My Learning Curve: No Farmers Market for my Sensory Boy
They May be Dandelions…
Looming Deadlines
Helloooooo
Mimi Breaks the Block
“There’s Nothing to Eat”
Stop. Take Three Deep Breaths.
At the Mile High Airport
Topsy Turvy Monday
My Eby is a Sensory Seeker. He can’t get enough of jumping on the trampoline, banging on surfaces, or making excessive noise. When he watches a movie, he laughs loudly, calls out to the characters, and makes lots of comments. He lives life at a higher level of excitement than most of us.
Dr. Miller, author of Sensational Kids, compares this intense craving for sensation…
I have a little tip that has been very helpful with Eby. He has extreme reactions to disappointments, mild injuries, correction, etc. Deborah taught us to use our hands
As you can see from the energetic photo, Eby now has a mini trampoline! I made a list of items we needed to begin Occupational Therapy and sent it out over our church email. By that evening we had been given this great trampoline and two large, stuffed bunnies. My friend, Liz, is helping me with my SPD projects and this is what we have planned so far:
My [intlink id="578" type="post"]Sensory Processing Disorder books[/intlink] arrived last week and I jumped in to my education with Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder
Based on our evaluation with the Occupational Therapist, and confirmed by what I am reading, I can see that Eby falls into the category of being a “Sensory Seeker”. He is always moving, crashing into things, overly loud, and just a little bit “over the top” in lots of situations. [...]
Our first steps into exploring Sensory Processing Disorder were small and easy. Eby had an appointment at Seattle Children’s with an Occupational Therapist. We filled out a Sensory Profile while Eby played. It was interesting to see the senses that are perfectly normal for Eby and the others which are extreme and we so clearly see every day. The questions were all answered on a scale of 1 – 5 and for several of the senses our answers ran down the middle of the scale. But when we got to other categories, our answers ran to the extremes of “never, never, never” or “always, always, always”down the page .
Our nephew, Jack, also has Sensory Processing issues, but he is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. Jack is sensitive to sounds, textures, smells, etc. Eby, on the other hand, seeks intense sensory input with constant bouncing against things, banging on walls, making noises with his mouth, rocking back and forth. None of his behavior is extreme, it is just “intense”! People often comment that he is “like a bull in a china shop”, that he is very loud, or just a little too rough. All true…and we need to find ways for him to get the sensory input he needs.
We expected testing of some sort, but the Occupational Therapist just observed Eby playing while she talked with us. It was clear to all of us what his particular issues are and there are many, many ways to help him.
My first task is to read the following books:
She also recommended materials by Diana Henry OT with Henry Occupational Therapy Services
I find it a little bit overwhelming to take on something new in the midst of working on trauma and attachment issues, but I’m gearing up for the task and I feel sure that we can find happy and healthy ways to work with Eby.
My Amazon cart is full, so here we go!
~Lisa
