older kids/teens and sensory issues.

[purslaine]

DD, 13, has some serious sensory issues.  She is not on the AS.  

I hope it is Ok to post  here - I figure some of you have some understanding/experience  with sensory issues  

The sensory issue that is impacting us the most is noise.  DD is extremely sensitive to noise, and it causes some tension in her, with the result being that she blows up at people.

Here is an example:

Younger DD was singing fairly quietly in the car.  We then moved on to playing some sort of car game - it is not a loud game, none the less it is a car and we were in close quarters..  We got out of the car (it was about a 20 minute car ride, btw), youngest DD screeched over something and older DD flipped.  Snarky words in a snarky tone were directed at younger DD.  

This type of event goes on at least once a week.  It used to be daily, so I guess we are making progress, lol.

The progress is due to me altering the environment, though, more than her learning to deal with noise.  Example - we often take 2 cars places, so the noise does not get to DD.  Quite frankly, I also like the noise reduction that comes from less people in one car, but it is a total waste of gas.

I have instituted a quiet time (after 8:00 at night) and a quiet room (living room - where the TV is).  I also redirect younger DD, who is naturally loud, a lot.  I still let her make noise, but suggest she do it in a different room if her sister was there before her.  

The above is the background - here are the questions.

I am thinking of buying DD headphones or earplugs for when she cannot escape noise.  The thing is - she is refusing to wear them.  She claims they bug her ears.  This is undoubtably true.  Do you think it is acceptable to insist a child wear earphones or plugs as a preventative measure?  She is 13.  Having earphones and the like handy in case she becomes overloaded may not work so well.  Sensory overload needs to be prevented in DD to prevent a bad attitude- once she has started to get worked up it is difficult to intervene.

Has anyone done OT with a older child for noise issues?  How did it work?

I am wondering if there is something herbal or homeopathic I can give her to take when she feels the tension rising - a Bach flower remedy or something like it?

TIA

Kathy

Edited by purslaine - 3/6/12 at 7:43am

[EarthRootsStarSoul]

For me, listening to music (iPod) drowns out other noises so I can concentrate - like when I do homework in the college library where there are a lot of other people talking.  There are many different styles of headphones for music or regular earplugs for noise cancelling.  Maybe you can find something that works.  The bonus of getting an iPod and listening to music might be enough motivation for her to use it. 

She also needs to learn (and I'm sure you already recognize this) that she can't control the whole world to her preferences.  It is her responsibility to use coping strategies and develop a level of tolerance. 

I know how hard this all is - my two kids annoy each other and fight too.  :( 

[Jen Muise]

My husband got earplugs custom made at a hearing specialist.  They are musician's ear plugs so they allow him to converse with people, but remove a lot of extra noise which is important for him as he works at car races.  He couldn't wear regular ear plugs because they were too uncomfortable.  These ones are barely noticeable when they are in, and are comfortable for him even when he wears them all day.  Of course your teen has to be motivated to use them, or else it will be 100$ wasted. 

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by EarthRootsStarSoul 
 There are many different styles of headphones for music or regular earplugs for noise cancelling.  Maybe you can find something that works.  The bonus of getting an iPod and listening to music might be enough motivation for her to use it. 

She also needs to learn (and I'm sure you already recognize this) that she can't control the whole world to her preferences.  It is her responsibility to use coping strategies and develop a level of tolerance. 

yes -- my DD has noise cancelling head phones -- large soft ones that look like ear muffs. She doesn't care for the small ones that most people use. Her ear phones are expensive. She also has a iPhone. She likes it because she has music and it helps her tune everything else out. I like it because she doesn't care about having a phone with her enough to carry one, and this way I can reach her.

I do think that teens, even special needs teens, need a little tough love from time to time. So yes, I do think it is completely reasonable to require her to wear headphones at certain times. I'd be flexible as to what sort she prefers and so what she listens too.
 

My DD doesn't do OT at this point, but her sensory issues are better when she gets enough of the right kind of sensory input. We've figured it over the years and now it is just sort of built in to her life, but it isn't too late for you guys to work on it.

We lived in Canada and found it extremely tough in the winter to get DD enough of the right kind of input -- her whole body moving through in different ways is ideal for her. Swimming, swinging, biking, horseback riding, etc are all really helpful. But she needs like an hour a day every day, and that just didn't work with Canada winter.

Swimming is overall the very best thing we've found for my DD's sensory issues. If you have an indoor pool and maybe a swim team where you live, it's worth a try. For my DD, it was better than OT.