Whats this all about???

[anonandlikeit]

I've been trying to get ds2 to try some new foods, today he had a couple of bites of a jam tart, got really upset & started crying.

After he had calmed down, he explained that it felt funny in his mouth & when things feel funny he can't see & he said he didn't know where he was & it made him feel spinny.

Is this all just sensory overload? Is it just him trying to cope with the sensation of a different food & closing his eyes?

Has anyone had anything similar?
How can i help him explore new textures without this extreme reaction?

On a positive note i'm really at how well he was able to explain himself.

I have to say I was at how well he explained himself! Thats brilliant!! My DS would never be able to do that!

Sorry cant help original problem though

I know i was a bit too. Its only recently he has started to be able to tell us how he feels, but only in a physical way.

I must admit though it didn't flow quite as i have written it, it took a long while of me quizzing & him giving one & two word answers.. but i think thats what he meant.

Even so....at least he was able to get across to you how he felt Clever boy!!

You are right it does make it much easier, his vocabulary is pretty good its just getting him to bother to tell us things he is more like a grunting teenager than a 6 year old...... Maybe he is just advanced

The other day he told his dad that a policeman got me with a speed gun.... it was the only thing he said all evening, typical.

Noooooooo!!! Oh how funny!! My DS always seems to be able to find it easy to tell daddy that mummy was eating chocolate AGAIN today ....yeah thanks for that

If you havent yet gone down the sensory integration route, a lot of folks on here find The Out-of-Sync-Child very useful.

I also like the Sensory Processing Disorder Answer Book which has a Q & A format for 250 sensory problems! very readable. Much easier to take down off the shelf and dip into when theyve gone to bed than any of the rest of my SN bookshelf!

If you have any OT input they should be able to advise on an oral desensitation program (it will be very relevant to them that he does let the food into his mouth and then reacts to the texture) and the gradual introduction of different foods based on different textures.

Love the explantion of how it feels btw

Thats just like my dd anonandlikeit, she says things make her mouth feel funny and it makes her eyes hurt, dd1 is a very fussy eater, she wont eat fish fingers because the bread crumbs are to rough and hurt her mouth and throat.

Thanks both, glad to hear he's not alone.
He has had OT input since a baby & had a yr of weekly OT group therapy before starting school, it helped alot & they did loads of sensory integration stuff, not specifically oral but it all helped.
He has always loved chewing, licking & spitting & went through an awfulk phase of schewing his food spitting it back & then re eating it, yuk!!
Thankfully this has all improved, its the way he explained about his eyes that made me .
I'll have a read of the books you suggest, he does seem to be restricting his diet more & more!

Think of it as similar to when you have eaten something that is unexpectedly hot or sour - it is a real physical sensation - stars in eyes, sweating, brain pain, over salivating! Even panic! Some people get used to hot or sour foods but some people never do. I imagine this is what your ds2 was feeling.

Little and often with lots of encouragement helps - being exposed to new experiences and flavours better prepares children for the next time something new comes along and it wont be such a shock.

Both of the books recommended above are great and very interesting.