sensory integration
railyuh
I was wondering if anyone here has experienced sensory issues (sensory integration/sensory processing disorder) with their children? Did you seek help from an OT? I would be interested in hearing about your experience. I know this might seem off-topic, but I was really hoping to hear the perspective of other unschooling parents who have dealt with these issues.
-Annie
-Annie
sheeboo2
----I was wondering if anyone here has experienced sensory issues (sensory integration/sensory processing disorder) with their children? Did you seek help from an OT? -----
My daughter could have likely been diagnosed with a sensory disorder when she was a toddler. Instead of seeking therapy, we helped her by providing an environment that worked for her and didn't stress her out; we didn't take her places that were too noisy or bright; let her be naked, cut out clothing tags and paid attention to textures; wrapped her in heavy blankets; respected her choices about food and paid attention to textures and smells there too, etc.
Integrating sensory activities into our daily life was really helpful. Sandra has Pat R's list here:
http://sandradodd.com/physicality/
You could start there, and look up some of the techniques mentioned, like deep pressure massage, to get a better idea of how to help your child at home.
Noor is almost eight now, and while she still doesn't like loud, crowded places, there aren't many other remnants of the intense sensitivity from her younger days.
Brie
My daughter could have likely been diagnosed with a sensory disorder when she was a toddler. Instead of seeking therapy, we helped her by providing an environment that worked for her and didn't stress her out; we didn't take her places that were too noisy or bright; let her be naked, cut out clothing tags and paid attention to textures; wrapped her in heavy blankets; respected her choices about food and paid attention to textures and smells there too, etc.
Integrating sensory activities into our daily life was really helpful. Sandra has Pat R's list here:
http://sandradodd.com/physicality/
You could start there, and look up some of the techniques mentioned, like deep pressure massage, to get a better idea of how to help your child at home.
Noor is almost eight now, and while she still doesn't like loud, crowded places, there aren't many other remnants of the intense sensitivity from her younger days.
Brie
[email protected]
I am still very new to unschooling so I am not sure if what we chose to do is in keeping with unschooling philosophies (ie. not labeling and such) but we DID seek out an OT for our DS (who is currently 4) last December for a sensory processing disorder. Our son was having really severe problems, though. Last fall he was having meltdowns that would last anywhere from 4-6 hours multiple times day and we were at a loss on what to do. No amount of gentle empathy and adjusting his environment seemed to help. Walking across the floor and *almost* tripping would set him off. Brushing his arm against a wall would set him off. I wound up spending hours a day just holding and rocking him while he screamed and screamed and screamed. His body was just too disorganized. We wound up seeing a fantastic OT (who we still see) who had us do a very special deep pressure technique (that should only be done with a professional) and it was amazing.
Within three weeks his meltdowns had stopped. THat being said, after that we have pretty much just done fun sensory activites and heavy work (pushing pulling, etc . . . ) which we probably could do on our own. But he loves our OT and asks to go so we keep seeing her.
Joanne
Within three weeks his meltdowns had stopped. THat being said, after that we have pretty much just done fun sensory activites and heavy work (pushing pulling, etc . . . ) which we probably could do on our own. But he loves our OT and asks to go so we keep seeing her.
Joanne
--- On Mon, 8/1/11, railyuh <railyuh@...> wrote:
From: railyuh <railyuh@...>
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] sensory integration
To: [email protected]
Date: Monday, August 1, 2011, 11:36 AM
I was wondering if anyone here has experienced sensory issues (sensory integration/sensory processing disorder) with their children? Did you seek help from an OT? I would be interested in hearing about your experience. I know this might seem off-topic, but I was really hoping to hear the perspective of other unschooling parents who have dealt with these issues.
-Annie
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
plaidpanties666
A good book, whether you're concerned about sensory issues or just have a very busy child and need more ideas is The Out of Sync Child.
It makes a good point in the beginning that some sensory troubles are perfectly normal - because all of a child's abilities don't develop exactly in sync with one another it's really common for kids to need more (or less) stimuation than on might expect. Being a little bit "out of sync" is normal in that sense ;)
The book has some wonderful lists of activities for kids - really grat stuff for any parent who need more ideas for physical things to do with a child and they're grouped in ways that are helpful. A child who likes to spend a lot of time bouncing, for instance, will tend to prefer different activities from a child who swings his arms (and maybe hits) a lot.
---Meredith
It makes a good point in the beginning that some sensory troubles are perfectly normal - because all of a child's abilities don't develop exactly in sync with one another it's really common for kids to need more (or less) stimuation than on might expect. Being a little bit "out of sync" is normal in that sense ;)
The book has some wonderful lists of activities for kids - really grat stuff for any parent who need more ideas for physical things to do with a child and they're grouped in ways that are helpful. A child who likes to spend a lot of time bouncing, for instance, will tend to prefer different activities from a child who swings his arms (and maybe hits) a lot.
---Meredith
Sandra Dodd
-=-I was wondering if anyone here has experienced sensory issues (sensory integration/sensory processing disorder) with their children? -=-
Instead of asking about a "disorder" and a label (created by and for professionals), the way to get unschooling assistance is to talk about the situations, the behaviors or responses, and see if people have ideas.
-=-Did you seek help from an OT? -=-
The question is about therapy, and not about unschooling.
Tell us about your child, rather than about a disorder, and you might get a lot of good ideas.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Instead of asking about a "disorder" and a label (created by and for professionals), the way to get unschooling assistance is to talk about the situations, the behaviors or responses, and see if people have ideas.
-=-Did you seek help from an OT? -=-
The question is about therapy, and not about unschooling.
Tell us about your child, rather than about a disorder, and you might get a lot of good ideas.
Sandra
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
railyuh
--- In [email protected], "plaidpanties666" <plaidpanties666@...> wrote:
I do agree that some degree of sensory issues is very normal. Reading about sensory integration has been really helpful in understanding myself and why certain things bother me. Thanks for the encouragement!
-Annie
>Yes, I have found that book very helpful. They also have one called The Out of Sync Child Has Fun that is full of activities and ideas. I skimmed through it briefly once and I need to get my hands on it again to really go through it.
> A good book, whether you're concerned about sensory issues or just have a very busy child and need more ideas is The Out of Sync Child.
>
I do agree that some degree of sensory issues is very normal. Reading about sensory integration has been really helpful in understanding myself and why certain things bother me. Thanks for the encouragement!
-Annie