calledtobehome Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 I'm hoping that someone can help me out or atleast point me in the right direction. My 8 yr old son is a very bright boy. He excels academically but something is gong on with him I just can't figure it out! I can honestly say everyday we are having issues with him. He's easily upset, some form of whining, complaining about every little thing his older brother does, like singing, any noise, or humming, it really sends him over the edge if he doesn't stop. He complains about long rides in the car even if it's to a fun place he really want to go. He says the car ride really makes him sick. And although the ac is on he has to open his window for some relief. I noticed he took his new pillow case of his pillow because it was to itchy and rough. He fastens his swim trucks tight, ties his shoes tight, and complains about some of the tags in his shirts or pants. The biggest issue we are dealing with now is not wanting to go out to eat at a resturant. We really don't go out much but we enjoy eating out maybe twice a month. He really has gotten bent out of shape over this! I talked to him today to try and get to the bottom of it and he said he likes to eat at home and doesn't like all the noice and clattering sounds and commotion in the resturant. He asked if we could get the food to go? Sorry for being long winded. He has his 8yr old check-up with his PED next week and I would like to mention some of these things to her. Does anyone else see this type of behavior in their children? If so what could be the cause of it? Thanks for your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandamom Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 SPD = sensory processing disorder. There are tons of threads on these boards on it. So, do a search and see what you can find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Yup, he needs an OT eval by someone who is good with sensory. If you look for an OT doing IM (interactive metronome) that will usually be a good start. Or Therapeutic Listening or other listening therapies. Or find out who the neuropsychs in your area recommend. The car thing could be noise or vestibular. Have you thought about earplugs? Might make things more livable with the noise till you can get it worked on. The one thing I wish we had done was to do appointments just once a month and do more homework. It was so expensive and we were paying for it. For the restaurants, they ARE typically noisy. Try going earlier, like at 4 or 4:30, before the rush comes in. And if it gets noisy, use the earplugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calledtobehome Posted September 2, 2012 Author Share Posted September 2, 2012 Yup, he needs an OT eval by someone who is good with sensory. If you look for an OT doing IM (interactive metronome) that will usually be a good start. Or Therapeutic Listening or other listening therapies. Or find out who the neuropsychs in your area recommend. The car thing could be noise or vestibular. Have you thought about earplugs? Might make things more livable with the noise till you can get it worked on. The one thing I wish we had done was to do appointments just once a month and do more homework. It was so expensive and we were paying for it. For the restaurants, they ARE typically noisy. Try going earlier, like at 4 or 4:30, before the rush comes in. And if it gets noisy, use the earplugs. Thanks for the suggestion. Will definitely try out the ear plugs. My oldest son just finished a year of OT including IM for dyslexia/ dysgraphia and Sequencing. It really made a difference. I didn't realize IM could be helpful with SPD? Now off to find another good OT. I really wish I had put things together a year or so ago. The OT we used for my oldest was phenomenal. We recently relocated therefore using her is out if the equation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Well it's not so much that IM is for sensory as that a person doing IM may be on the ball and in the loop about sensory. If you've done this before, you already know how to find a good one. :D Has this dc had a np eval? Might be on the docket for at some point. Now can I flip this? When you did IM, did you do the IM at home for homework or have other homework? Just curious. We had been on track for IM, gave up with the OT (too hairbrained, sucking our $$), and now we're doing the metronome app the way Heathermonster suggested. I have no clue if it's an adequate replacement, but I figured it was something we could do for free and TRY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calledtobehome Posted September 3, 2012 Author Share Posted September 3, 2012 (edited) Well it's not so much that IM is for sensory as that a person doing IM may be on the ball and in the loop about sensory. If you've done this before, you already know how to find a good one. :D Has this dc had a np eval? Might be on the docket for at some point. Now can I flip this? When you did IM, did you do the IM at home for homework or have other homework? Just curious. We had been on track for IM, gave up with the OT (too hairbrained, sucking our $$), and now we're doing the metronome app the way Heathermonster suggested. I have no clue if it's an adequate replacement, but I figured it was something we could do for free and TRY. I assume NP stands for neuro-Physc test? No he hasn't. My 9 yr old did IM with the OT in the office. We had homework but it was activities similar to brain gym and sequencing. The OT recommended the Wii Fit Plus for him as well as the dancing games like dance revolution or even the dance game that comes with the mat and you have to get the move and beat at the same time. A few things I noticed about my son while doing IM. I didn't have to repeat my self as much like did you brush your teeth, make your bed, etc. He has dyslexia and dysgraphia and instead of me telling him that his b's and d's were backwards he now self corrects without me. Little changes like that. Some of his changes could have come from just growth age wise but I do believe that some of it was from IM. His scores started off very weak but after just a few sessions he really began to improve. By the way it was very costly. We were only responsible for our deductible but after that the insurance paid 80%. Still quite costly. Edited September 3, 2012 by calledtobehome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Oh, yeah. It's definitely SPD. I think we have all the behaviors you describe among our different kiddos. We have the clothes issues, being irritated at each others' noise, getting freaked out at restaurants and movie theaters. And it's funny that you mention pillowcases. I'll admit, I'm very particular about pillows and pillowcases. It's probably my biggest pet peeve. (Maybe that should be my new username, pilllowpeeve. :D) It's also interesting that you mention the vesitibular issue. Two of us are very prone to car sickness. I never thought of that as going together but it makes sense. FWIW, my kids also do pretty well academically but these things absolutely do get in the way of daily functioning. We've had related handwriting issues, too, because of it. I think it does help to let them know what it is, because then they'll have the ability to better articulate what's bothering them so you can find solutions before things escalate to a meltdown. Now, if my little one is about to lose it, she'll say, "It's bothering me. I can't help it if I'm sensitive." My older one with CAPD will say, which is different but has some similarities, "I'm sorry. I can't hear you. There's too much noise." Before what we knew what SPD was, it was a lot more frustrating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calledtobehome Posted September 3, 2012 Author Share Posted September 3, 2012 I just put Out of Sync Child on hold at my library. Thanks My next question is what's next? How do I present this info to his new pediatrician? We just relocated and next week will be our first time meeting her for his wellness check up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Find the OT you want and get the ped to write the referral. That way you get a good OT. Then you go to the OT and get the eval and get started. Our OT evaluated over several sessions and was really fascinating. She introduced a lot of things and made a lot of connections I never would have imagined. Like Kelli was saying about the car sickness, there were all sorts of little things going on I never connected. And yes, that was the biggest thing, to put WORDS to it. It's so essential. Everything is more bearable when you have words for it and can get it out instead of it being this huge frustration, an invisible power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiramisu Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 I just put Out of Sync Child on hold at my library. Thanks My next question is what's next? How do I present this info to his new pediatrician? We just relocated and next week will be our first time meeting her for his wellness check up. I think OhE is right. Just ask her for the referral, telling her your ds seems to have sensory processing disorder and it's really interfering with his ability to live his life, get along with siblings, enjoy family activities, etc. As a little warning I would think most pediatricians today know what SPD is and would give a referral for it. If your pediatrician is not informed but agreeable, be positive and consider it a teaching moment. If they are argumentative, find someone else. Ten years ago, I didn't know what SPD was. I told the pediatrician what was going on, and I thought there must be something wrong with her skin. I begged her to please look at her skin. All the the pediatrician did was ask me if there was a family history of anxiety and depression and gave me the name of a good child psychiatrist. Thankfully, things are different now and you should be able to find the help you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 Most likely SPD, but I would also recommend getting an auditory processing evaluation from a good Aud.D. familiar with CAPD. There is a subtype of CAPD where the individual has difficulty processing speech in the presence of background noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcmama Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Sounds a lot like my (almost) 8-year-old Aspie with sensory issues. I often wonder how much of this is his ASD and how much is just normal for an 8-year-old. Since he's my first, I have no idea how to compare him to other kids, so I'm never sure what to just sigh and wait out and what to push to "fix." And whether I need to apply typical parenting strategies, or ASD-behavior strategies. I'm happy to let him be quirky and different and himself, but GODS the whining will kill me, I swear. Anyway, I feel you. If you're concerned, push for an eval. There are so many options to help you better understand your boy, to help him cope, and to help you cope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.