Over-excitabilities

[sportsmom]

How many of you have kids with them, and how do you handle them?

 

Specifically, I'm thinking of my DD4.  She has always been high on the emotional excitabilites list.  For the longest time, it's manifested as concern for others and a very clear view of right and wrong.  She's also been very high with the sensuals, and has always been extremely sensitive to smell, taste, and texture.  We are actually in the middle of having her go through feeding therapy, because the number of foods she will eat is quickly dwindling.

 

Since January, things have started to get out of control.  Both with her feeding and her anxiety in general.  If the smoke alarm goes off, she is hysterical.  If we are in a store and they have a piece of equipment out to get a box that is high up and it makes the traditional backing-up beep, she jumps and covers her ears in a panic.  Her breathing accelerates and she whines with her hands over her ears until the sound is over.  Same with thunderstorms and any other noises that are unusual.  If the smoke alarm goes off at home (it's VERY sensitive) she is panic stricken to the point of barely being able to move and I have to run upstairs to pick her up because she's crying so hard she can't hardly walk.

 

Last summer she was fearless, and jumping into the pool and swimming on her own.  This year she panics with me holding her while she's swimming.  I've showed her videos of her swimming by herself and we get to the pool and she just says how "nervous" that she is.  She clings onto my arms so hard that it's physically painful.

 

I just don't know how to help her.  We are on a waiting list for her to receive her treatment at the feeding clinic, and we will be working hand-in-hand with a psychiatrist for that.  I'm just not sure how long we will have to wait.  My hope is that they can help us with some of these other issues as well.

 

But for now, I'm just feeling a little lost.  I don't know how to help her.  There wasn't anything that happened to cause the change.  Anyone else been here before?  I know I'm not actually alone, but it's feeling a little lonely over here.

[Mike in SA]

At that level of reaction, I would hesitate to act on any suggestions without a medical and/or psychological diagnosis.  Although there are lots of 2/e families here, each 2/e child is unique.  With a particular diagnosis, we may be able to offer similar tales, if the situation is similar. 

 

FWIW, my experience has been that most such kids grow up just fine.  DS13 has some intense reactions, but he has learned to avoid trigger situations, and so most others just see a quirky, very smart kid.

 

 

[Eagle]

The fear of loud noises really stands out for me as that is exactly how I would have described ds at age 4. He would completely panic at noises. At group music class the teacher would move towards the music system and he would start to shake because he worried it would be too loud. She would always have to reassure him that she would be careful to make it low volume. He was terrified of thunder, and the smoke detector would completely send him into a panic. Fireworks upset him; even the vacuum was a problem.

 

We got him a set of sound blocking ear protectors (they look like earmuffs but really dampen the sound). We used to bring them everywhere and let him know if he needed them they were available. At first he wore them quite often. Then over time he asked for them less. Now he is 7 and noises don't really bother him at all. I think having a way of being in control of the situation helped reduce the fear.

[Arcadia]

 

Last summer she was fearless, and jumping into the pool and swimming on her own.  This year she panics with me holding her while she's swimming.  I've showed her videos of her swimming by herself and we get to the pool and she just says how "nervous" that she is.  She clings onto my arms so hard that it's physically painful.

 

 

My oldest had swimming lessons as a baby (6 months old) then we stopped due to me being tired from 2 under 2.  He became frightened of getting his face wet and so he won't put his face under water at the pool and he won't go under a shower. 

 

If nothing trigger the change, one possibility is that awareness grow as your daughter grows older.  My oldest was not scared of dirty public toilets as a baby/toddler but refuse to go in sometime after he turn two.  So it was impossible to potty train him outside the house. 

 

All the other sensory issues, my oldest was able to cope better as he grew older.  The only thing that he still have problem coping with is carsickness.  He gets carsick with the windows winded up, less bad if we wind down the windows.  My youngest has much milder sensory issues.

[Pegs]

We live with some fairly intense noise sensitivities here too. My DS is 5.5ish.

 

Some accommodations have included: permission to seek 'quiet time' in another room, if visitors get rowdy; earmuffs/headphones in noisy places; avoiding busy roads when out walking; leaving the house at quieter times of day. I always warn him before loud noises at home, if I can.

 

We also have a lot of trouble with food/appetite and sleep.

 

I have no idea whether we're doing it right. I really wanted an OT eval for his sensory stuff (paed was beyond unhelpful - whole other story), because I'd love to be able to talk this stuff through with a professional who can advise me on DS, specifically. I don't know what I'm supposed to be accommodating, and which challenges I should be scaffolding him through, so that he builds the skills he'll need for them if he can't be accommodated. Does that make any sense?

 

On the flip side, he does seem to be incredibly aesthetically motivated, and expresses that he feels deep pleasure when he sees beautiful things. I'm glad that he can experience beauty so deeply, and I hope that it will help him through various struggles he encounters over the years.

[ebunny]

At that level of reaction, I would hesitate to act on any suggestions without a medical and/or psychological diagnosis.  Although there are lots of 2/e families here, each 2/e child is unique.  With a particular diagnosis, we may be able to offer similar tales, if the situation is similar. 

 

FWIW, my experience has been that most such kids grow up just fine.  DS13 has some intense reactions, but he has learned to avoid trigger situations, and so most others just see a quirky, very smart kid.

 

What he said.

 

My DD had/has OEs but not as intense as your DD.

We had enlisted the help of a psychologist who had specialised in emotional therapy for DD, then 8, as her OEs were becoming a big concern- anxiety, sensitivity to smell and noise. The psych helped a ton. She helped us realise that DDs' reactions were symptomatic of emotional turmoil. She gave us specific suggestions and instrucitons which worked wonders to reduce or eliminate some of the OEs. (Anxiety still remaibut degree has lessened)

 

Would you happen to know of or get recommendations for a developmental psychologist specialising in emotional needs of children (gifted or not)...It helps to get an outsider perspective of the OEs.

 

[Arcadia]

I have no idea whether we're doing it right. I really wanted an OT eval for his sensory stuff (paed was beyond unhelpful - whole other story), because I'd love to be able to talk this stuff through with a professional who can advise me on DS, specifically. I don't know what I'm supposed to be accommodating, and which challenges I should be scaffolding him through, so that he builds the skills he'll need for them if he can't be accommodated. Does that make any sense?

BTDT and what you say make sense to me. The days do get better. The most helpful to me and to other caregivers of my oldest was getting him to vocalize his issues. The clothes tag irritate him, we can cut it off. The smell of something is too strong, we can move away. The table is too dirty (at one tiny spot), we can just wipe it. He used to just stand there looking stunt (like frozen in place) which makes it a tiring guessing game.

 

The out of sync child book (http://out-of-sync-child.com/carols-booksdvds/) helped. Treating sensory overexcitabilities in a similar way to SPD helped me find ways/tips on coping.

 

For sleep, a weighted blanket helped for my oldest. I either fold a normal blanket so that there is slightly more weight on his chest, or I just rest my palm on his chest until he fall asleep.

 

For food we tried buffet style and just let him try. Hubby and I do like buffets so we do go for buffets a few times a year and kids love trying mouthfuls without worrying about waste.

 

A mom that I was chatting with while our kids were at class has a child with ADHD and SPD. He would freak out if anything fleece touch him. He went for therapy since he was a toddler and then went on to early intervention and to a IEP in public school. She said the sensory fidgets and other sensory therapy "gadgets" helped her child a lot in the initial phase. It is not obvious that her 6th grader had any sensory issues now.

 

Another good book is Raising a sensory smart child. I borrowed all the SPD books the library had in their parenting section.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0143115340/sensorysmarts-20

 

I do have sensory and intensity issues so familiarity is there. Hubby used to wave a white flag because he has never seen such intensity before.

 

ETA:

We could bypass the pediatrician's referral if we see someone out of network and then submit a claim. Depending on your insurance, the difference in amount paid might be very little between in network and out of network.

 

ETA:

Just remembered. My youngest needed a head massage to sleep. As a baby he would massage his head if he is sleepy while looking to see if he can get our attention to massage him.

[....]

Anyone else been here before?  I know I'm not actually alone, but it's feeling a little lonely over here.

 

Yep.  I probably have some old threads on here from a few years ago on the same subject.  I don't post about it much, because it's kind of a sensitive subject and I'm guessing a lot of people wouldn't agree with how I handled it.

 

I have two kids who were having these issues - one is now 13 and the other is 10.  The one that's 10 had the most issues.  She had sensory problems (she would cover her ears, too - and use napkins and stuff to touch items), food problems, wouldn't sleep at night, hand-washing issues, screaming tantrums...she spent one year deathly afraid of Anthrax (I think she was 6 at the time)...most 6 year-olds don't even know what Anthrax is...  Edited to add: when she was really little, she would bang her forehead on the wall.  I actually started a thread about that a loooooooong time ago.  I went to pick up Kid #4 from preschool and I left the older kids in the waiting area.  When I came out, the preschool director was yelling at my daughter and she was crying and banging her head against the wall (???) in the waiting area.  I pulled my youngest daughter out of that preschool.  

 

Anyway, one year, I went on an all-out campaign to help my daughter (the one that's now 10).  I'm trying to remember all the stuff we did...  I drastically changed her diet (no junk food or processed food, reduced the gluten), put her on children's vitamins, made a point to let her run/play outside every day, we put her in martial arts (which has made a tremendous difference in her life and improved her ability to focus, listen to directions, etc), I know this sounds weird, but we stopped all formal schooling until she was 8 (this was when she started calming down)...  Physically wearing her out made a big impact in her behavior.  When she was little and we'd take her to the playground, she looked like she was in Olympic training or Special Forces compared to the other kids (Lol).

 

I think she might be mildly gifted in art, so we started doing art every morning.  We went to Hobby Lobby and just went crazy.  I bought her every art supply she wanted.  This morphed into me putting her into classes at an art studio...where she made a bunch of friends with other artsy kids and had a teacher with blue hair who really liked her...the teacher used her artwork as an example to show the later classes (and that was a tremendous boost to her self-esteem)...  We also set up an art corner in our living room with all kinds of supplies.  She'll go on YouTube and learn different art techniques and then teach herself.  She tries to get the 7 year-old into art (she's not really an art person) and she'll give her "lessons" on felting or crocheting or watercolor painting.  This year, we started hanging her paintings on the wall.  Some of them are actually pretty good - I mean permanently-hang-on-the-wall-worthy.  She has an "art wall" where we just hang her recent stuff.  I have two of her best paintings hanging in our hallway and two on our mantle.

 

Last night, for the first time, I dropped her off at one of her outside activities and drove away.  When I came back to pick her up, she was holding her bag smiling and her teacher said she did great.  Hey, what more can you ask for?  A couple of years ago, I never, ever, EVER (in my worst nightmare) would've been able to let her go to an activity without me sitting 3 feet away.  

 

Anyway, sorry for rambling.  Long story short...either they both outgrew all of those issues we were having or changing their environment helped them... or maybe the diet change helped...or their brains finally developed and they calmed down...  I don't know, but neither of them have problems like they did before.

 

No, you're not alone!       

[....]

The out of sync child book (http://out-of-sync-child.com/carols-booksdvds/) helped. Treating sensory overexcitabilities in a similar way to SPD helped me find ways/tips on coping.

 

 

This book is priceless.  Also the book that goes with it - The Out of Sync Child Has Fun (I think it's called).  I'm pretty sure that's the book I read that says a large number of these kids are abused at one point or another by caregivers, because adults don't know how to deal with it.  Whichever author said that...that had a huge impact on me about 5-6 years ago.

[Dmmetler]

One thing I'd suggest-call around and find out if any kids' activities have experience with SPD-even if she doesn't quite reach the label (my DD didn't, and was very similar at that age. I still wonder if she would have gotten the DX if the full eval hadn't included an IQ test-it was almost like once they got PG scores, everything else was attributed to that). When DD was 5, I found a gymnastics gym which had an instructor who was a grad student in OT, and was researching using gymnastics classes as a form of inclusive OT. DD took class with her 2x/week that school year, and did a 3 hour DAY gymnastics camp with her all summer-for $100/month during the school year and $100/week during the summer. The difference was amazing, and it seems to have been lasting.

[Jackie]

Last year, when things were just getting out of control with DD, we went to a psychologist. At that point, I couldn't run the vacuum without triggering a panic attack. We could barely go outside because if she heard a car door close a block away, she would start to panic. We really couldn't function as a family anymore at that point.

 

It's better now. We can be outside without problems unless there's thunder. (She still worries she'll be struck by lightning.) We have roofers making horrendous noise here today and she's been fine. I don't know if the tactics that worked for us would work for you, but did want to encourage you. Professional help really worked.

[sportsmom]

Thank you all so very much.  I can't tell you know much your experiences have helped me feel less alone.

 

In talking with the psychiatrist at the feeding clinic, she said that they aren't concerned until things start to impact our activities.  (i.e. she's particular about her socks being on just right, but until we have to completely stop what we are doing because she's in such a state, it's not a major concern)  I understand that part of it, but along the same lines, I also generally don't allow her to get into such a panic that things are at that point, if that makes sense at all.  It's easier for everyone to take the minute to fix the problem than it is to let her get so upset that it ruins her whole day.

 

We will definitely be mentioning all of this to the psychiatrist we are working with at the feeding clinic.  Strangely enough, she doesn't have any separation issues, and she is more than happy to leave me, my husband, and her brother at any time - even if she refuses to speak to the adult she is going with.  I'm extremely worried about sending her to Kindergarten at the public school this upcoming year, but as she refuses to do school-work with me (or in her preschool class - usually she states that she doesn't want to do it) I just don't know what options I have.  She LOVED preschool, but the differences between a 3 day a week preschool that let out at noon and Kindergarten are pretty wide.  

 

I will definitely be going to the library or purchasing the Out of Sync Child book(s).  One thing I have noticed with her is that at first she will be very hesitant to state what specifically is making her so upset (either no response, shoulder shrugging, or "I don't know") but after she has calmed down she can pretty clearly explain what is upsetting to her ("it makes me nervous when I look down in the pool and I'm not in my float").

 

Evanthe - what you did to help your daughter sounds remarkably like what I am mulling over.  We already eat mostly clean - I make most things from scratch, even if not using organic items.  The problem is that most of the things she will eat are processed - and I just can't get her to eat anything else.  But she is also very artistic and creative.  She loves art in a way that my son never did, so I do try to keep her involved with that.  She will sit and play at her sand table for the longest time.  Her preschool teacher even commented on how one day they were listening to violin music while painting and DD commented that the music was sad, so she was painting a sad painting - that led to the class making up a sad story to go with the music. I've often wondered if I just left her alone with school work if she would just pick it up on her own and be fine.  She says she doesn't want to work on her letters because I won't pay for ABCmouse.com.

 

We are signing her up for cheerleading this fall, and hopefully, girls lacrosse in the spring.  Her brother plays football and lacrosse, and she has been begging to play for years, but hasn't been old enough.  Girl's lacrosse might not even have a team young enough for her this upcoming season, but one of the board members said he would allow her to play on the youngest boy's team if they didn't - I'm not holding my breath on that though.  I will definitely see if there is something OT-wise that I can get her into - my budget is pretty tight, especially with all of the therapy appointments she has coming up with the feeding clinic.  I wish money were no object so both kids could have the best of everything.  I'm already trying to figure out how to fit an extra $350 5 day course in for my son in November.

[Arcadia]

  I will definitely see if there is something OT-wise that I can get her into - my budget is pretty tight, especially with all of the therapy appointments she has coming up with the feeding clinic.  

 

I am assuming that the therapy appointments are partially covered by insurance.  Do be aware that you can still ask for a lower out of pocket with the medical provider even if you are doing it under insurance.  We were financially tight when youngest was born and we managed to get lowering of fees from medical billing after a few phone calls.

 

Gymnastics was great for my boys too.

 

For working on her letters, have you tried letting her draw her letters (illuminated letters)? My oldest like to doodle his letters like the link below

http://www.mtcalligraphy.com/illuminated_letters.html

[sportsmom]

I am assuming that the therapy appointments are partially covered by insurance.  Do be aware that you can still ask for a lower out of pocket with the medical provider even if you are doing it under insurance.  We were financially tight when youngest was born and we managed to get lowering of fees from medical billing after a few phone calls.

 

I just got a phone call from the billing office, not 15 minutes ago saying that the therapy portion was denied by my insurance.  I didn't really understand the reasoning why, and the lady that I talked to didn't seem familiar enough with the logistics of our appointment (she had 4 different parts during the assessment) to be able to explain why it was denied.  After calling the actual clinic, they are going to look into it and see if we can appeal it or in some way fix it.  They hadn't heard that my claim had been denied, and usually they do, so it was pretty unusual.  

 

Sounds like the medical exam, the psychiatric assessment, and the nutrition portion were covered, but I actually had to pay out of pocket up front for the nutritionist, because that wasn't covered at all.  So frustrating.

[slackermom]

My dd10 is Little Miss OE, and it has been an issue practically since day one.

 

We find things are better for her when she is given the outlets she needs:

 

At this time of year she has dance lessons for 10 hours per week. More would be even better. I send her out in the evening to ride her bike a few miles with her dad as often as possible. She has done as much as 10 miles without stopping when really wound up.

 

Small group sessions with a local artist have been helpful too. Those have just ended for the summer, but I am finding ways to keep the creative juices flowing.

 

Getting her involved in the kitchen gives her some control over her food issues. She won't eat meat, and is super picky about texture, smell, taste, etc...

 

We recently got her some noise-cancelling headphones, and keep an mp3 player charged and ready to drown out noises when we are out. She uses the headphones with the computer when she needs to block out our general household noise.

 

Shopping for clothing has always been challenging due to tactile issues, but she is now too bothered by fitting room noises to shop with me. Plus, she is starting to have body image issues, ugh. So, she is starting sewing classes in a few weeks, so she can learn to make her own clothes!

 

We are definitely struggling with it as a family. Her doctor takes the position that SPD is not a recognised stand-alone diagnosis, and she doesn't fit the spectrum disorders that can accompany sensory issues, but she supports treatment for anxiety related to the sensory issues. Their office discouraged getting OT for her, but I use some at-home techniques from SPD books. Dd has been without a therapist for a while (she saw a psychologist through school, which stopped when we started homeschooling last year), and we have been trying for a couple of months to find the right kind of help for her.

 

When things truly blow up for dd, and she gets defensive and hostile, I find the the thing that helps the most is to convince her to come get a hug. There is no reasoning with her when she is in hurricane mode, but a hug can diffuse the situation while she rides out the emotions.

 

I just requested "raising a sensory smart child" from the library. I am always on the lookout for tips & tools to cope!

[Arcadia]

Sounds like the medical exam, the psychiatric assessment, and the nutrition portion were covered, but I actually had to pay out of pocket up front for the nutritionist, because that wasn't covered at all.  So frustrating.

 

Check the medical billing code with the insurance.  One item can have a few medical billing code and if it doesn't tally with what the insurance prefer, money doesn't get disburse to the provider. 

:grouphug:  it can be exhausting dealing with insurance billing.

[sportsmom]

Arcadia - Relating to the food issues, have you read anything about Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder?  It explains every single issue that my daughter has with food (and I saw myself in the diagnosis as well).  It's relatively new, so not too many doctors are up to speed on it - as it was a new diagnosis in the DSM-5 from 2013.  I found that reading what little is available in clinical journals very helpful when trying to get my daughter the treatment she needs.  Previously, everything had been chalked up to "picky eating" "phases" or "stubbornness and control."  http://eatingdisordersreview.com/nl/nl_edr_24_3_1.html

 

 

[Arcadia]

Arcadia - Relating to the food issues, have you read anything about Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder?

 

I just read your link.  My oldest is the one with food texture, taste and smell issues.  He won't eat the egg yolk for sunny side up or hard boiled but would eat scrambled eggs and omelets.  The only pizza he would eat was cheese pizza, won't eat a slice of pepperoni pizza at a friend's birthday party even if we removed all the pepperoni. He can taste the difference in batches of milk of the same brand. Likely he is a supertaster.

 

However he is also ironically big for size and healthier than my younger boy who isn't picky at all. My younger boy was the one that was labeled failure to thrive and had many blood tests done.

 

What his pediatrician said was that it all depends on the degree of pickiness.  When it comes to food avoidance, my oldest have a decent amount and variety of food he will eat that there is no worries of nutrition deficiency.  For example, he will only eat crunchy vegetables but there is enough crunchy vegetables available that it is not a worry that he won't eat leafy vegetables.  .

 

There is definitely some stubbornness and control issues there like saying that there is nothing in the house they are willing to eat and my oldest would rather go hungry.

 

I don't know if you have watch the NOVA episode on picky eaters before but my kids liked the video on it. 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/science-picky-eaters.html

 

ETA:

My youngest who is not picky have reflux issues like me.

[quark]

Anyone interested to interview a grown up picky eater (a.k.a. quark)? :D There are still so many things I can't or won't eat because they make me gag. Putting my head under water is still a nightmare. One time, I freaked out during a facial when the assistant placed cucumbers over my eyes. I avoid facials, manicures etc. Wish I could avoid elevators.

 

Don't even ask about clothing tags. I have to make sure I have my moisturizers/ anti-itch products handy due to flare ups from forgetting to remove tags. I love seamless clothing.

 

Kiddo started off being a little picky but he grows so rapidly and I think he quickly realized that he would have to go hungry if he didn't eat his food and now he eats almost anything. He still gags with a few things but his needs are so much more manageable now. 

 

My DH had to force himself to eat everything due to poverty but given the chance, he won't eat anything that has traces of certain smells or lacks certain textures. His taste is so keen that he can detect what most foods contain and break down the ingredients part by part without seeing the ingredient list. His mom is almost like a food savant. She can recreate restaurant food by tasting them just once.

 

Sometimes, these things can become a superpower. :laugh: At other times, they can be :crying:. I survive by finding coping mechanisms, e.g. I keep crackers or certain dry foods always handy, the same with moisturizers and Gold Bond powder for itching flare ups. And I practice breathing techniques when I am in an elevator.

[ebunny]

I'm sorry to hear about the insurance problems.. :sad: .I should have clarified that I am in India where medical professionals' fees are still reasonably priced for the middle classes.

advice by our psych( if it helps anyone here). DD has general anxiety, and OEs. Maybe all of you practice the below on a regular basis, but for clueless me and dh, it was a revelation of sorts. Fwiw, Dd is extremely sensitive to others feelings, thoughts..and most of her OEs were related to her intense emotions.
1-acknowledge her feelings. Do not rationalise them away. If she feels scared, say " I understand you are scared...".
2- talk to her about her intense emotions without telling her what to do about them.
3- ask her to share her thoughts and feelings after every conflict with peers.
4- let her express her anger without any judgement on our part at first. (She hardly ever gets instensely angry now that we acknowledge it and let her talk about it)

ETA: DD has a very strong sense of taste and smell. she does not have food related OEs. But, she is very very sensorial. Needs to touch, feel, smell objects...especially books and thankfully not people. :001_smile:

[sportsmom]

I am an extremely picky eater, who probably should be diagnosed with ARFID.  I can't eat anything with ground meat, mayonnaise, tomatoes, pickles, etc.  Which eliminates a LOT of popular foods.  Honestly, I just can't force myself to put it into my mouth, even if I mentally say that I'm going to beforehand.  Thankfully, as an adult, I've learned to cope and how to make it far less obvious in social situations than I did as a child.  If you only knew just how many cookouts that I've attended where the only thing I could eat was chips, you would be appalled.

 

Arcadia, I am totally with your DS, there is no de-pepperoni'ing a pizza.  Once it's on there, the taste does not come off.  I'll definitely be watching that episode, when I have a few quiet moments, LOL.

 

ebunny, thanks for the tips.  Your DD sounds a lot like mine in regards to OE's.  It's nice to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it does get better.

[Mike in SA]

Arcadia - Relating to the food issues, have you read anything about Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder?  It explains every single issue that my daughter has with food (and I saw myself in the diagnosis as well).  It's relatively new, so not too many doctors are up to speed on it - as it was a new diagnosis in the DSM-5 from 2013.  I found that reading what little is available in clinical journals very helpful when trying to get my daughter the treatment she needs.  Previously, everything had been chalked up to "picky eating" "phases" or "stubbornness and control."  http://eatingdisordersreview.com/nl/nl_edr_24_3_1.html

 

I had not heard of this one.  It's something we will be asking about...Thanks for posting!

[retiredHSmom]

 

 

Sounds like the medical exam, the psychiatric assessment, and the nutrition portion were covered, but I actually had to pay out of pocket up front for the nutritionist, because that wasn't covered at all.  So frustrating.

My insurance won't cover a nutritionist for a patient with an eating disorder no matter what billing code is used.  There is no logic there that I can understand.

[LTBernard]

As I am reading everyone's responses, I am realizing that I had mild OE's as a child.  I can remember my mom commenting on how I could not handle tags or anything itchy in my clothes.  Also even as an adult putting my head under the water makes me extremely anxious.  With time I have learned to swim on the top of water, but I can't seem to get my breathing calm enough to swim under the water.  I am sure there were other things that if my mom had known about OE's at the time she would have realized described me.

[....]

Evanthe - what you did to help your daughter sounds remarkably like what I am mulling over.  We already eat mostly clean - I make most things from scratch, even if not using organic items.  The problem is that most of the things she will eat are processed - and I just can't get her to eat anything else.  But she is also very artistic and creative.  She loves art in a way that my son never did, so I do try to keep her involved with that.  She will sit and play at her sand table for the longest time.  Her preschool teacher even commented on how one day they were listening to violin music while painting and DD commented that the music was sad, so she was painting a sad painting - that led to the class making up a sad story to go with the music. I've often wondered if I just left her alone with school work if she would just pick it up on her own and be fine.  She says she doesn't want to work on her letters because I won't pay for ABCmouse.com.

 

Yeah, for awhile there, mine would eat mostly one thing - a certain kind of cereal.  She developed a rash all over her arms and her body.  I took her to an allergist and they tested for all kinds of allergies and nothing came up.  I told him I thought she might be allergic to red dye (that was a big ingredient in that cereal) and he said she wasn't (and laughed like that was the dumbest idea ever - who's allergic to red dye??!).  That was when I removed all processed foods from her diet.  Anyway, I think a lot of the processed food out there is doing something to their immune systems.  I guess some kids are more sensitive than others.  So, diet made a big difference, too.

 

About the schoolwork...my daughter couldn't do formal sit-down work until she was about 8.   :ohmy:   She wouldn't listen to me, wouldn't focus, couldn't sit still, etc.  It's been 2 1/2 years now and she's caught up to grade level.  She and the 7 year-old are actually my best two students.  They're the ones able to follow the WTM for their homeschooling.    

[LTBernard]

Can't believe I forgot to mention this part, as it is a problem I am actually having now.  Since having chldren my sense of smell has stayed stronger.  And not only is it stronger, but smells can actually make me feel sick.  Last night I was sitting beside someone at a table at my part-time job.  She had on perfume of some kind.  It smelled nice enough, but made my head swim.  I ended up feeling so nautious and even had diareaha.  My mother-in-law keeps a strong smelling soap in her guest bathroom (again not bad smelling) and that is the bathroom my kids use the most when they are over there.  I have told her the smell of it gives me a headache, but she seems to think I am making that up.  I walk into that bathroom and it smells so strong to me.  When we leave her house if my kids have used that soap our van will reek of it.  I have told my kids when they are at Gma's to not use the soap and if Gma insists they wash with soap then to use as little as possible.  Not sure how many moms acutally push their young children to not use soap. 

My son has a very strong sense of smell and always has.  I have often wondered if my is stronger since having him b/c some of his cells are still floating around in me.  Thoughts on that?

[Arcadia]

I told him I thought she might be allergic to red dye (that was a big ingredient in that cereal) and he said she wasn't (and laughed like that was the dumbest idea ever - who's allergic to red dye??!).

I had to ban Cheetos because my oldest would get all hyper after eating it. Then I got hubby on board to check labels and avoid red food dye. It is a real problem for some kids.

 

We would substitute with food (beet, carrot, spinach) colored snacks for treats.

Now he is okay with artificial food dye but he is also consuming very little, mostly at parties.

My youngest poop was the color of the food dye in the Yoplait yogurt he ate as a toddler. We check yogurt labels for food dye after that.

 

ETA:

We had to avoid MSG too when my boys were younger.

 

ETA:

My youngest still walk or stand or kneel on his chair and rock while doing his work. Butt on the chair doesn't work for this kid :). He would aim for the rocking chair at the library. He loves wooden rocking horse and rocking chairs.

[sportsmom]

Mike (and anyone else looking into ARFID) - based on the research I did, it looks like it's mostly diagnosed in kids with Autism, but to my line of thinking, the autism spectrum and the gifted spectrum are so closely linked, that it would be a logical jump to hypothesize that it would affect gifted kids at a higher rate as well.  Also, I wonder how many of the autistic children are mis-diagnosed because of OE's that some clinicians don't understand.  Reflux in infancy also seems to be a factor.  My daughter had pretty severe reflux in infancy.

 

Tania, I'm not sure there is logic when it comes to insurance coverage.  That would imply that they are looking at medical necessity and not just the bottom dollar.  The saddest part about the whole thing to me is that our insurance is phenomenal by most standards (doctors/office staff regularly comment on how great our coverage is) and yet I'm still struggling to get the necessary treatment.  Ridiculous is the only word for it.  

 

My daughter will pretty much only eat buttered noodles, Velveeta shells and cheese (yes, brand specific), frozen waffles, peanut butter sandwiches, Chick-fil-a, and Wendy's.   :001_unsure:

[Arcadia]

Also, I wonder how many of the autistic children are mis-diagnosed because of OE's that some clinicians don't understand.

The autism screening questionnaire was a torture to fill for my youngest.

 

Link:

http://www.autism.com/pdf/providers/diagnostic_cl_e2.pdf

 

The thing is OE doesn't qualify for insurance or early intervention by itself. Anxiety does, autism and ADHD does. So sometimes medical personnel gives a temporary label so kids can get services.

 

My friend's child is 2E, aspergers and gifted. He has an IEP and he does get reviewed and label changed according to what is the appropriate label now.

[Black-eyed Suzan]

OP, there is no magic solution, but my kids do better with lots of physical activity, intellectual stimulation, plenty of sleep, and healthy food. I've also found Dianne Craft's materials helpful - she uses supplements heavily so parents don't have to fight food battles with uncooperative children. You may consider The Wahl's Protocol diet, too. Our pediatrician says that it can help with sensory issues.

 

 

As I am reading everyone's responses, I am realizing that I had mild OE's as a child.  I can remember my mom commenting on how I could not handle tags or anything itchy in my clothes.  Also even as an adult putting my head under the water makes me extremely anxious.  With time I have learned to swim on the top of water, but I can't seem to get my breathing calm enough to swim under the water.  I am sure there were other things that if my mom had known about OE's at the time she would have realized described me.

 

 

Can't believe I forgot to mention this part, as it is a problem I am actually having now.  Since having chldren my sense of smell has stayed stronger.  And not only is it stronger, but smells can actually make me feel sick.  Last night I was sitting beside someone at a table at my part-time job.  She had on perfume of some kind.  It smelled nice enough, but made my head swim.  I ended up feeling so nautious and even had diareaha.  My mother-in-law keeps a strong smelling soap in her guest bathroom (again not bad smelling) and that is the bathroom my kids use the most when they are over there.  I have told her the smell of it gives me a headache, but she seems to think I am making that up.  I walk into that bathroom and it smells so strong to me.  When we leave her house if my kids have used that soap our van will reek of it.  I have told my kids when they are at Gma's to not use the soap and if Gma insists they wash with soap then to use as little as possible.  Not sure how many moms acutally push their young children to not use soap. 

My son has a very strong sense of smell and always has.  I have often wondered if my is stronger since having him b/c some of his cells are still floating around in me.  Thoughts on that?

 

LTBernard, I also discovered a name for some of my odd behaviors as a child when I started researching this. My husband thinks my son's complaints about socks annoying, but I understand completely and am happy to help him get them "just right." He's actually more reasonable about that than I was. 

 

My guess about your sense of smell is that it is one of those things that changes after pregnancy (due to hormones maybe? I don't know!). My stick-straight hair got wavy and I'm much more sensitive to motion.