Struggling to understand sensory issues

[tacal]

Hello, I am going to buy a book on Sensory issues as I just can't get my head around it and explain it to people. I would be grateful if someone with experience of this could let me know if I am correct to think DS has sensory issues. (He also has the repetitive, rigid ASD type behaviour).

I think DS (4) is sensory seeking by constantly running, spinning, jumping, putting things in his mouth.

The things I dont understand and worry about are:-

1.Recently he has had to leave the room when someone is eating crisps. He went very quiet and said he needed to go somewhere quiet. This is so out of character for him. I had a chat with him last night and he said it is because the noise of the crisps is too loud.

1. He has refused to go into nursery at times. The reason was he does not like the way the Manager and Assistant Manager shout. It upsets him.

1. I have noticed a couple of times, in very busy places he has had to close his eyes and put his head down on me as if the business has made him want to sleep.

1. Gets very hyper in soft play centres etc and prone to meltdown after.

1. Sometimes, when out in a busy place he has been very angry if someone has touched him gently on the back or shoulders. He shouts that he does not like to be touched.

I am worried that he has been struggling to deal with these things and I have not helped him. I also worry how he will get on when he starts school later this year. What would he do if all the other kids are eating crisps?

I would appreciate any advice you can give me about this.

Thank you

An occupational therapist can come into school/nursery and prescribe a "sensory diet".

DS is at a fantastic school now who have worked hard with the OT to make school a pleasant environment for him. I've listed below some of the adaptations that have been made for him in a mainstream caring Primary School.

My son now has a desk of his own in a quiet corner of the classroom so that he can concentrate on maths etc. He has a special cushion and a writing slope. He has a very useful pair of ear defenders that allow him to hear the teacher's instructions but which block out "crisp eating noises", that he can put on when he needs to.

There's a quiet spot for him to use if the playground gets too much for him. Music and assembly are approached with sensitivity. His friends understand that sometimes he needs 5-10 mins respite from them & just accept it as one of his quirks. ALL school staff are aware that if he asks for help then they need to get him somewhere quiet so he won't melt down. School and I have had training.

He's a happy child who enjoys school, but only because they understand and have made adaptations for his sensory issues. These are severe enough to have been written into his statement of special educational needs.

A few years ago it was a totally different story, and tbh I don't want to scare you with the details.

I would strongly advise you to ask both your GP and the nursery to get him seen by an occupational therapist BEFORE he starts "big school" as a matter of urgency. I would also advise you to keep a diary for the appointment as a trained OT will be able to spot the patterns of sensory behavior and best advise you on how to help him. There are numerous therapies available (mostly private) but see a professional for advice before you go diving into anything.

A good book for explaining sensory stuff is "The Out of sync Child" - many of us started here while waiting for our children to see the occupational therapist.

I dont have any specific advice apart form to agree with Bochead and get the OT/assessments started sooner rather than later.

My DS is in Y1 and only just starting on this road and think if we had not just accepted the 'he's just a very young 4 years old being a bit toddlerish (melt downs, 'unpredictable' triggers which turn out to be sensory based so are different depending on environment) he would have better support now and be better understood by shcool in order to help him.

I third the advice to have your DS assessed by an OT...but with the caveat that your OT is trained in Sensory Integration.

From what you've described, it would appear he has difficulty modulating his response to Auditory stimuli and probably other areas as well.

Sensory Modulation is the brain's ability to accept incoming sensory information in a useful way.

It's like the force of the water in your shower. Too strong a force is overwhelming. Too low, and you cant get a satisfactory shower. You want the water pressure 'just right'.
You have the ability to gauge how strong the water/sensory experience you want, but often children don't understand what is going on, or don't have the capability of turning the sensory input off.

Children with Sens Modulation difficulties may experience sensory information with 'too much' force (the noise of eating crisps) or 'too low' (so seem to be sensory seeking).
They can have the water pressure 'just right' under some circumstances (concentrating on school work at home) but find it difficult to adjust when the environment changes.

If the water pressure is so high that it is overwhelming (out in a busy, echoey chopping centre) they may either overload and meltdown, or re-act badly to a seemingly innocuous extra detail (unexpected touch while in a busy place).

As a last resort, if they are completely overwhelmed, they will shut-down and appear sleepy.

I hope thats clear, but please ask if I can clarify it more for you.

To go through your points on-by-one, I would interpret them like this:

1. The noise of crisps may be very distressing to him. Think of how most people react to the noise of fingernails on a blackboard. That's probably how it feels for him.
2. If he finds sounds difficult, an unexpected shout is very startling and distressing. His ears may not react quickly enough to 'block' the sound. Think of how you would react if someone unexpectedly blew an airhorn beside you.
3. As before, busy places may be so overwhelming with sounds, vision, smells, movement that he has to shut it all out.
4. He may also have difficulty with modulating his response to movement. So a little is good and alerting but a lot is overwhelming. He is probably too young to know what is just the right amount for him. If you can see the hyper thing starting, give him some time out with heavy work. That is pulling something heavy (tug of war), carrying something heavy (your bag? big bottle of water) climb through/under/over an obstacle, 'push the house down'. Anything that slows him down but also makes him use big whole body movements.
5. If you must touch him, in a situation like that, give him a warning, let him see it coming and do it very firmly.

The good news is that as his brain matures, he will cope better. But it will happen faster and with better results if he has therapy. Good luck.

Thank you so much porridgelover, tickletumble and bochead for such detailed replies. I was not expecting so much information, this is great. I will have to come back and read them again to take it all in but it definitely helps me make more sense of what is going on.

An educational psychiatrist is going to observe DS in nursery soon (hopefully). He has also been referred to a multi disciplinary clinic to see the developmental team, autism team and speech therapist. Will his sensory issues be assessed at the multi disciplinary clinic? I am new to all this so dont know what to expect. The only person he has seen so far is the specialist Health Visitor. We are still awaiting first appointments.

Porridgelover, we are going away for four nights so there will be lots of activities for DS. I will try the time out with heavy work when he gets overwhelmed. I would never have thought of doing that! The shower explanation is very helpful. I may use this to explain it to my family.

Bochead, do you think I should speak to DS's nursery and ask about a quiet spot for him. I am not sure they will be understanding about this but it sounds like I should try to push for this. The ear defenders sound very useful for your DS. It is great to hear that he is getting his needs met at school.

Tickletumble, it has taken me so long to realize what has been going on with DS, I feel so bad. I really hope I can figure out exactly what he needs before he starts school.

Thanks again, your advice is very much appreciated.

Tacal, you're welcome.

Just to add: will his sensory issues be addressed? That depends entirely on the staffing of the team. As above, he should be seeing an OT with Sensory Integration training.

One Two, Three, and Four processing checklists. While these are not standardised, they are useful information for the MDT.
I'd probably print one, fill it out and send it to the team.

Also, to emphasise, if you see him begin to get hyper, that is the time to withdraw him and offer him the calming proprioceptive heavy work. Dont leave it til he is overwrought, it's much harder and takes longer.

Just experienced extent of our New Grandchilds SID's , she has been lost in the care system for past 7 years but is plesent and a little angel. was playing with baby's toys covered her ears up at every sound of music, words, etc.,
all assements are ongoing, wants too sleep frequently after playing, is making
great progress at her new school.

This is a lovely short film about sensory overload by a person with AS, maybe it will help?
vimeo.com/52193530

oops, I meant that ds will be seeing an educational psychologist in my last post. Not psychiatrist.

We are just back from a short holiday so sorry it took me a long for me to reply.

Porridgelover, I read your post on my phone while I was away and took your advice. When I saw him begin to get hyper I took him away from the activity and calmed him down. This worked really well. What a difference it made. Can not believe I let him get so hyper in the past. I just thought he was enjoying himself in a normal toddler/child like way. I am going to print the checklist and take it to the clinic. I am not great at explaining things so this will help loads. I am so grateful for your help.

fasparent, I hope your new grandchild is well and it is great she is making progress at her new school. I hope something good comes from the assessments.

babiki, I will watch the short film tonight. Thank you.

Hi PolterGoose - I have ordered The Out of Sync Child and will have a look for the book you recommend. The website is going to be a great help to me. Thank you.

babiki, the short film helps me understand. It is really good, but made me feel sad.

Thank you.

You are more than welcome tacal. I hope your ds gets the right support soon.

You're welcome to the advice tacal. If you've never had sensory processing difficulties explained, how are you to know? Dont blame yourself at all.
If that worked, keep it up. Offer him lots of activites that are 'heavy work' ( if you google that phrase, you'll find loads of activities that parents do with children).

Good luck with the team assessment.