LibraryLover Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Has he seen an OT or PT? That sounds very much like classic sensory seeking. I've seen some improvement with Brushing and joint compressions. I also think a weighted blanket could help, and maybe a little weighted vest or backpack ? I'm not diagnosing. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLittleWonders Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 I was wondering about food allergies/intolerances, especially food dyes, gluten, and dairy. They can act like speed for the brain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 I had one of these boys, too. Don't take this as judgment, it's totally not, but the only thing I'd suggest that nobody's mentioned yet is that you might want to make the home screen free. No more tv where Marco can see, hear, or be near. Tv-free didn't solve my boy's issue - ADHD diagnosis, celiac disease diagnosis, and growing out of it solved it - but it did gain us an hour or two more of calm if not a bit more sleep every 24 hours. It's worth a try. That isn't really something that we're willing to try. He isn't really super into television as it. He has a few shows he enjoys, but he doesn't really seek it out. We enjoy television, as a family, and I'm not keen on stressing the family situation any more than it already is. I definitely do understand the suggestion, though :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 Has he seen an OT or PT? That sounds very much like classic sensory seeking. I've seen some improvement with Brushing and joint compressions. I also think a weighted blanket could help, and maybe a little weighted vest or backpack ? I'm not diagnosing. Just a thought. He *just* had an OT eval. She did mention brushing and something about pillows and squishing? I like the sound of a weighted blanket more than that, though. Where do you buy those? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthwestMom Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I just got my 15yo a weighted blanket for Christmas and he loves it. I got mine here: http://www.weightedblanketsplus.com Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I'd suggest asking the OT about calming techniques the next time you have an appointment. The OT for my son (sensory seeking and ADHD) has taught us some deep massage type techniques. DS does have less need for sleep, which has been frustrating and exhausting at times, but minor in comparison with your son's issues. I hope you can find a way to make a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 I just got my 15yo a weighted blanket for Christmas and he loves it. I got mine here: http://www.weightedblanketsplus.com Good luck! What size/weight should I get? Marco is, like my other two kiddos, small for his age (about 27 lbs). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 I'd suggest asking the OT about calming techniques the next time you have an appointment. The OT for my son (sensory seeking and ADHD) has taught us some deep massage type techniques. DS does have less need for sleep, which has been frustrating and exhausting at times, but minor in comparison with your son's issues. I hope you can find a way to make a difference. Mmm. He loves massages! Lol. He does NOT like them after his bath. I had been massaging him when I applied his after-bath-lotion, but he gets too cold. Would I be able to do the deep tissue massages without a lubricant like lotion? He seems pretty cold sensitive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthwestMom Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 The website has some advice about it. Please double-check this advice for younger kids. I know for older kids and adults, it was a pound of weighted blanket for every 10 pounds of weight. I got my son a 14lb blanket, he weighs 130ish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 No ideas - just commiseration. My youngest slept in our bed until she was 3 1/2. To get her to fall asleep, we had to put her in a wrestling hold and let her fight it until she wore herself out. At 3 1/2, we moved her to her bed one night and she actually didn't end up back in ours. When she woke up, I picked her up and said, "What a big girl you are!" She slept in her own bed ever since. It was good timing because we were at our wit's end. Dh and I both were not sleeping well and starting to have back pain from being crowded and uncomfortable. Even after that, she was still high maintenance. A friend of mine kept telling me it would get better when she's five. One day, when she was about 5 1/2, I realized that life with her really was much easier. Her speech was pretty good by then (she had 6 years of speech therapy from 3-10), and being able to communicate really helped. She is 13 now and she's a sweetheart. But over Christmas break, she had about 10 days off from dance classes, and we got a glimpse of what life with her would be like without Irish dancing. She dances about 12 hours a week and still craves more. It channels her energy, and it gives her the stimulation she craves for SPD. When she was younger, we had a really awesome OT. Besides the sensory room, we did Therapeutic Listening Program, Interactive Metronome, brushing, core exercises, and fine motor exercises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 One more pic. This sweet smile... is why nobody believes me until they spend an hour with him, lol. I see pure mischief in the smile :) This reminds me of two things. One time, my dh commented that when dd got up in the morning, she would come in the living room and her eyes darted all around the room as if she was thinking, "What can I get into first?" Another time, a friend met dd for the first time. She said, "She's adorable! She can't possibly be as bad as you say she is!" And I replied, "Yeah, it's a good thing she's cute, because some days, that's all that's keeping her alive." :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Duplicate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 What a horrific, exhausting experience for you and your dh. I am not sure how you can see straight with that little sleep. I would try to eliminate what I can from a diet standpoint, no food dyes, no sodas, low sugar, overall better quality food unless you are already doing everything organic, possibly gluten free (worth a try maybe). This could reveal or rule out food allergies. The ADHD symptoms can still be addressed separately but if there could be a chance to improve him with a change of diet, I would want to try. It may not be enough given the symptoms but it could be a beginning. :iagree: I was thinking the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Any chance he is on the autism spectrum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 :grouphug: My #2 did not sleep more than 2 hours at a time until she was 2.5. She woke until the age of 4. Luckily, there was no self-harming at that age. She was technically speech delayed but had such good receptive language that it evened out. I will say that as a matter of course we follow MANY of the things that have been suggested on this thread: 1. No screen time until the age of 3, and then no more than 30 minutes per day (even now, as a bribe, it's 30 minutes on weekends, 10 on weekdays, and I'm starting to regret that); 2. No food dyes except when as a guest; 3. No milk except in the morning with cereal; 4. Generally what many would consider to be a seriously uptight natural foods diet (to me, it was my normal because I was raised by natural-living hippies, but others marveled at our pantry, and I did not realize how uptight I was until I got into a family which was considered hippy by their friends but now apparently we are full-on food freaks, who knew making your own whole-wheat tortillas was a big deal?); 5. GET OUTDOORS 1 HOUR PER DAY OR MAMA WILL CRY. Nowadays (at 5 and 8) it is easier. But at that age, not only my kids but other kids whose parents often took them to the park, needed 1-2 hours of outdoor time per day. We were lucky to be able to do that. Finally, though I personally would say I'm anti-med for children under three who appear happy (I'd spend that $ on a night-nanny so I could sleep), I do not think that it is a fair assumption that your son will react to ADHD meds in the same way as your daughter. Maybe his brain needs a kick-start to calm to be able to turn off. Same with caffeine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Mine was as good as he could be if I took him to the chiro regularly to calm his hyperactivity a bit and let him sleep in my bed. I never did like sharing a bed with kicking legs, but I wasn't given a choice! If you're going to try a chiro, try for a paediatric chiro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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