Proprioceptive discrimination 3 yr old

[Ellebel]

My son is nearly 3 and has recently been diagnosed with suffering from Proprioceptive discrimination. Reading up on it it makes sense- we’ve had endless problems with him vigorously squeezing my hands, friends, baby brother which is a continues problem. I used to think he was trying to hurt people but now realise it may be out of his control. Sometimes it seems like he wants to hurt- like in response to a peer taking his toy, but othertimes it can feel like he’s trying to be affectionate and doesn’t understand the negative reaction. We have also had long standing trouble with biting which improved for a few months but seems to have returned.

We seem to have weeks where it’s not so bad. And then weeks where it’s relentless. Impulsive behaviour, endless incident reports from nursery about him lashing out at other children, squeezing their faces. I wondered if there can be triggers that make it worse? Or if there is likely something else occurring here? There’s no obvious reason for change in behaviour like diet/ sleep etc.

We do lots of stretching and pushing with him, have squeezy balls dotted around the house, do endless park trips so he can let off steam.

Aside from this he is a happy sociable boy, amazing language, full of beans and a great sense of humour!

Hoping someone with more experience than me has any advice/ tips? We would like to get him OT sessions but atm it’s a bit too expensive for us.

Many thanks

Sensory difficulties can come to the fore when there are other stressors around, which can be why some people sometimes appear to cope and sometimes don’t. Think of it like a cup and when there are other stressors in the cup, the cup overflows. These might not be stressors you are aware of.

DS may have difficulties with other areas sensory integration as well as proprioception.

You might find some of the sensory ideas in this booklet helpful. Some find the Occuplaytional therapist’s resources useful.

Not all ICBs commission sensory OT on the NHS, but if your area does, it is worth a referral. In some areas, you can self refer.

What support is the nursery providing? Does DS have an EHCP? If so, OT can be included in there.

Thanks so much for your message @perpetualplatespinning. I didn’t even know what an EHCP was I had to google it! I’m very new to all this. Nursery keep flagging his behaviours- but not being much help in terms of how to
resolve or what action to take to help him. They’ve been showing us ABC reports that highlight he has a big temper and often has tantrums over very little with no obvious triggers and have suggested he might need more help but have left that to us to work out. We actually spoke to his GP about it today who has sent us the email address for the SEN department of our borough so I will contact them and see.

We are moving him to pre school in Sept in the hope they will be better equipped to help him than a small private nursery. Fingers crossed! And thanks again x

Request an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA). This is the needs assessment you first request as part of the EHCP process. IPSEA and SOSSEN are charities who support parents. They have lots of helpful information on their websites, including model letters you can use to request an EHCNA, and have helplines.

Be careful with the LA. They often give incorrect information or don’t tell you everything.

Request a meeting with the new pre-school. They should put support in place. If they need more advice on how to support DS, they should ask the Area SENCO (and the specialist teaching service if your LA still has them) for advice. They can also apply for early years inclusion funding - in some LAs they would be able to apply before 3 and in others they would need to wait until DS is 3. If DS gets DLA, once he is 3 they can also get Disability Access Funding.

Tantrums or meltdowns?