SPD: verbal stimming and hello

[indigobunting]

Hi, I found this group while googling about verbal stimming. My daughter will be 3 at the end of the month, and we've known about her spd since November.

I have just identified tonight that her really difficult to listen to repeated phrases is "stimming". So, other than improving her sensory diet, I need to learn how to address the stimming in the moment. Can anyone point me towards some resources to learn more about this? We attachment parent her, so any recommendations would need to fit within that philosophy. But basically, I need to understand what is going on. Do I need to stop it because it's inherently not good for her brain? Or is it simply my sign that she has unmet sensory needs?

TIA!

[SpottedFoxx]

It's either a sign of unmet needs or overstimulation - neither will "hurt" her brain.  "The Out Of Sync Child Has Fun" is a great resource for creating a sensory diet for your child.  OT is super important - earlier the better.   I too am an attachment parenting Mom and I will say that many of the sensory games and activities are fantastic in the AP type family.  Big hugs, having my son climb behind me on the sofa and I snuggle back on my favorite pillow boy, making him into a pizza  by having him lay down and I make pretend I'm putting ingredients on him (while pushing down on him to give deep pressure to settle his nervous system), etc.  

[earthmama4]

Big hugs to you! I think verbal stims are some of the hardest to deal with because they are so hard to ignore. I have a 14 yr old DS with vocal stims and I totally get how draining that can be. He's been doing it noticeably since age 3! That is 11 years of listening to near constant talking, humming, animal sounds, whistling, clicking, and hundreds of other random sounds plus accents and impersonation voices. It makes me nearly lose my mind sometimes! 

As I understand it, babies and toddlers naturally stim for feedback but once they've squeezed what learning they need from it, they move on. An older kid who stims is sort of "stuck" in this toddler mode because their brain, for whatever reason, is not adequately receiving that feedback. Its like their brain never gets the "ah-ha" moment and just keeps driving them to explore the sensation.  I get that, but he must also learn to live with others and not drive them to total insanity with constant noise either! So I tell him to stop if I need to. If he can't, I ask him to go upstairs or in another room for a while. I can't do this all the time or he'd never be near me, but during times when the noise is just too much or I am trying to talk to DH or something, I will expect him to show some control or leave the room. Perhaps this is something you can practice with her, depending of course on age. 

As far as helping give her that feedback, I would suggest headphones with music, or maybe a keyboard with headphones. See if the feedback she is striving for is auditory. For DS it is. He loves any toy that makes noise. Battery operated baby toys have been banned from this house since forever since he will push the buttons over and over and over (yes even at 14!) and then repeat the little phrase throughout the day as well. BUT a keyboard with headphones give him the same feedback and keeps my sanity. And the bonus is that he is good at music. He has taught himself several songs and music is infinitely easier for me to listen to than clicking or mindless chatter!

[indigobunting]

Thank you both! This is helpful!

[teamsalem]

Originally Posted by earthmama4 

Big hugs to you! I think verbal stims are some of the hardest to deal with because they are so hard to ignore. I have a 14 yr old DS with vocal stims and I totally get how draining that can be. He's been doing it noticeably since age 3! That is 11 years of listening to near constant talking, humming, animal sounds, whistling, clicking, and hundreds of other random sounds plus accents and impersonation voices. It makes me nearly lose my mind sometimes! 

That is my DS.  I never realized it was an abnormality until recently.   We always knew he was different, I just thought he was a musical guy.  The constant noise drives me crazy, though.  Many mornings I feel really on edge because of it.  I crave quiet. 

My DS was diagnosed with APD (auditory processing disorder) as well as SPD.  Our OT said the constant noise is part of his APD, and we are currently doing listening therapy.  So far, I haven't seen an improvement, but we are only about halfway done with the program.  He is, however, a lot quieter with the headphones on.

[EarthRootsStarSoul]

Originally Posted by SpottedFoxx 

It's either a sign of unmet needs or overstimulation - neither will "hurt" her brain. 

Yeah, it's not a problem and you shouldn't try to make her stop.  She's getting something out of doing it.  A more productive idea is to train her impulse into real singing and music practice.  My 5yo seems to have ADHD and he loves action.  Rather than trying to force him to be still, I'm gently introducing him to breakdancing.  He thought the idea was stupid at first, but I showed him some amazing YouTube videos and now he's hooked.  With no formal training yet, he's actually pretty good--he has great body awareness and that drive to be physical.

One can see a problem, or one can see potential.