tumbling/rolling around ?

[mom2jjka]

My 9 yr old (apraxic) DD has a new 'quirk'....

 

She constantly HAS to be tumbling/rolling around on the floor: sommersaults, 'bicycling' pose, headstands....

If it were just occasional it wouldn't bother me - but the frequency of it with her is a little worry-some.

If she is in the living room, she is tumbling non-stop.

If we watch a movie, she's doing it all throughout. We have told her it is distracting and asked her to stop - to which she replied, "I want to but I can't." She told me the other day that "It's addicting and I have to do it."

 

Do you think it's a sensory or a stimulation thing?

Do any of you with SN kids have 'tumblers' like this?

Do you think this is something that I should be concerned about?

(I have also noticed that she's back to toe-walking again. Several years ago she wore AFOs to prevent it, and she seemed to have greatly reduced it for awhile, but I've noticed that it's getting worse again.)

 

 

[Barbara H]

Yes, I am wondering if it might be sensory seeking or a way to help feel organized. Can you tell if she feels better after she's been tumbling?

 

One thing to try might be seeing if she gets a lot of this kind of input before the calm activity if she is more focused. Also, is there any possible space in the house where she could have rings or something that would allow her to be upside down. Being able to redirect her someplace else might be helpful.

[PeterPan]

Not what you want to hear, but apraxia and spectrum go together quite often. I would get an OT and/or neuropsych eval. You probably need both.

 

In the meantime, while you're waiting to get in for the evals, do more sensory. She's sensory-seeking, yes. Try vestibular, like swinging in a single line swing while wearing a weighted collar. The Out of Sync Child has Fun will give you lots of ideas too. For the single line swing, our OT used a Sky Chair. I have one (hand-me-down, not that brand) in my basement, and it gets used a LOT. I made a weighted collar with beans and fabric. If you sew, it isn't hard.

Edited March 27, 2012 by OhElizabeth

[mom2jjka]

Not what you want to hear, but apraxia and spectrum go together quite often. I would get an OT and/or neuropsych eval. You probably need both.

 

In the past, she has seen a pediatric neuro (and she had months/years of speech, PT and OT.) He did say at one point that he suspected Rett (which is on the spectrum) We did not go through with the testing, but I'm starting to wish that we had. :001_unsure:

 

In the meantime, while you're waiting to get in for the evals, do more sensory. She's sensory-seeking, yes. Try vestibular, like swinging in a single line swing while wearing a weighted collar. The Out of Sync Child has Fun will give you lots of ideas too. For the single line swing, our OT used a Sky Chair. I have one (hand-me-down, not that brand) in my basement, and it gets used a LOT. I made a weighted collar with beans and fabric. If you sew, it isn't hard.

 

Thanks for those ideas. And that chair looks fantastic!