before saying she thinks he is sensory seeking and would likely outgrow it but she would keep an eye on it and catch up later. Well the OT vanished and another was given his details she decided from reading a report on the computer that ds didn?t need a follow up, after pressuring from me she agreed to observe him in school and decided to give him a weighted cushion then discharge him.

So now according to his teacher he is where he should be academically but attends a group daily to help ?settle him?
I personally feel like I?m coming up against a brick wall and I?m struggling and now wondering is it just naughty behaviour? or my bad parenting? Concerns I?ve got are ? he?s constantly on the go racing around or fidgeting, swinging his legs etc he?s always talking even to himself, he has little tic like behaviours eg licking his lips until they rash, stretching his neck to side, rolling eyes up to side etc these come and go though, he likes to crash into things throw himself on the floor, spin around etc, he is ALWAYS hungry obsessive about food he sucks his fingers, licks glass and mirrors and smells things a lot, he doesn?t realise he needs the toilet until the last second and is holding himself and near crying occasionally causing part accidents, going out anywhere is hell especially shops he touches EVERYTHING, tries to race and spin around doesn?t listen or seem to see where he is going tries to walk through people, doesn?t seem to get personal space will stand right in front of you to talk or try and rub against you or others when sitting, he swings from too hot to cold in literally seconds, he really struggles with sleep and spends hours awake talking to himself and again if he wakes in night only just started sleeping through, he doesn?t seem to listen and always says ?what? and needs instructions repeated or simplified/reworded (he can hear a biscuit wrapper for miles though!) punishments are pointless he doesn?t seem to get the consequence of his actions he says he understands but no matter what method I use he still behaves the same way when out then is in hysterics when I follow through yet right after he?s playing up again

I?m exhausted and wondering maybe it?s just me any words of wisdom/advice greatly appreciated

I'm not sure I have any words of wisdom but have you had his hearing checked? A proper check not the School one... Not saying that there isn't/might be other things going on but if his hearing is impaired then he won't be able to access strategies also some of what you list my ds's have done when their hearing is impaired as comfortors or due to disorination, ds3 is seeing SALT - not once have they asked about his physical ability to hear - we followed this up ourselves because of family history and he had grommets at 2.5yrs.
Also do a sight check (again proper one not School one which didn't pick up ds1's lazy eye)
I'd reccommend getting it done to rule it out if nothing else.
I hope someone else has some words of wisdom to give x

You've got quite a list there. It looks like he may be sensory seeking, certainly, all the need for movement and licking etc. He sounds hyposensitive (under sensitive) to me. There's a book called 'The out of sync child' which I've seen recommended for DC with sensory processing problems.

If you are concerned, though, you may want to ask your GP for a referral to a developmental paed in case there is more to it than sensory problems. What do school think?

My DS is hyposensitive, but for him it's one of many symptoms of his ASD.

Well the first thing I think is that whatever difficulties ds is, it is not because of anything you have (or haven't) done. Please, whatever you do, do not blame yourself.

The OTs you saw sound blinking awful imo. Telling you he was sensory seeking but not doing anything about it? And the school don't sound like they are that interested in helping.

I'm not surprised you're exhausted, what you have described sounds extremely tiring and stressful for all of you, and is imho something other than being 'naughty' or simply lively.

Have you looked at anything re ASD / ADHD / ADD / dyspraxia? Some of the behaviour you describe is often seen in one or more of those conditions. He certainly sounds very sensory-seeking. And what you say about him not learning from being told, but just doing the same thing again, chimes a chord with me. (I have a 5yo ds with High Functioning ASD.) And it sounds like he needs a bit of help with Speech & Language - again that he was discharged so readily.

If it was me I would go to the GP, giving him a list exactly as you have described it here, and ask for referral again - and not just to OT, but to developmental services (they might call it something different, depends on PCTs). Don't be fobbed off - if you have concerns you need to be taken seriously, you're his mum and know him better than anyone.

Sorry I expect I sound a bit militant and pushy - it's been that kind of month year day.

Good luck.

ellen put it much more succinctly and more eloquently than I did

Definitely agree about looking at the Out of Sync Child.

At least we agreed with each other, bialy.

I would definately go to your GP and asked to be referred to a developmental peadiatrician. AND aswell as checking out everything else (ASD/ADHD) as others have suggested also ask them to refer him back to the OT for a proper sensory profile.

My DS has sensory processing disorder. A am not experienced and I dont know your ds but lot of what you describe rings bells with me.

He has sensory issues that are tactile (light touch, feel of clothes, certain food density), sensory seeking (needs a quick fix like jumping of a wall, leaps, jumps, figits) Auditory filtering (he can hear a pin drop from 100 yards, clock batteries, the school gate shut or open yards away outside which all distracts and distorts voices of people giving him instructions as he cannot concentrate) Auditory visual (crowded walls, crowds, picks out minute details that distract his train of thought, you might look at the leaf he looks past to see inside the vein lol) OH and he eats for england about every 10 mins if I let him!

Its worth persuing again I think.

Thanks for the replies ladies, sorry it was such a long list I keep a list of the concerns I have and just copied some there is actually more than that. I really feel so confused about everything when he was referred to the first OT and she mentioned sensory issues I thought we were getting somewhere it wasn?t until I realised she hadn?t got in touch a few months later when she should of and found out she was gone and a new OT was in place but had never followed up, when I told her on the phone about his little tic behaviours she said all I can do is offer rewards for him not doing it, like I hadn?t tried that already. I couldn?t believe it when I received a letter saying he was being discharged. It seems like school think that he?s doing fine academically so that?s all they are bothered about everyone thinks he?s just lively and a boy but I see a big difference between him and his school friends, I don?t think others see the little traits I do, which is why I wonder if it?s just me and his dad seeing it then is it just us? I have read up on all sorts over the last couple of years adhd, autism, etc and tbh I see traits in all of them but then there are other things that are not ds at all for example with autism I read that he wouldn?t be able to make friends and by very withdrawn but ds will speak to anyone literally even strangers he would go off with them! Although he does prefer to talk to adults and if there is one around he will make a beeline for them, I just don?t know anymore I don?t have the best gp but feel that?s my only other option wont that just cause a referral back to same OT though? Dh thinks we should just leave it and if its seriously something wrong school will pick up on it as he gets older but I don?t know? Not to mention that fact my relationship with ds is struggling because things are so difficult just leaving the house with him.

lattelov3er, (you should get on well with coff33pot!) with ASD, social interactions are inappropriate. True, some find it difficult to make friends and are withdrawn but others are over friendly. They can often interact better with adults than with their peers. I think this can be due to adults having more patience for any quirks and adults being more predicable.

I am not saying that your DS has ASD, I have not met him and I'm only another parent, but speaking to anyone literally even strangers he would go off with them! is inappropriate social skills and doesn't rule out ASD.

I would still be pushing for a referral to a developmental paed, as well as OT. Even more so from your second post. If he's not giving them problems at school, behaviourally, they are not likely to be pointing out other quirks. They are not experts in ASD, or sensory processing disorder or ADHD. You need to be seeing someone who is.

thanks ellen thats interesting to know i didnt realise that being overfriendly could be considered asd too, ds is definatly over friendly with people especially adults all it takes is me or dh to casually say hi to someone in passing that we barely know and ds dosnt at all and ds takes that as a green light to ask them 1000 questions and try and climb all over them! It feels like there is the odd 10% of the time where he just appears 'normal' maybe he will be sitting watching a film relatively quietly for a while and i look at him and think hes ok he cant have anything wrong with him then there is the other 90% of the time my brains screaming why is he like this!

i think i will make a gp appointment and see what they think, thats if ds will sit still long enough for me to explain and should i be discussing these things infront of him?

i think i will make a gp appointment and see what they think, thats if ds will sit still long enough for me to explain and should i be discussing these things infront of him?

If he doesnt sit still then all well and good Because the GP will see some things for himself.

My DS has Aspergers lattelov3r also adhd,social communication, sensory processing and motor and vocal tics. Sounds huge but its not the rest are all co-morbid with ASD he just likes collecting letters :)

DS does the eye rolling thing and throat clearing etc also the odd funny noise or yell. Its usually under stress, heavy concentration or tiredness that this happens. Best way to deal with it I have found is to ignore it. I found the more someone commented on it or asked him to stop the harder and more intense it became.

Incidently a lot of children have tics that they grow out of. My dd and my sister were finger crackers ugh! Also my sister used to rub her nose constantly upwards so she had a crease on it but neither do them now :)

DS will talk to anyone he sees fit. He would rather talk to the adult, he is not shy. He will talk to peers and want to play. Its just not socially appropriate to hound adults and his conversations are one sided with his peers and so he struggles on the communication side and understanding of humour, teasing etc. he is the most sociable curious boy so not all asd children are loners.

I would follow your instincts as the parents know best. Whilst waiting for a referral keep diaries of anything you deem to be important. I spent a lot of time watching and studying DS. Video the tics on your phone to show proffs and try to work out when he does them and note it down. Video him when he is playing with DH or doing homework anything that shows his concentration abilities or fidgeting. The more you have the easier it will be for a proffessional to make a decision on things :)

And yes it is confusing when you see what others dont. But quite often it is because your child is relaxed at home and feels safe to be himself :)

thank you coff33pot it does help to see what other children are experaincing sometimes i feel pretty alone in my worries for ds i feel like all i hear from those around me are 'hes just a boy' 'kids sont need labels' 'its just his age' apparently (its been his age since he was 3) etc i sometimes wonder if they are right because behaviours that first concerned me when he was younger are no longer apparent eg at 4 he would only line up all his toys by size and colour he still does this but also plays with others things now and again, he also used to hate noise he would put his hands over his ears and scream to noisy he dosnt really do that now.

also yesterday he got his end of block book back from school and at the bottom it had observed for dyspraxia? ive read up on that and from what i gather ds has nothing wrong with his motor skills and if he had wouldnt the ot have picked that up when he was assessed she did jumping games etc and said his motor skills were fine he also loves jigsaws is fab at them unless im missing something

Dyspraxia symptoms cross over a lot with ASD. As well as motor issues there are social skills problems, organisational problems etc. It's interesting that school have considered it... Have a google of dyspraxia.

Also, ASD is a developmental disorder. Children still develop, so you would expect them to grow out of things, but they develop in a different way to neuro typical (NT) children. That wouldn't rule out the fact that he had some more obvious traits when he was younger. (Organising toys rather than playing with them)

I still wouldn't like to give an opinion, TBH, except that all your concerns would warrant a referral to an expert, IMO. X

yeah ive looked into google but im still not seeing it, although he definatly has the sensory issues that can go along with it the actual motor skills im not seeing, he loves jigsaws, does great drawings, colours in neatly, can jump and hop etc although cant ride a bike tries to go backwards and cant push forward, i think i will speak to school and see why they have thought it may be that, x

I was more thinking that because of the crossover of symptoms he may well be more ASD than dyspraxia, latte.

well tonight i feel like im questioning myself again todays been a good day with ds hes been almost 'normal' we even went to the supermarket and he was great! but we did do a lot today with him trampoline, playing football, running and trying to ride his bike so maybe his energy wasnt up there as usual but i have thought if hes capable of being like this why is he not all the time! on another plus side he pedaled his bike today for the first time until now hes only tried to go backwards but today he went forwards! we spent a while with him going his bike albeit very slowly but its progress! it did seem like he was trying with every ounce of him to push those pedals down though like he wasnt strong enough and said his hands hurt too so it was a battle and he hated going down any sort of gradiant it was too scary he couldnt go uphill at all just no strenght im not sure why this is though but hey we are getting there