Go Back to Dev Pedi?

robynlesley · October 2012

Last November, at 27 months, my DS saw a developmental pediatrician out of Morristown Memorial Hospital in NJ. I made the appointment at the suggestion of his EI evaluation team due to Autism concerns. After the appointments, he was not on the Spectrum but the report showed he had developmental delays and sensory issues. There was also a mention of them peaking by age 3 (need to find the report). He received Speech, OT, DI and PT from EI until he tested out/aged out this Summer.

While his speech is primarily at age level now, with articulation issues that are age appropriate, I have lingering concerns re: the "sensory issues."

The main ones are:

Crying/covering ears with loud sounds (*he does have tubes, so not sure here, but it affects him to the level of refusing to be in loud places)

Primarily a picky eater and won't try new foods

Afraid of heights

Poor balance, can't ride tricycle, poor hopping and jumping

has poor body awareness; bumps into things, knocks things over, trips

Lack of self care (utensils, undressing/dressing, toilet training)

We're going to see his ENT to rule out anything physiological with his ears. And I'm honestly not sure if he has SPD or just has some traits/sensory "issues". He didn't qualify for sensory needs in the public school system (or anything) and tested at/near age level for most areas. I don't know if there is any reason to do anything now. Some of the stuff could be because he's 3 (picky eater, toilet training). But the fears concern me. He PANICS. I just want to best be able to help him. I don't want him to miss out on future field trips, etc., because he can't handle loud sounds.

macchiatto · October 2012

With my son, it took so long to get services through EI that he aged out after just 3 months of EI and feeding therapy and only 6 weeks of PT and OT. because he had just gotten started we kept up with all 4 of those along with the services he qualified for through the school system (which included some PT and OT but did not address sensory issues at all). Is private OT a possibility for you guys? Could you consult with the OT he saw before?

robynlesley · October 2012

The fears are of loud noises, strange noises to him and heights.

While not uncommon fears they seem to be impacting what he does. Like when a fire truck came to his daycare and he started crying and covering his ears saying "too loud" and his teacher had to bring him inside. Apparently the siren wasn't even on and it was the commotion.

The fear of heights isn't when he climbs but if I pick him up to change his diaper on a changing table. He says it is too high. He literally was shaking and crying.

All in all the fears/anxieties could be age related but they seem to be worsening rather than improving. I don't expect him to be fearless but I don't want him to miss out on fun things like movies, concerts, parades if we make it to Disney because of noise.

funchicken · October 2012

I do think that three is an age where they develop irrational fears, and it does tend to taper off. When my DD was that age she would freak out if she saw a bug (like screaming, clinging to me freaking out). The picky eating is pretty common, too. The balance problems, fear of heights, and poor body awareness are more of a concern, though, IMO. Have you read "The Out-of-Sync-Child"?

Is there a private OT in your area? My older DD has vestibular issues that cause problems with her balance, and we've been doing weekly OT for two months, and it's helping a lot. We're working on balance, bi-lateral coordination, motor planning, and fine motor skills.

My DD was evaluated through the school system and tested at an age appropriate level, too, but the lens through which the school evaluates them is different. Their litmus test is "can they access the classroom curriculum?" They look at a much narrower range of skills. In contrast to the school eval, my DD tested in the 1st %tile with the private OT (equivalent to a 20 month old). I agree with the private OT because I have a 20 month old, and her fine motor skills are almost as good as DD1's.

I guess I would say, if your concerns are only that he has sensory issues, I would seek out an eval with a private OT. If you think there's more to it, then going back to the developmental pedi can't hurt, right?

robynlesley · October 2012

Thanks for all your thoughtful replies. I will meet with my pediatrician to discuss everything after my son's ENT appt tomorrow. At the very least, for the noise stuff, I want to rule out any problem with the ear tubeswhich he got for fluid causing hearing loss.

I guess my gut says he needs more OT because what is going on is more than anxiety from noise and heights. He has an immature grasp on crayons. He doesn't use utensils well. He bumps into walls and trips often. His former OT and the EI evaluators said he had low tone and motor planning difficulties. I guess after the school district basically said "you have a great kid, we'll see him in Kindergarten" that I thought he'd just outgrow everything else. And I do think some is because he is 3. But if he could use private OT I want to get him that.

funchicken · October 2012

robynlesley:
Thanks for all your thoughtful replies. I will meet with my pediatrician to discuss everything after my son's ENT appt tomorrow. At the very least, for the noise stuff, I want to rule out any problem with the ear tubeswhich he got for fluid causing hearing loss. I guess my gut says he needs more OT because what is going on is more than anxiety from noise and heights. He has an immature grasp on crayons. He doesn't use utensils well. He bumps into walls and trips often. His former OT and the EI evaluators said he had low tone and motor planning difficulties. I guess after the school district basically said "you have a great kid, we'll see him in Kindergarten" that I thought he'd just outgrow everything else. And I do think some is because he is 3. But if he could use private OT I want to get him that.

I can't speak to anyone else's experience, but for us, working on the balance issues has been really beneficial. My DD used to trip and fall and bump into things all the time. She used to fall off her chair several times a day. It's getting much better. She was also using her hands incorrectly, in part because of her tactile defensiveness. The therapist has been showing us ways to improve her grasp and strengthen her hands. And her improved balance has increased her confidence and made her want to try more things. GL!

robynlesley · October 2012

After the ENT appt. everything is fine with his ears, hearing and tubes. But I did call back my pediatrician's office and requested that I get a call back.

I'm going to finally read "The Out of Sync Child" because of the balance problems, fear of heights, and poor body awareness. Auntie mentioned "proprioceptive feedback- i.e. knowing where his body is in space." and I think this may be what's going on. Today, at Target, he flipped out when I tried to pick him up and put him in the shopping cart seat. He was perfectly fine walking next to me, even held my hand with little struggle, but he didn't want to be picked up. And that's new. He loved to be picked up before recently.

I'm also going to start taking notes to narrow down this fear of sounds. I want to be certain it's the sound itself that is frightening and what type. Plus he definitely has some hypersensitivity, as he often says it's "too loud".

Whether anxiety or sensory based, I just want to lessen his fears and give him the skills to move past them.

Want a personalized experience?

Go Back to Dev Pedi?

Re: Go Back to Dev Pedi?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards