sensory issues

[Guest guest]

Pam asked:

>I'm reading all these posts on sensory integration and OCD and I had a

>question regarding my 8 yr. old son. He has had mild motor and phonic

>tics since birth but have increased the last 2 months. We have an

>appointment with a neurologist in Nov. for an evaluation . He also has

>been avoiding newspapers for about a year due to as he says the fuzzy

>feeling on his hands. He just started second grade and also refuses to

>touch the chalk due to the same fuzzy feeling it causes. He is concerned

>that the kids will see him as different for not touching the chalk so he

>wants to practice at home with the chalk but he is not hopeful that he

>will succeed. he also has some reservations about syrup--sometimes he

>will touch it and other times he will not( the same with banana skins). We

>have a 17 yr.old who was diagnosed 2 yrs. ago with OCD and one of his few

>symptoms at 8 yrs old was his inability to touch syrup. My question is

>could these possibly be OCD symptoms or symptoms of another disorder. I

Sounds more like straightforward sensory issues to me - the thing is,

they can get wrapped up in OCD. Both of my kids have sensory problems. My

son's have improved greatly with sensory integration (including working

on textures - playing with clay, sand, water, shaving cream, etc.). Wish

I had had a chance to try it with my daughter. At 18, she still has

certain things that she won;t touch, and it has indeed become an OCD

thing to avoid these things at all costs.

Mitzi Waltz * Author and Editor * http://www.teleport.com/~infobahn

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

Two quick comments on the old clothing issue. We all have by now been

stared at for not dressing our kids " appropriately " and I'm sure we all feel

defensive about it. It strikes at the heart of being a " good parent " when

other people comment that our children aren't dressed warmly enough. But I

say, let them stare! My daughter never wears a coat and only wears socks to

school because she is afraid of getting in trouble, but hey - she knows

whether she is cold or not. If people made me wear wool tights I'd scream

too, and that is what a lot of clothing feels like for our kids, I guess. I

think we all have to just develop thick skins and smile and shrug when people

comment. I just brush off comments by saying something like, " yeah, can you

believe her? " and then people seem to realize it's her choice, not mine. And

I have a son who wore a fleece balaclava and rubber rain boats everyday to

preschool for a year in Philadelphia, where it is darn hot and humid all

summer!!! But they are both gradually improving on their own.

The other thing is, sensory issues are not necessarily related to OCD.

The aforementioned rubber boot man has no OCD symptoms, but is nearly as bad

as his sister about the textures, worse about food but much less explosive

than she was at the same age. He calmly refuses to wear 99% of his clothing,

while she melted down and screamed and cried about these things.

By the way, this list is an absolute lifesaver. I had no idea there were

all of you out there dealing with the same things!!!

[Guest guest]

Dear Amy,

My point exactly - my son is not the one with OCD, but WAS the one with

the helmet and rubber boots. Luckily, as you said, he was so cute that the

nursery school just laughed and took lots of pictures. (Two years and several

pairs of rubber boots later and he is still wearing them!)

[Guest guest]

> I have a son who wore a fleece balaclava and rubber rain boats

everyday to

> preschool for a year in Philadelphia, where it is darn hot and

humid all

> summer!!!

Hey, you know what, other kids have similar obsessions sometimes,

even without the OCD! My daughter is the one with OCD, but my son is

the one who insisted on wearing a plastic red batting helmet for two

months straight when he was two years old. He even fell asleep in it

at night. Fortunately he was young enough that most people just

thought it was cute, but I'll never forget the looks from the nursery

workers at church when I dropped him off in his suit, tie and red

batting helment worn proudly with the comment, " He'll be fine, just

don't touch the helmet. "

amy in NJ

[Guest guest]

I remember when Ava (now 13) was an infant and I would take her grocery

shopping, in February, dressed warmly but wearing no socks or shoes. People

would stop me in the store to harass me and I would have to tell them that socks

made her scream and she was happier barefoot. At 8 weeks old! And she didn't

dress " normal " until elementary school. Even then she would wear the same thing

for days in a row. In preschool she would wear her bathing suit or leotard in

the summer and in the winter she would get hooked on certain outfits and stick

with them for months. One of her most memorable was striped pants, a flowered

shirt and a purple and gold lame bikini worn over everything. People would

stare, but considering how difficult it was just to live day to day (I was a

single parent too), I could have cared less.

Those were such difficult years, but fun too.

Dana in NC

[Guest guest]

Dana, summer had these sensory issues that early to. I

have pictures of her at 6 and 7 months with her hands

down her diaper pulling it away from her skin. Her

constant screaming was passed off as colic!!! I was

easier to have her smaller with the sensory issues

though. I didn't get the harrassment about the

clothing like I do now. Teela

_______________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hazel,

For years, my son, Tom, rubbed the hems of his shirts until there

were holes in them!. In the beginning he tried to hide the holes, but

eventually they became too large not to notice! I kept buying new

shirts to replace them - which I now know as enabling him and

encouraging his actions.

To reduce this compulsion, or perhaps reaction to anxiety, i suggest

you have Daryl reduce the amount of rubbing he is doing to his

clothing. Your role is that of the cheer leader. To reduce and

illiminate his shirt shredding, have him pick a spot that he CAN rub,

and remind him that he can only rub that spot. Next stage is to reduce

the times in a day that he would usually be rubbing the cloth. If, for

example, Daryl rubs his clothing all the time, ask if he can not rub

for 5 minute intervals, or perhaps only for 5 minutes and then not at

all for a while. Gradually he should be reducing his shredding. This

wont go away in a day, but with his participation and your

encouragement, you may see success earlier than you think!!

take care, wendy in canada

===========================================================

> I was very interested to read the posts about sensory issues.Daryl

who`s 11 has frrom the age of approx a year always been extremely

resistant to wearing new clothes.Now he even refuses to wear clothes

handed down from his older brother.Every now and then there is a

clothing crisis when his current clothes become too small to wear

anymore.Also over the last month since he has been hospitalized he has

started chewing his clothing,which means that the clothes that he is

happy to wear are turning to shreds.I don`t know if this habit has

developed in order to stop himself from going into a ritual or it`s a

ritual itself.He got very agitated when I tried to discuss this with

him.Does anyone have any experience of this? I`m getting quite

twitched about it and would appreciate any suggestions.Thanks for

listening. > Hazel

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/14/01 11:37:06 AM Eastern Standard Time, kishields@... writes:

Both Tim and have chewed their clothes. What the heck is that about?

my son shreds clothing and anything else he can get his hands on!!!!!!!11

[Guest guest]

Hi, I haven't contributed in a very long time. I, too, could tell my daughter was OCD very young. It's things that I look back and say ahhhh.

She has a very big personal space issue and does not like to be touched.

When she was an infant 4 or 5 months old, she would push me away until I would put her in her bouncy chair alone with her bottle. I never really felt as guilty as people thought I should, I guess because I can relate to a lot of her issues.

She has always had clothes sensitivity. Even now if the socks aren't on just the right way, look out. I finally found some that don't have much of a seam on them. She wont wear anything to clingy or with a certain feel to them.

(Hmmmm, me neither, the apple didn't fall too far from her tree).

I can't wait for summer because both my kids, ocd or not, love to run around barefoot and I let them, because I love it too.

Lynne in NY

[Guest guest]

Both Tim and have chewed their clothes. What the heck is that about? I

really don't know, but it has pretty much gone away in Tim's case (though he

still rips them sometimes), but still chews - gloves in particular!

--

>From: " Hazel Brown " <hazel.home@...>

>Reply-

>< >

>Subject: sensory issues

>Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2001 23:02:19 -0000

>

>I was very interested to read the posts about sensory issues.Daryl who`s 11

>has frrom the age of approx a year always been extremely resistant to

>wearing new clothes.Now he even refuses to wear clothes handed down from

>his older brother.Every now and then there is a clothing crisis when his

>current clothes become too small to wear anymore.Also over the last month

>since he has been hospitalized he has started chewing his clothing,which

>means that the clothes that he is happy to wear are turning to shreds.I

>don`t know if this habit has developed in order to stop himself from going

>into a ritual or it`s a ritual itself.He got very agitated when I tried to

>discuss this with him.Does anyone have any experience of this? I`m getting

>quite twitched about it and would appreciate any suggestions.Thanks for

>listening.

>Hazel

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[Guest guest]

Hi Marlys, I am speaking off the top of my head here, but an Occupational

Therapist can treat and reduce sensory defensiveness--overreaction to loud

sounds, etc. There may be an occupational therapist employed by your

daughter's school system, there is in ours.

Sensory issues are a common problem for people with a wide range of brain

disorders, not just OCD. My daughter had sensory problems from birth, but

for her SSRI plus E & RP over the past year reduced them to a liveable level.

I think the problem comes in because a child may refuse to wear a certain

item of clothing due to scratchinesss, etc. (sensory) or due to obsessions

that it is contaminated, a dangerous color, etc. (OCD.) It's not always

easy to know which issue is the problem.

Kathy R. in indiana

----- Original Message -----

From: <mvistad@...>

..> My 15-yo daughter has had sensory issues since she was very small,

> starting with clothing tag irritations and socks not feeling right.

> By age 10, clothing was not a big as big an issue (she preferred

> loose t-shirts and jeans) but she couldn't stand certain sounds,

> scratching, crunching/chewing, and many others. It is as if these are

> amplified or even painful for her. I really don't understand this,

> but I know it is real for her, and that she doesn't choose to be this

> way. So, that stuff, along with some other things (that look like

> compulsive tics), have led me on a path to try to get her diagnosed

> with SOMETHING... and to find help. It has been SO frustrating.

> We've seen psychologists, a counselor (who helped greatly with

> depression but pooh-poohed the other " stuff " ), a psychiatrist, family

> doctor, tried so many meds without help and plenty of nasty

> side-effects. Sigh.

>

> Anyway, we have an appointment with a neurologist in July, and I'm

> guessing (from extensive research on my part) that it's TS with some

> OCD and SI... but then I'm just a mom. Back to my original point (I

> did have one). She is constantly " exposed " to the bothersome sounds,

> but it doesn't get any better for her. I think it's very much like

> Stephany's " being exposed to cut glass all over your body " example for

> my daughter. So, what is the answer? Never eat with others? Drown

> out the chewing sounds with loud rock music? It is not such a big

> deal at home, but her ways of dealing with the sounds are not

> socially acceptable, and I would like to help her be more functional

> in society and not be humiliated in school, if that's possible.

[Guest guest]

> Hi all,

> Stephany, your previous post about the lack of success of E/RP with

> sensory issues really hit me. I'd like to discuss this issue

further,

> and if anyone has any answers/suggestions, please respond.

Hi All--

I received a piece of 'junk mail' (ha!) today but instead of throwing

it away, I casually flipped through it. Sensory Integration

immediately jumped out at me from the pages of this brochure--

advertising the Children's Hospital in my city (Richmond, VA). Maybe

E & RP and psychologists aren't what your children need. According to

this hospital brochure, they do all kinds of things for kids,

including OT (Occupational Therapy) for kids w/ Sensory Integration.

Here's what it says:

" Occupational Therapy--

Occupational Therapy (OT) sounds like helping a child find a job, but

it actually focuses on things children do to occupy themselves in

their everyday lives, such as eating, dressing, hygiene, and learning

while at play and school. OT focuses on fine motor skills, such as

picking things up with your fingers, buttoning buttons, tying shoes,

holding a pencil, and getting stronger in your hands.

OT also works w/ Sensory Integration which relates to a child's

ability to process and respond to sensory input from all around, such

as touch, movement, sounds, sight, tastes, and smells. Some children

may insist on certain clothing or eat foods of only certain colors or

textures: these can be signs of sensory disorders. Sensory

disorders can impact their ability to learn and interact with their

peers and teachers. OT provides ways to teach children to regulate

themselves and more effectively respond to their environment. " (and

it shows a picture of TWO therapists helping a child put on her

clothing - I immediately thought of Shana's daughter!)

Then, it goes on about Physical Therapy for gross motor skills.

I thought this was interesting. I can get OT thru his IEP

(special ed program) at school for his fine motor problems and

difficulty writing. But! If I'm not happy with the OT therapist

that the school provides, I'll definitely investigate what this

hospital has to offer. Plus, if I had a child w/ severe sensory

problems, I'd definitely look into getting an OT at school PLUS a

program like this hospital offers (if my health insurance plan

covered it).

Joni

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the info Joni. I'll be asking Tarryn's doctor for a

referal on Tuesday.

Thanks again,

Shana

> > Hi all,

> > Stephany, your previous post about the lack of success of E/RP

with

> > sensory issues really hit me. I'd like to discuss this issue

> further,

> > and if anyone has any answers/suggestions, please respond.

>

>

> Hi All--

> I received a piece of 'junk mail' (ha!) today but instead of

throwing

> it away, I casually flipped through it. Sensory Integration

> immediately jumped out at me from the pages of this brochure--

> advertising the Children's Hospital in my city (Richmond, VA).

Maybe

> E & RP and psychologists aren't what your children need. According

to

> this hospital brochure, they do all kinds of things for kids,

> including OT (Occupational Therapy) for kids w/ Sensory

Integration.

> Here's what it says:

>

> " Occupational Therapy--

> Occupational Therapy (OT) sounds like helping a child find a job,

but

> it actually focuses on things children do to occupy themselves in

> their everyday lives, such as eating, dressing, hygiene, and

learning

> while at play and school. OT focuses on fine motor skills, such as

> picking things up with your fingers, buttoning buttons, tying

shoes,

> holding a pencil, and getting stronger in your hands.

> OT also works w/ Sensory Integration which relates to a child's

> ability to process and respond to sensory input from all around,

such

> as touch, movement, sounds, sight, tastes, and smells. Some

children

> may insist on certain clothing or eat foods of only certain colors

or

> textures: these can be signs of sensory disorders. Sensory

> disorders can impact their ability to learn and interact with their

> peers and teachers. OT provides ways to teach children to regulate

> themselves and more effectively respond to their environment. "

(and

> it shows a picture of TWO therapists helping a child put on her

> clothing - I immediately thought of Shana's daughter!)

>

> Then, it goes on about Physical Therapy for gross motor skills.

>

> I thought this was interesting. I can get OT thru his IEP

> (special ed program) at school for his fine motor problems and

> difficulty writing. But! If I'm not happy with the OT therapist

> that the school provides, I'll definitely investigate what this

> hospital has to offer. Plus, if I had a child w/ severe sensory

> problems, I'd definitely look into getting an OT at school PLUS a

> program like this hospital offers (if my health insurance plan

> covered it).

> Joni

[Guest guest]

> Hi all, Stephany, your previous post about the lack of success of

E/RP with sensory issues really hit me. I'd like to discuss this

issue further, and if anyone has any answers/suggestions, please

respond.

Since many of you have been raising this issue again, I'd like to pass

on some information I have just recently found. One of our OT faculty

is actually a specialist in pediatric OT. There are some very

specific programs that can be used to help kids overcome some of these

sensory issues -- I'm thinking in particular of Marlys' comments about

chewing. You might want to check out two web sites:

www:advancedbrain.com and

www.interactivemetronome.com

I am taking Aiden for an eval on Thursday, and I will pass along

anything else I learn.

Jule

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the info. Jule. We work with an OT through 's

school since she is classified as a special education student. From

my understanding, maturity really does help sensory issues since

sensory integration problems are often the result of the nervous

system be underdeveloped. As the child's brain grows (now research

shows the brain grows into one's forties or fifties), the body is

better able to integrate the sensations. This makes sense because

problems with tags, socks, etc, is common to some degree among

children in general. Also, the motivation to fight the bothersome

sensory feelings becomes greater with peer pressure too. My mother

in law has both OCD and sensory integration dysfunction, and still

has to wear only certain clothes, use certain pillows, and take lots

of medication. However, she has a great career, marriage, and

family, and has learned to adapt very well. It's just getting

through the young years that is SOOOO hard!!! 's OCD seems so

much more manageable (at least subject to therapy) than the sensory

integration stuff which, though invisible, is very physically

debilitating.

As a side note, I read in the OCF news letter about research with

brain scans showing people with OCD have impaired myelin function and

reduced white matter but more cortex volume. Fascinating!!!

Stephany

[Guest guest]

I'm relieved to hear you and your son, and your family made it through the storm all right. I saw the picture of the sinkhole on northbound I-95 in West Palm Beach on the Weather Channel's website, wow, what a mess and a terrible thing to go through too. Are you eligible for federal assistance through FEMA? My sister lives on Kauai and in the 27 years she has lived there she has rode out to hurricanes and both times she lost power, the first time for a week or so and the second time a whole month. She was able to get assistance for her food losses at the very least plus coverage of other insured items.

[Guest guest]

Have you eliminated the possibility of meningitis? Intolerance of light is a

feature of that. I've not heard of sensory issues suddenly rearing their

head during illness, they are usually present all the time, and light ones

are often related to the flickering of fluorescent lights.

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I’m new to the group and to Aspergers, but not new to

mothering or to sensory issues—having had 14 including medically fragile foster

babies. My suggestion is to please get to a doctor and rule out meningitis or

another serious virus. Once ruled out, you can then move on to discover what IS

going on. And while at the doctor you can ask questions.

Bette in CA<><

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the my world...lol. Yes, it is VERY MUCH SO part of AS.

psalms2go4 <psalms2go4@...> wrote:

My fourteen-year-old son has been sick for a week with fever and coughing, and during that time has not been able to tolerate much light or certain odors. Even my salad was painfully smelly to him. He suffered intensely when Dad walked through the house briefly with a lit cigar. And, even a lamp light across the room and behind him bothers him.Has anyone noticed this in your child? My son was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome two years ago, and I'm thinking this is part of it.Kathy T.

[Guest guest]

,

Thanks for the info. I didn't know that intolerance of light was a symptom of meningitis. I'm thinking that's not the problem because he doesn't exhibit most of the symptoms. Ray's tolerance of light is better today and he's on his first full day of antibiotics, so I think he'll be OK.

Kathy T. Rowell <nancy@...> wrote:

Have you eliminated the possibility of meningitis? Intolerance of light is a feature of that. I've not heard of sensory issues suddenly rearing their head during illness, they are usually present all the time, and light ones are often related to the flickering of fluorescent lights.

FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click.

[Guest guest]

Yes, it is very much a part of Ray's world, too. Is it sometimes worse during weakness and/or sickness?

Kathy T.Monte Crow <singledad132@...> wrote:

Welcome to the my world...lol. Yes, it is VERY MUCH SO part of AS.

psalms2go4 <psalms2go4@...> wrote:

My fourteen-year-old son has been sick for a week with fever and coughing, and during that time has not been able to tolerate much light or certain odors. Even my salad was painfully smelly to him. He suffered intensely when Dad walked through the house briefly with a lit cigar. And, even a lamp light across the room and behind him bothers him.Has anyone noticed this in your child? My son was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome two years ago, and I'm thinking this is part of it.Kathy T.

[Guest guest]

Oh Yes....Very Much So. <psalms2go4@...> wrote:

Yes, it is very much a part of Ray's world, too. Is it sometimes worse during weakness and/or sickness?

Kathy T.Monte Crow <singledad132@...> wrote:

Welcome to the my world...lol. Yes, it is VERY MUCH SO part of AS.

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[Guest guest]

Thanks for the info!

Kathy T.Monte Crow <singledad132@...> wrote:

Oh Yes....Very Much So. <psalms2go4@...> wrote:

Yes, it is very much a part of Ray's world, too. Is it sometimes worse during weakness and/or sickness?

Kathy T.Monte Crow <singledad132@...> wrote:

Welcome to the my world...lol. Yes, it is VERY MUCH SO part of AS.

FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click.

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[Guest guest]

I agree 100%. I have aspergers, and some sensory issues, but when I'm ill, everything is magnified many times. I must be unbearable to live with then.

Re: Sensory issues

Welcome to the my world...lol. Yes, it is VERY MUCH SO part of AS.

psalms2go4 <psalms2go4@...> wrote:

My fourteen-year-old son has been sick for a week with fever and coughing, and during that time has not been able to tolerate much light or certain odors. Even my salad was painfully smelly to him. He suffered intensely when Dad walked through the house briefly with a lit cigar. And, even a lamp light across the room and behind him bothers him.Has anyone noticed this in your child? My son was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome two years ago, and I'm thinking this is part of it.Kathy T.

[Guest guest]

Migraines, maybe?

Sensory issues

My fourteen-year-old son has been sick for a week with fever and coughing, and during that time has not been able to tolerate much light or certain odors. Even my salad was painfully smelly to him. He suffered intensely when Dad walked through the house briefly with a lit cigar. And, even a lamp light across the room and behind him bothers him.Has anyone noticed this in your child? My son was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome two years ago, and I'm thinking this is part of it.Kathy T.