I took ds to an OT a couple of weeks ago to look at his fine motor and possibe SPD. I've been suspecting some sensory integration issues in him for a while that would explain some of his beyond normal challenging behavior and a collection of seemingly unrelated issues. I finally picked up The Out of Sync Child and he hit a LOT of the items. The OT confirmed what I was thinking. 
Ds reacts very strongly to loud sounds (by going uncontrollably wild, not by avoiding them), he is extremely sensitive visually (thus his huge meltdowns after screen time) and auditorally (takes a long time tuning out outside noises when trying to concentrate), and he seeks proprioceptive and vestibular sensations (thus his constant movement, stomping feet, spinning, etc). And his motor planning and fine motor are related too! A kicker for me was his description of what his body felt like when he was trying to relax or fall asleep - like ants crawling on his back and tummy, or like white noise on the tv.
Anyway, they started OT with him last week and are setting up a sensory diet for him. The first thing is brushing and joint compressions several times per day (takes a couple of minutes). They said often changes are evident within a couple of days. Lo and behold, the day after we started, my mom made a comment about how mellow he was that day - not in a lackluster sort of way, just calm and focused. That day, he also looked at some pictures on the computer (dynamic, panoramic views that he could move the mouse to look at different angles) and then independently quit the program and sat down to read - something that normally I'd have to tear him away from with 5 minute warning and an ensuing tantrum anyway. My mom had no idea we'd started anything at home, so it was a completely unbiased observation. Also, today, he had a lot of fun at his birthday party, but he never lost control and we never even had to correct or guide him AT ALL! Sounds little, but it's HUGE!
It may be coincidental, but I'm pretty excited so far.
Ds reacts very strongly to loud sounds (by going uncontrollably wild, not by avoiding them), he is extremely sensitive visually (thus his huge meltdowns after screen time) and auditorally (takes a long time tuning out outside noises when trying to concentrate), and he seeks proprioceptive and vestibular sensations (thus his constant movement, stomping feet, spinning, etc). And his motor planning and fine motor are related too! A kicker for me was his description of what his body felt like when he was trying to relax or fall asleep - like ants crawling on his back and tummy, or like white noise on the tv.
Anyway, they started OT with him last week and are setting up a sensory diet for him. The first thing is brushing and joint compressions several times per day (takes a couple of minutes). They said often changes are evident within a couple of days. Lo and behold, the day after we started, my mom made a comment about how mellow he was that day - not in a lackluster sort of way, just calm and focused. That day, he also looked at some pictures on the computer (dynamic, panoramic views that he could move the mouse to look at different angles) and then independently quit the program and sat down to read - something that normally I'd have to tear him away from with 5 minute warning and an ensuing tantrum anyway. My mom had no idea we'd started anything at home, so it was a completely unbiased observation. Also, today, he had a lot of fun at his birthday party, but he never lost control and we never even had to correct or guide him AT ALL! Sounds little, but it's HUGE!
It may be coincidental, but I'm pretty excited so far.
s
. We tried monthly meeting but too many kids melted down/ramped up when mom went out for an evening.
