He can be as sweet as ever and as un cooperative and mean if he doesn't get his way or something is bothering him. He had a hard time sitting in class, threw lots of tantrums if not handled properly. We had him tested for sensory integration by an OT.....we and the school staff put him on a sensory diet they called it.....the main thing was a brushing routine. He hust loved it! After he was brushed he would just melt......he was calm, would sit in class and cooperate. The brushing routine consists of deeppressure stroking of the arms, hands, back, legs,feet with a surgical scrub brush. It is followed by joint compressions. An OT familiar with sensory integration can try it on him.....you really need to try it for at least a week to know if it helps......to start it is done at least every 2 hours, so you need to have several people trained
explain if it does. how to do this|
gogirl replied: "Yes...it totally works if it is what your child needs. Follow the protocol by the OT. Usually is is brushing downward on the arms and legs, back every 90 minutes, followed by joint compressions or hand hugs. It helps to provide imput and eventually reorganize the child's nervous system...but you really should have the sensory diet by the OT that evaluated your child
Good luck and stick to the protocol!!!"
Iknowthat replied: "The Wilbarger Protocol (the proper name for "brushing") can be very effective but it must be done right for it to have a lasting effect. Get everyone trained that you can to ensure that it actually gets done every two hours. It can be a challange getting each session in but you really need to stick to it. And make sure you are trained by someone who went to a Wilbarger course to be trained themselves. Otherwise you're risking getting incorrect info about how to apply the technique ie. direction to be brushed, how much pressure to apply etc.
A surgical scrub brush is what surgeons use to scrub up before surgery. The brush is used as a tool to apply deep pressure. The Wilbargers, who designed the program, tried several different ways to apply the pressure and found the scrub brush to be the must effective. You can obtain a scrub brush from your OT or order them from catalogs that provide materials for therapists like the catalog Abilities. Hope this helped a little bit."
I have a 6 1/2 yr old with Sensory Integration Disorder who has behavioral problems. What are ways to deal? What are some ways to deal with it? He will be seven in July.
This year has been the worst for him by far. A few months after school started he got kicked off the school bus for the rest of the year. Every couple of weeks he gets suspended off the Boys & Girls club bus and I was informed last week he is on the verge of getting kicked off that bus for the year which means he'll miss out on all the summer activities if that happens.
Last week he also got kicked out of school for a day after using his backpack as a "weapon" per the school principal.
However, the rest of the week he was phenomenal in school. He got his work completed and did mostly well with his classmates.
He has his good days and his bad days. I've been working on figuring out what exactly triggers some of this stuff going on.
His biggest issues by far are him not being able to keep his hands to himself. The teacher tried giving him an item to keep a hold of but she took that away saying it interrupted the class. He is already separated from his classmates having to sit by the teacher.
They want to put him on meds which I will not do. I have read on line that with SID there are ways to get it under control without meds.
I have been working on his diet doing my best to avoid things with red dye which I've been told can aggravate the situation. I limit him on candy and we do Not drink coke, dr pepper, etc.
I know he eats well in the morning as I've monitored what he consumes at school for breakfast. He takes his vitamins although we are working on doing this more consistently. That seems to help curtail some of the issues.
My boyfriend also believes that my son is sensitive to the flourescent lights at school and it aggitates him?
I would like to know from other parents who have children with SID how they have dealt with the behavioral issues.
We had to redo his IEP since he switched schools. I wish he could have stayed in his school from last year but we moved out of zone. I am not sure he will stay in this school as I am looking to move closer to the school I will be attending. I'm doing research hoping that district will be able to work with us. A smaller classroom would be much better for him as I think part of the issue is that this school is overcrowded. It's a great school just too popular and overcrowded.
Lee L replied: "As a teacher of students with learning disabilities, I can tell you that your son may very well be irritated by the lights...
Have you taken him to a developmental pediatrician? They can do testing and suggest treatment plans that do not have to include meds
You may also want to seek the help of a good behavior therapist who can use positive reinforcement techniques with your son and can teach you to do the same at home.
Good luck :)
$ to pay rent, bills, student loans, vacation
read the welcome message for great tips!"
Mrs. Janice replied: "My son is almost exactly the same age as your son. He will also be seven in July. He was diagnosed at the age of three with early onset bipolar disorder. This year the school diagnosed him with Sensory Processing Disorder. A new psychiatrist and a recent hospitalization both diagnosed him as also having high functioning autism... pdd-nos. He has been easily overstimulated from birth. He would scream when he was a baby at certain lighting, bright lights, too much noise, sunlight, crowds etc. As he got a little older it became obvious that certain smells really bothered him. He also has to have all his foods bland. He has all these issues still. I think of how hard it must be to live in a world where everything is scary and annoying. I have read that things seem atleast ten times louder, brighter, stinkier, etc. to people with SPD than to those without it. This is basically just something that people need to learn to live with. I try to do the best I can with my son. He often has rages which seem to be brought on by nothing, although we know there is a hidden cause. Behavior logs do help with trying to find the cause. We had two journals going for a while. One food log that we wrote everything he ate, and his behaviors. Then another was a log when he did have behavioral issues. We would write what was going on before, what led up to the behavior if anything, the environment, and anything else we felt could have been related. You should request that your son get evaluated for an IEP if he has not been already, and request sensory integration testing at school for him as well. Another suggestion is to get a complete neuropsych evaluation that could tell you if he has any underlying diagnoses that often go along with the SPD. My son is also very touchy, but does not like to be touched. He has always been like that and as he gets older it is getting him into some trouble. If he truly does just have SPD then he can be fine without meds, but once you get more testing done and see if there is another diagnosis that goes along with it, you might want to keep an open mind about this. Diet does nothing for children with SPD, but has been shown to work somewhat with mixed results in children who have autism spectrum disorders. Some people think that children with SPD are on the spectrum, but again that is contreversial. My son has severe behavioral issues that stem from his coexisting bipolar and autism. For his sensory integration though weighted blankets seem to calm him. We recently bought him one and it helps him sleep well, and he will also use it sometimes when he needs to calm his body. Picture schedules help him alot too as do reward systems. We give him a nickle for every hour that he does not have any behavioral issues. I have heard from meetings with Autism professionals that token economies... what they call reward systems... work very well for children with autism. They say the reward does not have to be money. It can be stickers, time on the computer, anything that the child is interested in. He may very well be sensitive to the lights at school... as well as the big crowds of children who I am sure make lots of noise, all the different smells, the bells, the teacher's perfume if she wears any, and many other different things. Do certain clothes annoy him? We have found that with my son. Sometimes I think my son is easier for me to deal with because I understand how annoying things can be. I have always had issues with sensory problems my whole life although I have never been diagnosed so I understand his frustrations about noises, smells, etc although his seems to be worse than mine ever was. I think that if your son had an IEP and you could get him into a smaller class that he would do better. The other testing and sensory integration are very important too though."
kitchd replied: "find out about sensory brushing, if you don't do it yet. it's this little plastic brush, that you use to brush the skin (palms of hands, arms, back -- either side of the spine, and legs, feet and bottom of feet) it's supposed to relax the whole body and integration system, if you do it properly. If he isn't getting OT, find one in your neighborhood and ask him/her about the sensory brushing.
good luck ."
