Special Needs

Sensory issues and potential anxiety

I have twin daughters who are 2 1/2.  I had one evaluated through EI at the age of 2, mainly due to severe stranger anxiety.  She was evaluated by a developmental therapist, occupational therapist and speech therapist.  Based on their observations and what information I gave them, they told me that she didn't have autism, but had some issues with sensory integration.  We started occupational therapy and also saw a social worker. 

It is really hard not to compare having twins, but my daughter does a lot of things that are different than her sister.  I wanted to run through some of these things and see if anyone who has more experience think this sounds like just SPD or if there might be other things going on.

Her stranger anxiety is what caused me to call for an eval.  She had such extreme stranger anxiety, that it was hard to take her out of the house.  If we went to a store, if anyone even looked in our direction, she would scream and cry.  She would scream/cry throughout the checkout line.  She also had a hard time going to people's houses.  This has slowly gotten better, but is still an issue at 2.5.  She still has a hard time at checkout, unless I keep her back away from the cashier.  She'll be ok for the most part at stores, but if we're approached by anyone (especially a male), she will cry.  She cries when brought to unfamiliar places.  Usually if I take her to a new park district class, she will cry the first 10 minutes but then be fine every week after that.

She seems to have a lot of anxiety and fears.  She cries every time the doorbell rings and says "no people".  I don't think it's the sound as much as it means someone is coming over.  She screams and cries on elevators.  Overall, she seems to do better outdoors or in large spaces.  I think she might have a bit of claustrophobia.  One of her biggest fears is of cameras.  She hates her picture taken and will scream and cry if she sees anyone with a camera trying to point it in her direction.  She used to cry every time a group of people would sing (especially happy birthday), but she seems to have gotten better because it hasn't bothered her in awhile.

In occupational therapy, we work a lot of on her motor planning.  Her therapist says she has issues with motor planning (which is pretty evident when I see her sister do some of the obstacles with no problem at all).  She also has lower muscle tone (not enough for physical therapy, but it is lower than average for her age).  She's also a bit clumsy and falls quite a bit.  I had her vision evaluated at the clinic where she receives therapy and everything checked out ok.

The other things that are a little concerning to me is that she flaps her arms when she is upset, anxious, or excited for something.  She also crosses her index and middle finger when she's nervous, although I've noticed that has been decreasing a bit over time.  She focuses very hard when she's playing with something and doesn't always answer the first time when we call her.  I think she's so focused, she drowns us out.  However, when trying to teach her letters and numbers, she doesn't seem to have any interest on focusing and will often walk away.  I can tell her what a letter is and a minute later if I ask what it is, she seems frustrated and just says "I don't know".  

But other than those things, she plays well and seems to be fine in a group setting with kids (once she's used to the setting).  I signed her up for one day a week preschool and she's doing great so far.  Her teacher hasn't seen any issues - she says she's quieter than some kids, but isn't having trouble interacting or with transitions.   We also get together with other moms and kids once a week and she usually does really well.  If a kid comes that she is not used to, she does have a hard time and will cling to me and sometimes cry for awhile, until she gets used to the new person being there. 

Her occupational therapist told me that I may want to mention the anxiety to her pediatrician at her next well visit (which is coming up in the next week or so).  I thought I would see if any of you who have more experience might have any suggestions for me based on what I described.  Do you see any other potential issues besides the sensory component?  If there is an anxiety piece to this, what can they do for a child so young?  Also, can therapists really say with such certainty that a child doesn't have any form of autism at the age of 2.  I worry about that, only because I hear of children being diagnosed much later than 2.

I'd appreciate any advice or info you may have.  Thanks! 

Lilypie Second Birthday tickers

Re: Sensory issues and potential anxiety

  • I don't know how much help I can be ( I post above you about being confused and overwhelmed) but my daughter has SPD and does not talk. Her DT just said she thinks she has anxiety issues. Whenever she seems to get nervous she does a lot of sensory seeking things. ie: holding two objects, rubbing her head on the ground, tensing up.

    Her anxiety acts up when there are too many people around or she has not had any deep pressure exercises.

    If your child does have SPD her body needs regulation. I think that once you figure out how to regulate the anxiety will not be so bad. We are still working on what DD needs to help regulate....it is a process. We also have some really good days and some really bad.

    hope that could help a little.

    Also DD has gotten much better at answering when I call her name. This was a big issue when she started therapy. Her therapists seem to think that she gets so focused that she just does not listen. But since working with sensory needs it has gotten much better.

    Lilypie Fourth Birthday tickers

     
    Lilypie Second Birthday tickers
  • Thank you for your reply!   I'm hoping you're right that once we regulate her body that some of the anxiety will improve.  We've been doing OT for about 6 months now and I do see some improvement.   But it's so hard to know if therapy is helping or if she's getting a little better on her own.  I just hope we get to a point where I can take her out to a new place without a complete meltdown!

    Sorry to hear you are going through similar issues.  It can be overwhelming.  When my daughter was at her worst with anxiety, I would break down on a regular basis.  I felt like I couldn't take her out of the house and even having friends and family over could be a stress (she used to have to hide in her room for at least 30 minutes to calm down).  Luckily it has gotten better.  I hope things improve for your daughter soon, too. 

    Lilypie Second Birthday tickers
  • Loading the player...
  • Can I ask you about your DD's speech? You don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable. Are there issues with her speech? Do you notice your other DD has better speech?

    Lilypie Fourth Birthday tickers

     
    Lilypie Second Birthday tickers
  • Oh no problem!  When she was evaluated at 2, she was just slightly behind in speech.  Not enough to qualify her for therapy, though.  However, my other DD seems much more advanced in speech.  Both of my girls were a little later to start talking though.  They only said maybe 2 words at 15 months.  I feel like they've pretty much caught up by now.
    Lilypie Second Birthday tickers
  • Thank you. I was just wondering how much speech and SPD correlate. DD's therapists seem to think her SPD is why she has no words yet at 19 months.

    Oh, another thing with the anxiety for my child is that she cries any time DH and I hug or kiss each other. This is new and I am still not sure where it is coming from. I mean, she really cries, like she is hurt or something.

    Lilypie Fourth Birthday tickers

     
    Lilypie Second Birthday tickers
  • I have twins, too, one with some delays and the other without, and I know how hard the comparing can be; in some ways it's useful because you can notice things you might not have noticed otherwise but you always have to figure out if both twins are just at opposite ends of the "normal" range or if one does have a delay ... or is especially advanced!
    2-year-olds can definitely have some issues with anxiety, and if it's causing problems, a child psychologist or a counselor who specializes in working with children would be able to help you. They might do some play therapy along with working with the two of you together on emotional regulation strategies and things like that. I don't know enough about autism and other disorders to know if there might be a diagnosis along those lines but I'd talk to your pediatrician and consider contacting a child psychologist as well.
    fraternal twin boys born january 2009
  • imagemacchiatto:
    I have twins, too, one with some delays and the other without, and I know how hard the comparing can be; in some ways it's useful because you can notice things you might not have noticed otherwise but you always have to figure out if both twins are just at opposite ends of the "normal" range or if one does have a delay ... or is especially advanced!
    2-year-olds can definitely have some issues with anxiety, and if it's causing problems, a child psychologist or a counselor who specializes in working with children would be able to help you. They might do some play therapy along with working with the two of you together on emotional regulation strategies and things like that. I don't know enough about autism and other disorders to know if there might be a diagnosis along those lines but I'd talk to your pediatrician and consider contacting a child psychologist as well.

    Thanks for your reply!  You're right that it is so hard with comparing twins. I think my one daughter is at least a little advanced for her age, which makes my other daughter seem even more behind.  My girls will have their 2 1/2 year checkup within the next week, so I will definitely ask about a child psychologist.  Thanks again!

    Lilypie Second Birthday tickers
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"