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SN children

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Original poster

Sensory overload silliness - your strategies

14 replies

Flook76 · 04/01/2015 19:14

Had a pretty ok Xmas as kept it quiet and low key - a lot of time spent in pjs and playing Minecraft

Had friends over today and DS went into what I think was complete sensory overload with all the people in the house, noise, excitement (and also due back to school tomorrow which he hates).

So his overload seems to always manifest in extreme manic 'silliness' - he's extremely annoying to other children and adults, gets in their way, grabs things off them, laughs this hysterical laugh he only does when he gets like this. He's so big now it's hard for me to remove him - and that def seems to be the key - get him away into quiet room and divert his attention onto something he enjoys (eg maths questions). Then he'll gradually make eye contact again and he's back with me - but if he goes back into the busy room he's lost again to manicness.
Is this type of thing common? It's not really a meltdown though is it? More of a reaction to too much going on. He really can't seem to cope with any more than 3-4 other people in the room.

DH also gets involved and tries to 'reason and threaten' which just escalates it all up a notch ("we're not leaving this room until you calm down / stop kicking me / I'm going to delete Minecraft" etc).

I'm pretty sure my route is the best (DH says I'm pandering, giving in and 'rewarding bad behaviour'!)
Is there anything else I could do?

OP posts:

PolterGoose · 04/01/2015 19:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

Flook76 · 04/01/2015 20:20

Thanks Poltergoose
Ok I'm glad you've said it is a sort of meltdown - I wasn't sure whether it was, but it does feel like it's one.

I know I do handle it right by watering down as you say - just doubted myself today when there were other people there and DH disagreeing with me - he still expects a NT response from DS despite diagnosis - generally I just deal with it but was harder today with lots of other people on the house. Ta!

OP posts:

Original poster

Flook76 · 04/01/2015 20:23

Oh calming down I mean (can involve water or food though!)

OP posts:

PolterGoose · 04/01/2015 20:36

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

Flook76 · 04/01/2015 20:42

Ha ha me too - it's been a long day

OP posts:

Jacksterbear · 04/01/2015 23:31

Yes my DS can get like this, and can very easily tip over into a full-on meltdown from this sort of mood. Like yours, he ideally needs encouraging towards a quiet place away from everyone where he can chill out, usually by playing on his Wii. Also agree with the food/drink suggestion.

We also have a dark/sensory den in his room, with trancey-hypnotic-type disco lights, which he goes into sometimes but not as much as I'd like him to!

billiejeanbob · 04/01/2015 23:47

My dd gets like this when we have visitors to the house. It's almost as if she is euphoric and high - she will race around, jump into people, crawl around the floor, make silly noises and do silly things. stupidly I haven't ever realised that this could be caused by sensory overload.

ChowNowBrownCow · 05/01/2015 08:07

I am reading this on the run, things have been very tense this school holiday as thers been lots of silliness and high pitch squealing. Will com back later for more tips.

Original poster

Flook76 · 05/01/2015 08:19

Thanks everyone - it's good to know that I seem to be doing the right sort of thing - and also to really know that indeed this is a meltdown in itself.

I think too often to try and get DS to calm down still in the overload situation (maybe sometimes selfishly as I want to try and stay myself) and I need to exit him out of there as soon as I see the first signs (although yesterday I was in a different room and by the time I realised he was whipped up into a real manic frenzy).

OP posts:

DishwasherDogs · 05/01/2015 11:16

Ds2 does this too. It's the only "behaviour" that he shows at school, but it's put down to normal 9 yr old boy silliness.

Tanukisan · 05/01/2015 11:20

Wow I totally recognise this! How reassuring to hear it's a 'thing'

Pasteurella · 05/01/2015 19:28

Me too!

DS2 went round to a friend's today and a couple of other boys were there. He jumped, roared, squealed, and giggled maniacally at them, and was seemingly finding it hard to string a logical sentence together. It would annoy the hell out of me tbh, but the other boys seemed quite happy to take it in their stride.

I think he's worse at the moment because school starts tomorrow too, and the stress seems to come out as a lack of control.

LastNightaKinderEggSavedMyLife · 05/01/2015 20:26

My ds is exactly like this too. Also reassured to hear others have this and recognise this as a meltdown too. Whenever ds gets excited he is teetering on the brink of full meltdown or attacking someone.

Ds does all the behaviours others describe here and no matter how well others take it it never ends well because if they are accepting he gets more excited and cant cope, and if they are not he can't cope either and attacks them! I really cannot have other children to visit the house at all

ChowNowBrownCow · 05/01/2015 22:23

Sorry I was not around to post properly earlier. My ds does a very high pitched squeal. I think it's sensory overload. I am actually at the point where having people over or going out to friends and family is causing me a lot of stress as I am so aware of ds and what he is doing. I go because my husband and other children want to. I know that I am being sensitive to him and need to find ways of coping. I think having a bag ready of snacks or ipad and headphones wil help, so thanks for those tips.

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