Coping with Sensory "issues"

[kalynnsmom]

I have a daughter who's 7 1/2. She has some sensory issues but I'm not sure if it's SPD.

She's very very sensitive to sound. At her school, she has a very difficult time in the cafeteria due to the loud sounds. And of course, as she gets older, there are going to be situations where she will have to encounter noises, etc.

Are there ways to help her cope?

ETA: A friend of mine suggested deep breathing. Would that help kids with sensory issues?

[maybemom05]

Have you spoken with her teacher and the school psychologist? Can you have her evaluated by an occupational therapist?

My DS is super sensitive to sound as well, is easily distracted/bothered by noises, and acts up - a lot - when he's bothered by sounds. I tried going through the school district and got literally no where. I took him to a private OT and expected to hear about auditory and taste sensitivity (He's also a crazy picky eater). The OT also picked up on a large number of gross and fine motor issues that I was only somewhat aware of. I was very surprised!

He's been in OT, working on all of his "issues" for a few months and the results have been AMAZING!!! It's really been incredible to see how much progress he's made in such a short period of time. The senses are all - to some degree - related, so I've even noticed that his auditory defensiveness has decreased since his balance has improved.

If it's at all possible, I would try to have your DD seen by an OT - they will have the most appropriate strategies for her.

[Linda on the move]

I agree with the previous post.

Originally Posted by kalynnsmom

ETA: A friend of mine suggested deep breathing. Would that help kids with sensory issues?

yes, deep breathing is great. I work on it with my DD, and her CBT works on it with her, and they practice it in her social skills class.

However, and this is a really big however, it is kinda like putting a band aid the problem and you need to start with all the stuff in the previous post.

It really isn't right to leave a child in a situation that freaks them out day after day and *just* tell them to breath deeply. When my DDs sensory buttons get pushed she is completely terrified. It's wrong to put a child in a situation where they feel very afraid and then tell them to breath deeply.

Schools cannot official provide accommodations for kids with sensory issues unless they are part of another dx, like autism. However, our school is very understanding and makes minor tweaks for the kids with sensory issues, even if they don't have IEPs/504s. Have you talked to her teacher?

[kalynnsmom]

Thank you for the info. She hasn't been officially evaluated for SPD because she's coped with it (she tucks her ear lobe into her ear canal). But it doesn't work for the cafeteria and that's where she struggles. She's been startled by loud sounds at school and she's told the teacher that it bothers her.

We had an ARD yesterday and she wants to work with me after I told her that I suspect that she has sensory issues.

Her other issue is clothing. She likes things on backwards, ie. her shirt. At school, she spends the day trying to turn her shirt on backwards. So, my husband (a special ed teacher himself) suggested that we put an undershirt backwards on underneath her regular shirt.

The breathing was suggested by someone who doesn't have kids with sensory issues, so I wasn't sure if it'd work..

[raksmama]

Sound definitely like sensory issues to me. Don't wait to have her evaluated by an occupational therapist. That is something that we will always be glad we did.
There is so much one can do and once the SPD starts to improve in one area, for example the tactile sense, automatically other areas often start to get better too. For my son’s tactile sensitivity I used to have to rub him with different textures all over his body every night. By desensitizing his skin, it made him calmer and less sensitive to loud sounds.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by jalilah

Sound definitely like sensory issues to me. Don't wait to have her evaluated by an occupational therapist. That is something that we will always be glad we did.

agreed.

school gets more complicated in middle school with all the bells and the sounds of lockers shutting.

She's needs an eval and an official dx.

We've had GREAT experiences with teachers and the school, but they do like everything all official.

[LynnS6]

I second the idea of an eval by an occupational therapist who works with sensory issues. We had great success with OT for our son. He still doesn't like the noise of the cafeteria (and hardly eats much at lunch), but he's able to cope. And clothing is mostly a non-issue now, whereas before it was a huge struggle.

[raksmama]

I forgot to mention that Ds is now 12 and seems to be able to cope with loud noises. When he was 6 he would get very aggressive in loud gyms. now he does soccer and in the winter it is in a large noisy gym and it does not bother him. My point being SPD can get better but it needs treatment.