"She is such a sensory kid"

Re: "She is such a sensory kid"

• JenGK

  February 2011

  Zachary does the face-down on the floor thing, too, when he doesn't want to engage.  I see it as a "transition thing."  My strategy is to leave him alone for a few minutes to allow him to get used to the new situation, but also give transition warnings like we generally do otherwise (i.e., in 3 minutes, you're going to need to get up, in 2 minutes..., in 1 minute...).  I also find that if I raise my affect -- talk in a really excited, high-pitched voice about what we are going to do -- that I can better break him out of this. 

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• steelady

  February 2011

  I would take it to mean she is a sensory seeker  and that sensory stuff is a problem.

   

  DS is a major sensory seeker with some defensiveness related to textures.

   

  I've heard the out if sync child is a good book, but I thought it was dry.  I liked How to raise a sensory smart child.
  

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• here4u

  February 2011

  Thanks, and yes the transition and sensory seeking pretty much sum her up!

  On Tuesday her OT told me she while they were playing with the dry rice during the session that Sophie sat in the bucket to play with it. 

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• JenGK

  February 2011

  Zach's therapists tell me sensory-seeking and transitions are very connected, so it is not surprising that you're seeing both.

  Zach actually did the same thing at OT the first couple of times his therapist broke out the rice and beans.  It is something he really likes -- very calming to him.  I made a rice and dried beans bin at home (so cheap!), and he loves it.  We actually use it as a means to wind him down at night.  He doesn't climb in anymore, but loves to run his hands through it.  We also have a moon-sand bin.

  Another thought -- you can use the fact that your kid craves certain kinds of input to help with difficult situations like this.  For example, Zach loves to be thrown in the air/swung.  Knowing this, sometimes when he is having a withdrawn moment or in a situation when he otherwise might act inappropriately, I will toss him around for a bit and it helps him come out of his shell. 

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• steelady

  February 2011

  Just to piggy back a bit on what Auntie said, sensory tricks/tools can be very useful in dealing with anxiety.  Also, with my ds, his sensory stuff gets worse when he is anxious.  It's like his body is on high alert when he is anxious (and yes, sensory problems can also manifest as anxiety).

   

  I whole-heartedly second Auntie's suggestion to have the therapist explain exactly what she means.  I think clinicians sometimes forget that we may not always see what they see and don't get the jargon in the way they mean.
  

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• hopanka member

  February 2011

  Another one of auntie's spot on replies. I see a lot of what she's describing in my kid, who is a 5 year old high function. ASD child. Anxiety is his thing. Some sensory - hello pickles and big hugs! When he was your daughter's age, he acted somewhat like that around strangers. He was very unpredictable...one day he did great, next day he acted like that - similar situations. These days, many a social story later, he muscles through it most times, because it 's appropriate, but I can always tell how he would rather not.

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• here4u

  February 2011

  -auntie-:

  JMHO, as always you are free to ignore.

  Coming from an ASD world, I see nothing overtly or purely "sensory" in your description. And frankly, I can't see why your would say that relative to the 2 scenarios you've described here. I read Anxiety. And for the record anxiety is not the same as a specific fear.

  I know hundreds of kids who have sensory issues comorbid with an ASD or something else. Sensory (avoidant) is the kid who can tell one brand of skim milk from another in a blind tasting, sensory is a kid who wears sunglasses on all but the gloomiest days, sensory is the kid who can hear the hum of flourescent lights, sensory is the kid who eats 6 kinds of white foods, sensory is the kid who won't wear anything but seamless socks, 100% cotton knit clothing, sensory is the kid who can't eat in a restaurant because of clattery sounds and cooking odors. Sensory (seeking) is the kid who bangs into things, who has a penchant for hanging her head upside down off the couch, who loves to swing and spin on the play ground, who loves tight hugs, who loves sour pickles and spicy foods.

  Stripped down, I hear you describing a kid who transitions poorly and is slow to warm up- girl style. The party could have been a function of being a shy 2 who's a tad immature. I don't get sensory here; if there was a noise or lighting component it would have likely gotten worse rather than better. She might have been able to hand for 10 minutes and then you'd have to leave. 

  Her OT is saying she's slow to warm up too, but she wanted me to keep an eye on it for now since its new behavior.

  The behavior you describe at home with your DH's friends' visit has a real ASD "rule girl" feel to it. It's unusual for any kiddo her age to sustain a behavior for an hour. I wonder if this visit broke some sort of internal rule she has about people coming into her home and this was her way of protesting. DS did a lot of behavior like this around the preschool age. He'd have something random in his mind- like I go visit people but they don't come to my house and he's retreat into himself. Many little boys would tantrum at this scenario, but my kid doesn't roll that way so it was more like a withdrawl from the situation.

  Kids with anxiety are controling. Her face plant is a way of controling this situation. It's best to work on this because it probably plays into other parts of your daily routine and you might not notice. At her age, DS used to give me point to point directions for driving to various places. And he would freak entirely if I made a (legal) U-turn.

  Yes, her OT did mention also that it could be behavior related and her way of controlling the situation.

  Next time your OT or PT says this, ask them to explain how their interpretation si sensory and not anxiety or behavioral.   Def. will do.  Its hard to talk though since its center based and she has to move on to the next appt.  I'm so used to the home based therapies and talking about things more detailed.

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• here4u

  February 2011

  hopanka:

  Another one of auntie's spot on replies. I see a lot of what she's describing in my kid, who is a 5 year old high function. ASD child. Anxiety is his thing. Some sensory - hello pickles and big hugs! When he was your daughter's age, he acted somewhat like that around strangers. He was very unpredictable...one day he did great, next day he acted like that - similar situations. These days, many a social story later, he muscles through it most times, because it 's appropriate, but I can always tell how he would rather not.

  She does get unpredictable about certain situations.  For example, if I take my car in for service, and I totally expect her to be clingy and get anxious, she will just sit down and act like she's comfortable.  But if we go to someone else's house or if someone comes to our house she is very uncomfortable/anxious. Grocery shopping was hard for her too, she would cry if someone looked at her.  She still gets a little shy and if she feels uncomfortable she will ask me for a hug while she's sitting in the cart, which means she wants to hide her face.

   

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