Special Needs
Designermomma
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Sensory issue - noise?
Designermomma
member
My son's Pre-K graduation ceremony this evening was a wake up call for me. I think something is wrong.
He didn't want to go to the Elem. school for the ceremony at all (he goes to a private school/daycare) because it was a new place. Then he refused to wear the cap & gown and refused to go on stage or go near it. He was crying but finally stood near the teacher near the stage and held his ears anytime his class sang songs or clapped. He was the only one out of 2 classes of kids reacting like this.
He wanted a Batman Character for his birthday and then was afraid of him when he came. He doesn't like to go to kids birthday parties in his class. We make him go but he prefers to watch rather than interact. He wants to leave the second it get's too noisy but sometimes he'll stick around and enjoy some cake. He is scared of Motorcycles, Hand dryers in the bathroom and won't to see a movie in the theater because it's too noisy. I finally got him to be ok with haircuts with the clippers but I can tell he his scared.
He will start Public school Kindergarten in the Fall and I'm nervous that he will have a meltdown.
Where do I start? What are my best resources?
He didn't want to go to the Elem. school for the ceremony at all (he goes to a private school/daycare) because it was a new place. Then he refused to wear the cap & gown and refused to go on stage or go near it. He was crying but finally stood near the teacher near the stage and held his ears anytime his class sang songs or clapped. He was the only one out of 2 classes of kids reacting like this.
He wanted a Batman Character for his birthday and then was afraid of him when he came. He doesn't like to go to kids birthday parties in his class. We make him go but he prefers to watch rather than interact. He wants to leave the second it get's too noisy but sometimes he'll stick around and enjoy some cake. He is scared of Motorcycles, Hand dryers in the bathroom and won't to see a movie in the theater because it's too noisy. I finally got him to be ok with haircuts with the clippers but I can tell he his scared.
He will start Public school Kindergarten in the Fall and I'm nervous that he will have a meltdown.
Where do I start? What are my best resources?
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Re: Sensory issue - noise?
This is DS to the detail. With age, many responses have improved, but he still covers his ears, gets goosebumps or outright avoids the stimulus that is upsetting him at times.
When a stimulus is bothering him, he has difficulty expressing himself and can quickly go into "fight or flight" mode
I would look into your school system for special education services and find out how to request an evaluation. Or call your school district's office. I'm in NYC and it's the Committee for Special Education.
OT and speech therapy has done wonders for DS in just over 2 months. Getting them services they need can make a monumental difference in development and socially as well.
DS has sensory issues (noise) as well. Although he had his quirks, we didn't notice anything major about him until he was in K. At that time (according to the neurologist we later took him to), he lost all of the coping skills he developed in pre-K.
We had him evaluated in Kindergarten, but it tookk a LONG time for the process to get started, completed, and for him to get an IEP and the services we needed. When he gets to school, ask to have him evaluated, and you need to point out specific reasons why ACADEMICALLY his issues need to be addressed (for example, DS would not participate in class. Would never raise his hand. In K, this isn't a big issue but as children get older, a teacher calls on kids in class to find out how much they understand what she is talking about / how much they studied).
In addition to OT and speech, we have invested a lot of time in social skills classes (offered by the school, but many places offer them privately and peer mentoring groups. Teachers have also highly recommended boy scouts, although DS has not been interested. Fortunately, DS is doing a lot better - I think a combo of all of the extra intervention, but also because as kids grow older, they are expected to sit down and behave and are not as chaotic, which is a better atmosphere for DS tro work in.
DS did not want to go to birthday parties until he was in second grade. Now he will go for a good friend. However, I tell him he does not have to participate in things he doesn't like. So I won't make him play soccer even if it is a soccer party, but at activities like gyms, etc. where there is a strong leader he is fine.