Smell sensitivity - trashing house

[Blossom4538]

Dd (ASD) age 8

When she hasn’t had some attention for a while, is becoming very overwhelmed by smells and starts trashing the house. She’s just broken a dining chair and dented our new tv unit, dismantled top of a radiator and thrown over lamps and other chairs.

She won’t accept calming strategies. She just shouts and swears (F word, picked up from school) at top of her voice, so our new neighbours can hear.

Help!

@Blossom4538 Has she had an OT sensory assessment done? What kinds of activities does she find calming? What's her sensory profile, under/ over responsivity or mixed?
How often do you get out of the house? Have your routines significantly changed due to Covid-19?
Sorry, lots of questions but would like to help as my son is similar! 😊

She has and sometimes the sensory diet helps but she often rejects a lot of strategies. Is refusing to go out of the house. Occasionally get her in the garden. She is over-responsive mainly - to noise, odours, texture etc - but seeks also for tactile (soft textures or squidgy). We use slime, gelli baff, water beads, soft blankets etc.

@Blossom4538 I'm sorry! 💐 It's really hard isn't it. Does she have a space to retreat to? My son has a pop up tent full of cushions and fleece blankets.

I should put her wigwam back up. She does make little dens too.

1am and she’s awake, having meltdown over smell..

Now she’s having a nosebleed! 😬

@Blossom4538 Oh no nosebleeds, my son was the same when he had a mega meltdown!
Put her Wigwam up and let her customise it! Cushions, blankets, fave calming things. Maybe decorate with some nice battery lights. She could maybe choose some smells she likes to have. A sensory kit! My son likes my perfume sprayed on his fave blanket.
Let her take ownership of her space and hopefully she will start to recognise when she is getting overloaded and use this space to retreat! 😊

@Blossom4538 How's things? 💐