Sensory issues in an older (pre-teen) child?

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

My 11 YO DS is having "issues" at school and I'm not sure what to make of them.  He seems to get completely overwhelmed when there is too much going on around him -- especially when children are crowded around him on the playground.  He says its "just too much to take" and he freaks out -- runs away, cries, or gets angry and shouts. Now, I know this feeling because its exactly what happens to me when both kids are talking to me at the same time and there is other noise going on.  So, are these sensory issues?  And if so, where do I turn? What should my first step be?

We do have an appointment with a child psychologist that Evan worked with last year for depression, and it would seem that depression could also be the cause.  Both myself and DH struggle with depression as well.

Insight from anyone who has BTDT?  Or anyone else, for that matter!

[Linda on the move]

It could be, but for my DD with sensory issues, there are issues with clothes, foods, smells, etc. It isn't *just* people around her. I really like the book The Out of Sync Child, which is like the Bible on sensory issues. It might help clarify things for you. An Occupational Therapist could be a great deal of help in sorting out if it is sensory stuff, and ideas to help (i.e., constructing a sensory diet). 

Cognitive behavioral therapy was helpful in my DD in dealing with her anxiety, which is related to but not exactly the same as her sensory issues. It's a nice add on to thing directly for sensory issues, but not the whole answer.

Dd also went through a social skills class which really helped her stress around other kids.

Ultimately, we pulled her from public school and put her in a small, private alternative school. The environment is much better suited to her sensory issues than public school -- fewer kids, lower student teacher ratio, no lockers, no bells, more chances to move and do things, etc.

[karne]

Is this new behavior?  It seems that if it was strictly sensory you might have observed it at other times.  was there a precipitating event?

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

Not really new, but greatly intensified, but gradually, over the last year or so.  The last year and a half have been increasingly difficult at school.  But he has always "over-reacted" to too many people around him and/or "normal" playground frustrations.

Interestingly enough, he's already at a private school with low class size, high staff ratio, very controlled classrooms.  Part of why I'm worried about this is that next year he will transition to a public middle school and things might go for bad to worse. 

Thanks for the feedback.  Since I haven't seen reactions to any other sensory stimuli, I may be looking in the wrong place.  Sort of trying to narrow my focus before we move forward in particular directions. 

[LynnS6]

I would highly recommend that you seek out an evaluation by an Occupational Therapist trained in sensory issues. While you may not be seeing other sensory issues, there might be underlying sensory issues that he's compensating for. If he's spending a lot of his energy compensating for sensory overload, for example, just a little extra might send him over the edge. There are also sensory connections that we sometimes don't notice.

For example, our son had vestibular issues that we never noticed. We brought him in because of his tactile issues and his reaction to sound/crowds. His symptoms included:  extreme tactile sensitivities, extreme fear of loud noises, not liking to swing, refusal to put his head below his shoulders and needing to have light in his room when he slept. His OT explained that his reaction to sound and his need to sleep with a light on were related to his vestibular issues. Because he couldn't localize himself in space very well, he also couldn't localize sound very well and it felt like the loud sound was on top of him. The needing to have a light on to sleep was related to the same issue because when it was dark, he couldn't figure out where his body was in space, and it freaked him out. He overly relied on his eyes to make sense of the world.

So, while it's possible that your son's issues are related to anxiety/social anxiety/depression, it's also possible that there are some sensory issues going on. My favorite book about sensory issues is: Sensational Kids.