Sensory issues and writing....

[OneStepAtATime]

DS hates the sound and feel of a pencil on paper.  And he also wigs a bit with the feel of erasing with an eraser on paper.  We do a lot on the dry erase board but I really feel that he needs to keep also doing some with paper and pencil.  I don't really know how to keep it from bothering him, though.  He starts focusing on the sound and the feel and sometimes loses his focus on what he is actually doing.  Any suggestions?

[PeterPan]

pen

[OneStepAtATime]

With a pen he gets really upset if he makes a mistake and has to cross out.  Then the page looks really messy and distracting to him.  But I guess he does wig out less with that than the sound/feel of a pencil. ...

[PeterPan]

When I was his age I used *erasable* pens.  Don't know if they even still make them?  I seem to recall doing math in them.  It was a phase for me, lol.

[OneStepAtATime]

I will look into erasable pens.  I recall using them in High School but not since.  We did try liquid pencils but they sometimes worked (and worked really well) and sometimes didn't (REALLY didn't) which frustrated all of us.  But we didn't brand hop.  There may be better versions out there.  I will check.  :)

 

And yes, I have been just trying to get him used to it.  He finally got used to the feel of lettuce in his mouth and he finally got used to the feel of water.  Those no longer freak him out.  Surely pencil and eraser will get less upsetting, too.  He is trying.  But on days when he is tired or worried, everything just gets really compounded....

[merry gardens]

Different pencils have different feels as they drag across the paper. If you haven't already done it, try a variety of pencils. Maybe mechanical pencils or artist's pencils would feel better to him. There are even "liquid pencils" now. 

 

Also--a very sharp pencil barely drags at all. We have an electric pencil sharpener that creates the perfect point.

[OneStepAtATime]

Oh, I totally get it. My dd who said that was in a good, carefree mood when I asked her. If I had asked her when she was in the middle of going crazy over the feel of her pencil in her hand, her answer would have been much less breezy ;). I don't think suggesting she just get used to it would go over well with her when she is actually having an issue with something.

Yeah, mood definitely changes the response on things, doesn't it?   :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

[OneStepAtATime]

Different pencils have different feels as they drag across the paper. If you haven't already done it, try a variety of pencils. Maybe mechanical pencils or artist's pencils would feel better to him. There are even "liquid pencils" now. 

 

Also--a very sharp pencil barely drags at all. We have an electric pencil sharpener that creates the perfect point.

I know DH thinks it looks weird but our electric pencil sharpener is right in the middle of the kitchen island.  It gets used daily.  I love that thing.  :)  Yeah for electric pencil sharpeners!

 

And I will definitely try out different pencils.  Mechanical pencils were not a success but there are many other options.

 

Thanks everyone.  I think we are just having a tougher day than normal, KWIM?

[mommymonster]

I am going to fly my own flag right now, but in addition to checking out writing implements, have your DS check out different types of paper. I will literally curl into a ball if I have to touch newspaper, construction paper, or really any paper with a texture. The noise from writing is exacerbated by paper texture.

[OneStepAtATime]

I am going to fly my own flag right now, but in addition to checking out writing implements, have your DS check out different types of paper. I will literally curl into a ball if I have to touch newspaper, construction paper, or really any paper with a texture. The noise from writing is exacerbated by paper texture.

Honestly, this will sound stupid, but I didn't think about the paper.  I will try to keep that in mind.  Thanks!

[kbutton]

My son likes a lot of extra sheets of paper under the one he is writing on at the moment, and he likes his pencil really blunt. Of course, this makes it all harder to read.

 

My little guy has more issues with hand fatigue, so he is starting to use a pen.

 

They can be a little tricky to use, but we use the white out tape that comes in dispensers when we write with ink. Ooh, same brand, but these look easier to handle. I'll have to watch for some on sale to try them out: http://www.staples.com/BIC-Wite-Out-Brand-Exact-Liner-Correction-Tape-2-Pack/product_483049#/desc_content

 

We spend a lot of time adjusting to how things look since we make lots of mistakes, lol!

[mommymonster]

Sorry, this topic is huge for me (not so much my kids)...   :ph34r:  A few more things: 

 

1. I keep my nails slightly longer so that my nails can touch paper and whatnot, instead of fingertips (fingertips are sometimes crazy sensitive). Maybe longer fingernails?

 

2. For erasing pencil, the big, pink, square erasers are better, as they don't have a metal band that might scrape on the paper. Scraping noises while writing = curl in ball.

 

3. If you have a ceiling fan, it helps to have it on when any writing might be happening, as there's at least some background noise to mask the writing utensil-to-paper sound. 

 

4. Urge your DS to keep his head up and away from the writing surface. kbutton is right -- multiple sheets of paper help (or a notepad).

 

5. Paper -- if you're having trouble finding something that works, I purchased a "stone" paper notebook from Walgreens (review of the paper). It has a different texture altogether and gives a very different writing sensation.

 

Maybe just gather a pile of options -- pens, pencils, paper, everything and do a "sampling." 

 

 

[OneStepAtATime]

Wow, thanks so much! DS actually has recently chewed his nails down to nothing because he hated the feel of his nails catching on his sheets. DH hates his nails catching on sheets, too, and tends to chew them down if he can't immediately find nail clippers. This is going to sound dumb but I didn't connect that with writing issues. Maybe in DS chewing his nails down that far his skin touching paper is bothering him....

[geodob]

You began this as 'hates the sound and feel of pencil on paper'.

But perhaps you could clarify this, and also consider the 'look of pencil on paper'?

 

With the 'sound of pencil on paper', this has recently been termed as 'Misophonia'.

But as a 'sound', this is also caused by hearing 'other people writing on paper'.

 

Though another form, is a 'Tactile' hyper-sensitivity.  That is sensed as physical vibrations, and vary in the same way as sound. From high to low pitch vibrations.

With a hyper-sensitivity at certain levels (tactile pitches).

 

But then, this can also be triggered 'Visually' ? By simply observing a hand writing on paper.

 

Where what they basically trigger, is an 'anxiety response'.

 

Though what I would like to suggest, is to gain some clarity about what is actually his sensory issue?

When the issue is with 'sound', this has broader social implications? As it will also be triggered by other people writing with pencil on paper. In a fairly quiet room. 

 

Yet your mention of him 'finally getting used to feel of lettuce in his mouth, as well as water'.

Suggests a tactile sensitivity.

I might note that in the nervous system, that the fingers and oro-facial muscles.  Use a common part of the central nervous system.

Where an innate connection between the fingers and the mouth?

Is understandable, as a feeding response.

The inside of the mouth, is also the most tactile sensitive area that we have.

Where something as tiny as a grain of sand, has different dimensions inside our mouth.

 

So that what I would like to suggest, is to explore his hypersensitivity to 'pencil on paper'?

From Tactile, Sound and Visual sides?

Writing with his eyes closed, would exclude the visual.

Then writing when their is a loud enough sound in the room?

To mask the sound of the pencil on paper.

Could eliminate an auditory hyper-sensitivity.

Which could define it as a Tactile Sensitivity ?

 

So that to start with, I would suggest identifying what his actual issue is with pencil on paper?

[Guest2]

Another easy thing to check are erasers. My son can't stand the sound of pink erasers, and the art gum ones leave little sticky gritty pices that drive me crazy. There are some white erasers that start with a P that have been a hit here. I know this kind of thing can be so frustrating. Maybe bring him with you to try the different pencils, pens? Maybe it would help if he choose ? Just an idea.

[OneStepAtATime]

Thanks so much for the feedback everyone.  Working through things here and brainstorming with DS on the various ideas presented.  He seems more positive about options today.

 

:thumbup:

[Minerva]

 I want to second the idea of pens. This has been such a breakthrough for my DD, and I don't know why we didn't try this sooner. DD started doing IEW this year and one of the requirements is to use pen. They emphasis that a messy paper is a paper that is getting lots of editing (a good thing). I showed my dd lots of examples (from IEW and of my own messy work) to show her that mess can equal productivity.  This has really helped. I encourage skipping lines and only using one line to mark out words (not scribbles). Also, it took a while to figure out what type of pen she likes.

 

With math she still uses pencil. Her pencil must be super sharp and it can only be done on our kitchen table for texture reasons. She keeps the pencil sharpener right next to her and sharpens between almost every problem (drives me batty but works). She usually asks me to erase for her because of erasure issues...

 

 

[raptor_dad]

Different pencils have different feels as they drag across the paper. If you haven't already done it, try a variety of pencils. Maybe mechanical pencils or artist's pencils would feel better to him. There are even "liquid pencils" now. 

 

Also--a very sharp pencil barely drags at all. We have an electric pencil sharpener that creates the perfect point.

 

Mirado Black Warriors are pretty smooth... they add a small amount of wax to the soft graphite. I actually didn't like them for that reason. I prefer the greater tactile feedback of our Dixon Ticonderogas. The plain Dixons or generic Target pencils annoy me to no end.... 

 

I also know folks who really like Staedtler Rally's for their smoothness.

 

ETA: We use the standard kum hand sharpener which is like $1.50 from rainbow resource's, but some people really like two stage long point sharpeners for a smoother feel.

[SamanthaBea]

Oh boy, does this bring back memories! My ds had major sensory issues in elementary school. Construction paper was the worst thing imaginable! Pencil and paper was almost as bad. The smoother the paper the better. I even went so far as to put all of his paper into plastic sleeves so that he didn't have to actually touch the paper. I never found a better pencil, but he much preferred writing with a pen. He also liked writing on a white board, but being a lefty, it tended to be quite messy. The BEST eraser was the hi-polymer eraser from Pentel. The pink erasers at the end of the pencil were terrible--especially if the metal part scraped across the paper! The sound of the pencil or eraser on the paper were also problematic. We tended to use some sort of low-level background noise (tv, music, fan, etc.). We both have terrible misophonia so background noise is necessary around here!

 

Now, at 14 (almost 15), he still has the same issues, but maturity has kicked in so that he is able to cope with it better. To this day, algebra is written in PEN, and you couldn't pay him to touch a piece of construction paper!

 

Good luck finding what works for you and your ds!

[OneStepAtATime]

Oh boy, does this bring back memories! My ds had major sensory issues in elementary school. Construction paper was the worst thing imaginable! Pencil and paper was almost as bad. The smoother the paper the better. I even went so far as to put all of his paper into plastic sleeves so that he didn't have to actually touch the paper. I never found a better pencil, but he much preferred writing with a pen. He also liked writing on a white board, but being a lefty, it tended to be quite messy. The BEST eraser was the hi-polymer eraser from Pentel. The pink erasers at the end of the pencil were terrible--especially if the metal part scraped across the paper! The sound of the pencil or eraser on the paper were also problematic. We tended to use some sort of low-level background noise (tv, music, fan, etc.). We both have terrible misophonia so background noise is necessary around here!

 

Now, at 14 (almost 15), he still has the same issues, but maturity has kicked in so that he is able to cope with it better. To this day, algebra is written in PEN, and you couldn't pay him to touch a piece of construction paper!

 

Good luck finding what works for you and your ds!

Yes!  Even DD loves the Pentel erasers.  I try to keep lots of those.  I also get the Pentel little erasers that fit over the eraser end of pencils so the metal never touches the paper.  :)

 

And thanks for the well wishes.

 

Still trying out different writing instruments.  When we find one or two that work o.k. I will post an update... :)

 

Thanks again everyone.

[clemota]

We recently tried these with success:  they are mechanical pencils but with a thicker lead than most mechanicals, so the end can be made fairly blunt. It doesn't need to be sharpened like a regular pencil (freshly sharpened pencils are nails on a blackboard to my DD12) so the blunt-ness is ALWAYS there.

 

Yes, they are made for primary school aged kids, but this hasn't stopped us from using them.  They are the quietest ones we have found once they are dull.  Even little sis can use them in the same room without complaints from the elder about the scratching.

 

Frixion pens erase really well, but DD didn't like the drag on them. 

 

Has he ever tried a fountain pen?  There would still be the issue of cross-outs, but they can be smooth and quiet.  We use this one on occasion.  They come in many different colors and are right- or left-handed.   Maybe the trade-off of having cross outs would be worth it for using a "fancy" pen?