Anyone with a sensory-seeking DC: this way, please

[lou031205]

Ok, challenge is to stop me getting into an ever increasing spiral of sensory-seeking behaviour from DD being reinforced by my reactions, leading to more sensory-seeking behaviour.

Today:

DD starts bouncing on the sofa, not safe for a variety of reasons, because DD1 is unsteady on her feet anyway, and we have 2 younger girls who might get hurt.

I tell her to get down, so she starts to scale me.

I tell her firmly "DD, I am not a climbing frame, get down."

DD says no, climbs me again. I put her on the floor, repeating that I am not a climbing frame.

DD is getting giddy with excitement, and starts laughing and climbing all the more. Saying "we playing game".

I am not feeling well, so didn't handle it well I suspect, but don't know how to stop the behaviour (only have lounge downstairs, and unsafe to put her in bedroom, so feel that there is nowhere I can put her to cool down, IYSWIM)

What would you do?

when my ds gets like that i give him exercises and tell him to do one thing after another making it into a game, ie rolly polly, jump, lie down put feet in air, roll on tummy etc just keeps him active in a more controlled way, he never stops so we do this again and again all day with odd breaks where he does something else!! would anything like that help??

I get ds1 to sit down.

He climbs on me and tries to crush into me a lot, hangs off my neck, leaps down flights of stairs. If he is leaning too much into me and I push him off then that is more rewarding for him (nice big push from me). He's 10 and very very strong. If I tell him to sit down he can't engage in the sensory seeking (although he might start hitting or biting himself in which case I remind him to stop).

other than that I try to ensure lots of phsycial exercise. W have 2 trampolines (in and out), a hammock swing inside and I try to make sure he swims or walks or gets out in some way every day.

Thanks, good ideas. I have not been/am not well, and I am just out of energy, so all I see is a source of exhaustion when I see her winding up. I just need to be quicker and head it off with those things, rather than waiting till she is out of control.

I don't think you can do it all the time. Sometimes I have to shove ds1 off me (which he loves) because he is dangling off me on the stairs, or pushing his chin into my neck (he sort of pulls my head back at the same time) so hard than I think I am going to fall over.

Then I get him off me and tell him to sit down. Just briefly but enough to break the feedback he must be getting.

How do you get him to actually sit down, though, mrsturnip? DD1 just seems to go wild, I tell her to sit down, she says no, laughing hysterically. Me attempting to make her gives her the feedback she craves, so worsens it. But if I do nothing, she continues to climb all over me, or whatever. If it was safe, I wouldn't mind, but she falls over on even surfaces.

9 times out of 10 he does, because if he doesn't I march him out the room and shut the door briefly (20 seconds?) which he hates.

But sometimes he is too loopy and won't.

How old is your dd1?

When he was smaller I used to sometimes just turn him around so he had his back to me. Breaking the eye contact helped.

I try to keep calm because he finds a wound up mother hilarious and will go out of his way to do something that makes me cross.

Does it happen often? I'd be tempted to buy a small indoor trampoline. Ds2 has one for when he is in a similar mood and it helps.

we have distractor toys as well, usually just something to squeeze, pull or twiddle on with. If her hands are busy twiddling, they won't be all over you.

And as a last resort, I put DS2's latest obsessional dvd on.

for ds2 the fewer words the better, so a No ds2. Or Off ds2 is more effective.
If he shouts or crys at me I turn my back.

I also roll him up in a blanket, he looks like a sausage roll but he loves it & it keeps him still & calms him down, without wearing me out.

DS2 also has mild CP & can be very unsteady when physical so we use the trampoline as a safe place for him to burn off energy.

She is 4.2, mrsturnip.

Happens daily at the moment. Our lounge is v.small & 3 preschoolers at home, so trampet would be tricky - but could look into it.

Scooter boards look fab!

Star jumps in an emergency indoors, trampoline in garden (just bung a coat on...I put a tarpaulin over it so it could even be used in the rain, DD never melted!). I have a climbing frame that takes up most of my garden now as well. Between the two, it usually calms the DC's down. Though DD is now too big for the little trampoline we have, AND the climbing frame, so am umming and ahhing over getting a large trampoline that would take up all of my (small) garden.

We used to roll in a duvet as well. He loved it when he was little. Won't tolerate it now.