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My Son's Experiences With Sensory Integration/Processing Issues
Looking for support for sensory integration (sometimes misspelled as intergration) issues? Then you have come to the right place! Sensory issues are common in children with reflux.
There are lots of moms out there looking for support for coping with a child with sensory issues / isssues and sensory processing / integration / intergration disorders. WE UNDERSTAND!
EvansMom (an established member on this site) has shared her experience with her son's sensory issues here. She is active on our message boards and is happy to help with any questions a mommy may have about coping with sensory issues!
Her article also includes sensory processing disorder websites she finds useful. This article certainly reflects the many highs and lows that you can expect from having a child with sensory issues.
Sensory Integration / Intergration / Processing Disorders and Issues
Since many children with reflux tend to have sensory integration issues as well, it was suggested that I write an article about it and my son Evan's experiences with a sensory processing disorder/issues/integration/dysfunction. Please note that sensory isssues are hard to diagnose and that they are difficult with which to live. Evan went through tonnes of feeding and play therapy to help him deal with his oral and other sensory issues, and we are still dealing with many of them. A few of Evan's sensory issues come to mind right away. He has food, texture, and oral aversions, as well as problems with some clothing textures, the wind, and bright light. He cannot be outside without dark sun glasses. Evan was followed by an occupational therapist (OT), a speech language pathologist (SLP), and a dietician (feeding therapy) to help with the oral aversions and the texture issues. His present occupational therapist is helping me to discover more about his Tactile Integration Dysfunction.
We've known for a long time that Evan has sensory issues. We did feeding therapy with an occupational therapist and a speech language pathologist, and also found sensory toys (koosh balls, sticky goo, a vibrating toothbrush, etc.) to help him learn to deal with it. We began to explore the sensory issues more with his amazing (and then new to us) occupational therapist when he was three years old. We have learned that there is a lot more to his sensory issues than just the oral aversions. It's really fascinating! We now know why he hates to be dressed and undressed, why he is so sensitive to bright lights (especially the sun), why certain smells set him off, why he hates the hair dryer and the wind in his face, and why he is so easily over-stimulated and then has such a tough time coming back down to earth. (By the way, there is no hyperactivity involved.) Through therapy, we've been able to help him deal with many of the touch issues, and he's no longer as sensitive to touching different textures or to the sight of his food being walked across the kitchen towards him. Yes, even that used to make him gag, retch, and vomit, and he still does sometimes.
Sensory Integration Dysfunction (SID) is an umbrella term, which is used interchangeably with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). It is a very broad term for the neurological problem. This umbrella term includes three primary diagnostic groups (Sensory Modulation Disorder, Sensory Discrimination Disorder, and Sensory-Based Motor Disorder) and five subtypes. My son, Evan, has been diagnosed with Tactile Discrimination Dysfunction, which is a sensory processing disorder and a subtype of Sensory Discrimination Disorder.
This is an "in a nutshell" summary of some of Evan's sensory issues. Evan is extremely sensitive to light, especially in his right eye. He hates having clothing pulled over his head, the wind in his face, having his hair towel dried, and the hair dryer blowing on his head. He does not like having his hair brushed. He has to have a blanket on him to fall asleep, even in the heat of the summer. He needs lots of hugs and squeezes (for sensory input). Rain, water, and the wind on his face are like true torture to him. He gets distressed about having his face washed and his teeth brushed, and stresses over minor cuts, scrapes, etc. and having his nails cut. He is picky about the textures of foods in his mouth and about different textures on his hands. He craves touch, and hates having dirt or food on his hands or on his face. He has difficulty with fine motor tasks, possibly partly because of his sensory issues. He has terrible balance because he is not fully aware of where his body is in space. He craves motion (ie, rocking, bouncing, running, etc.) He has poor muscle tone, which results in more sensory issues. He is a sensory seeker and sometimes a thrill seeker. He is extremely orally defensive. He has difficulty with changes to routine and is often impulsive. He functions best in a small group or individually. He has major difficulty with self-regulation (ie, soothing or calming himself after an injury). These things in themselves would not be a big issue or mean that he has a sensory integration dysfunction, but all of them together do.
Evan's Occupational Therapist (OT) put him on a sensory diet. For those not familiar with that term, so far Evan's sensory diet has consisted of joint compressions, oral stimulation with various types of brushes as well as with hands, vestibular/proprioceptive activity, sensory play with various textures of toys and materials (including messy ones), the Benik (body compression) vest, and swinging. Have you ever tried doing hand stands or push ups with your finger tips against the wall? This helps to regulate Evan's nervous system to calm him or to make him more alert. We also roll him up in a blanket and roll him on the floor, wrap him in a bean bag chair and rough house him, and lie him with his belly over an exercise ball and rock him forward and back. These are some of Evan's favourites.
I was at a mini-seminar about Sensory Integration Dysfunction some time ago, and part of it dealt with how that is also usually involved with autism.
The speaker on one of the videos was Dr. Temple Grandin, a doctor who has autism. The video, if anyone wishes to check it at the public library, is called Sensory Challenges and Answers. Dr. Grandin said that autism is a behavioural diagnosis only, and NOT an intellectual one. In brief, she spoke about what it was like to grow up autistic with sensory issues (Sensory Integration Dysfunction). Background noises, fluorescent lights, and flickering computer screens are all problems for her. Incidently, a laptop is better for someone with autism, because it does not flicker, and because the keyboard is a lot closer to the screen, helping the autistic person to see the immediate connection between hitting a letter and seeing it on the screen.
Here are some of the things that she mentioned in relation to her own sensory problems.
" Soft clothes feel better on her (sensory) skin.
" Clothing labels drive her nuts.
" Pressure helps calm the nervous system. (She even created her own machine for compressing herself, and lies on her stomach in it.)
" Massage, rubbing with towels, and deep massage can also help.
" Swinging slowly is calming and can help more speech to come out, but do NOT force the swinging if the child does not like that movement. You can push other sensory training (ie, textures), but NOT this one.
" Auditory training, distorted music segments for a half hour two times per day for ten days, helps with speech. (I definitely want to look into this one more.)
" A weighted vest (20 minutes on and a half hour off) compresses and gives the body a calming sensation.
" Balancing on a ball helps the nervous system. It can also help speech.
" Vigorous exercise (two times per day for 45 minutes each) reduces hyperactivity, sensory issues, etc.
Sensory integration/processing disorders are difficult with which to deal at first, but it does get easier. By arming yourself with knowledge and by putting that knowledge into action, you can make a huge difference in your child's life.
Books:
" The Out Of Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz (This book explains sensory integration disorder in depth. There are many other resources listed on the back of this book)
" The Out of Sync Child Has Fun by Carol Stock Kranowitz (This is a companion book for the previous one on this list. It presents approximately 150 playful activities specially designed for children with a sensory processing disorder.)
" Raising a Sensory Smart Child by Lindsey Biel (a pediatric occupational therapist) and Nancy Peske (the parent of a child with Sensory Integration Dysfunction)
" Building Bridges Through Sensory Integration by Shirley Sutton and Paula Aquilla
Websites:
http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-processing-disorder-checklist.html
www.SensoryIntegration@group.msn.com
www.beyondplay.com (These sensory integration therapy items are quite expensive, but it will give you invaluable information about what OT does and why. You can use these ideas and go to the store to find the same things for much less money.)
http://www.spdnetwork.org
Written by: Evan's Mom, Janette
Read more about Other Conditions:
Sensory Smart Parenting
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