[CalebsMama05]

i'm not really sure where else to post this...I know sensory integration disorder/dysfunction is considered a *childs* disease/issue.

I was curious if anyone knew anything about SID in adults? I've always felt *weird* about certain issues I have (bright lights, lots of people, loud noises, eye contact, etc etc) and a mama on one of my march babies yahoo groups posted a thing about SID and highlighted what her son did/had and it really got me thinking...b/cuz a lot of those things fit me to a T.

this isn't a *i need attention look at me* posts I'm just curious b/cuz right now i feel like a freak

 

[Finch]

Oh absolutely. Adults can most certainly have it. Here's a good book my SID suppot group recommend for adults:

Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight

 

[A&A]

Smells bother me, lights bother me, noises bother me, certain textures bother me---all more than they bother other people (and my dh makes fun of me about it--well, in a lighthearted way.) So, yeah, I probably have SID or some version of it.

 

[Elowyn]

I have a good friend with what I'm sure is SID - problems with certain smells, sounds, textures, etc. She's otherwise perfectly "normal" (well, other than her choices in friends

) and has done quite well for herself in life. For whatever that's worth.

 

[wonderwahine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by A&A Smells bother me, lights bother me, noises bother me, certain textures bother me---all more than they bother other people (and my dh makes fun of me about it--well, in a lighthearted way.) So, yeah, I probably have SID or some version of it.

: I think ds has a very minor form of it, he doesnt like big crowds, his socks, zippers, flame retardant fabric.

 

[arlecchina]

check into HSP also. it seems to have a great deal of similarities although I am not too precise on SID.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highly_sensitive_persons

I read of this originally on okcupid of all places, took a quiz and scored 98 freaking percent so then I got some books and did some more research on it. It explains me quite well. when I first read of SID it seemed so similar in output to me.

 

[witchbaby]

after reading about sid in children, i've come to the conclusion that is what i have. i just thought i was a freak! i can't eat some foods because of their texture, i can't wear some clothes (wool makes me itch to the point of getting hives, jeans that put any pressure on my belly cause horrible stomach cramps, i can't have tags on my neck, if i can feel the toe seam in my sock, i have to fix it, etc.), i shut down if i find a situation overwhelming (like a crowded party), etc.

 

[OakBerry]

I absolutely have SID! I think it's pretty mild as an adult though.
I remember being in Kindergarten and having to have my shoes tied so tight it practically cut off my circulation. If one shoe was tighter than the other it made me so miserable I'd have a fit. It would have to be retied over an over until it was "right". Same thing with belts or the sashes on my dresses (remember those from the 70's?) Lacey polyester dresses used to make me itch and try to pull my clothes off. My mother used to get so exasperated with me.

As an adult I dress pretty much exclusively in cotton clothing. Loud noises have always bothered me. Wool is intolerable to me. Smells bother me alot.

Ds has alot of these same traits!

 

[lisac77]

I had SID as a child, and I definitely still feel the effects of it as an adult. I'm still a picky eater (I had full blown food aversion as a child, due to textures), I still have social issues, sensory issues (clothing, being scratched on the neck by DS!!! OMG that sends me around the bend). When I was nursing DS I couldn't STAND the flutter sucking. I could take it for about five seconds and then I'd have to pull him off.

For a long time I thought I was "cured" but I had a sudden realization a few months ago that this stuff is always going to be a part of my life. There's not a whole lot I can do about it.

 

[Shaunam]

I suspect that I had/have it. As a kid, I was *extremely* sensitive to certain clothing, textures, noises, ect. I was a very reasonably well-behaved child but I would throw all-out tantrums when my socks didn't feel right. I specifically remember the sock thing because I *still* have issues with it today. I don't throw tantrums anymore

but I still have to adjust and readjust my socks for as long as it takes for them to feel "right". I couldn't eat creamy food or I'd gag and sometimes vomit. Now, I still gag horribly, but I don't vomit, with the exception of when I was pregnant.

There are a # of reasons why I believe I had it, but I won't get too into it because it'll be a novel. The intense feelings have lessened as I've gotten older and now I have some level of control. Like for instance, if my socks were "wrong" when I was a kid, I literally couldn't concentrate on *anything* else until I fixed them, but now, it bothers me and I think about it constantly, but I can still pay attention to what I'm doing until I can fix them.

And for instance, last week at the store, it was crazy back-to-school-shopping for a lot of people and I had to go down the school supply aisle for something and so many people were in that aisle and a couple of them brushed against me and all the sudden I felt like I had bugs crawling all over me and I felt like I needed to cry. I didn't cry, but I did get out of that aisle as quickly as possible, before I even found what I needed. I went back later when less people were there. As a kid, I would've broken down and cried and clinged to my mom.

I get very anxious in social situations. To the point where I'm almost hyperventilating. High school speech class helped with that a little. Now I can get in front of a crowd of people and talk, but that's about it. Personal social situations, I still freak out.

Yes, I believe adults can have it.

 

[OakBerry]

I just wanted to add that most adults that have SID to any degree have probably had it since childhood. So that means they've learned ways to cope and function. Also, as adults we make our own choices, so we don't think twice about why we avoid or gravitate to certain things. As a child, we were at the mercy of our caregivers.

Like me, I dress only in soft cotton clothes and jeans. Because I pick out and buy all my clothing myself. As a child, I wore what my mother gave me, which wasn't always comfortable for me.
I can tie my shoes however I like (and I'm still extrememly particular about the way my shoes fit, I buy 2 sizes, wear them around the house, and return the one that doesn't fit right, lol) When I was a child I had to depend on others to do it for me.

I am ds's advocate with his sensory issues. Dh does not understand, I'm glad I do!

And Lisa, the flutter sucking used to drive me bonkers also! I used to feel guilty about that.

 

[wonderwahine]

i took the self test for HSP.....me and ds are both HSP's so its kinda nice to find a reason why i go loopy in a mall thats busy, and freak over a tag or thread in my clothes.

 

[lilyka]

I have it. I was misdiagnosed witbhseveral differnt things (including deslexia and ADHD) before having my dd. once she was diagnosed I started looking mor einto it and realized all my issues were the same. dd and had a lot of the same factors early in life:stressful pregnancy/post partum homelife, week in the NICU, 6 weeks early allof which can contribute. it is also thought to be perhaps hereditary. so who knows. . . .

anyway, i think the reason so often it is not talked about in adults is because by the time we are adults we have learned to work around it, developed coping skills and know our limitations and it is no longer much of a problem. In the pronounced (but not debilitating - for example the child who won't eat or the one who scream bloody murder everytime they are tuoched) it is only a problem in children until we get everything figured out and learn how do deal with it. then it moves ibnto the catagory of irritating and quirky. although I htink a lot of people put thier children in situations where quirky is not acecptable and people are not willing to work around thier coping skills (school) and it becomes a classroom dissability. but once we graduate we are fre to cope in whatever we need and get jobs and stucture our lives in ways that make sense to us.

So the only time it really effects me is when I get over stimulated and my mind gets muddy which I can usually avoid. however sometimes it comes on really fast andbecomes a viscious cycle. i can't remove myself because i can't think clearly enough to walk, I can't ask people to stop doing what they are doing because I can't talk .. . . but that doesn't happen to often. usually my children are the cause of it (imagine that

) and I can get them to stop. I think it also contributes to over eating for me. but otherwise I have had to accept there are things I will never be able to do - sight read music, play video games - but whatever. but since I know this now and people don't force me to do things i just pull it together to do, it is not altogher noticable.

it really comes down to learning to cope and perhaps rewiring yoru brain (through repition) to work around the problem area. its been really cool watching how dd has rewired herself. I amsure she looks rediculous sometimes to others but I totally get her and why she has to do the things she does.

 

[lilyka]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shaunam And for instance, last week at the store, it was crazy back-to-school-shopping for a lot of people and I had to go down the school supply aisle for something and so many people were in that aisle and a couple of them brushed against me and all the sudden I felt like I had bugs crawling all over me and I felt like I needed to cry.

this will still occaisionally reduce me to tears. just reading it made my heart beat faster and gave me goose bumps.

picking up my kids after church is hard to. it is a narrow hallway and everyone bumping and kids chattering and crying and people running all over and then back tot he crowded foyer . . . . I actually run for the door after church. sometimes i am fighting tears by the time i reach the outside. some sundays I kow I an't handle it and will sneak out early just to avoid the crowd.

and my isues are much more pronouced while pregnant. but then I think I am in a state of constant overstimulation once that baby starts moving. and there is no way to get around it. thre is always someone touching me. I remember once with my last, she had settled down for a bit and then started moving and I started bawling. I could not take another second of it. And I knew there was no way out. I had a prenatal the day I had her and was going to beg for an induction because I just couldn't take it any more. God was merciful. I had her at the prenatal apopintment

.

 

[Shaunam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OakBerry I just wanted to add that most adults that have SID to any degree have probably had it since childhood. So that means they've learned ways to cope and function. Also, as adults we make our own choices, so we don't think twice about why we avoid or gravitate to certain things. As a child, we were at the mercy of our caregivers.

I totally agree with this. I'm not sure my symptoms have lessened as much as I think they have, I just have control over my own life now. When I was a kid and my mom made custard for dessert and I couldn't eat it because I would throw up, I would be very upset that I couldn't have dessert. But as an adult, I can choose what I want to eat and believe me, I eat plenty of desserts to make up for the icky custards, puddings, icing covered stuff I was offered as a child.

I explained all of this to my mom when I learned about SID a few years ago and she said, "Oh they have a name for everything now, you were just a sensitive kid."

: She has NO idea how tough it is to live like this! And she doesn't realize that what I've shared with her is the tip of the iceburg. She doesn't realize that this "sensitive kid" STILL has issues.

One time, she asked me if I wanted mayo on my sandwich and I reminded her that I couldn't eat it and she said, "Oh, I thought you would have grown out your pickiness by now". Nobody understands that it's not about being sensitive. It's not like I CHOOSE to be a pita when it comes to eating and getting dressed. I wish I could just hop out of bed, throw on some clothes, and eat whatever happens to be on the table. As a kid, I just couldn't do that.

Even now, people make fun of my "quirks" and they are just so ignorant.

Ugh, sorry that turned into a vent.

I'm just thankful that I will be understanding if my DS has any of these problems.

 

[arlecchina]

Quote:

Originally Posted by romans_mum i took the self test for HSP.....me and ds are both HSP's so its kinda nice to find a reason why i go loopy in a mall thats busy, and freak over a tag or thread in my clothes.

after I took it I had my son do it and he scored extremely high as well, like 96%

 

[lisac77]

Autonomy has a lot to do with me being "normal." Socially I'm good for about 8-10 hours (generally the length of a work day), after that I need to be alone and doing things to recharge, or I lose it. Badly.

For the last few years I've gone on trips to see DH's family in Iran. The last two trips have been just me and DS in a foreign country where I don't speak the language, living full time with people I barely know, and with virtually no autonomy whatsoever. This was bad news, and I did get a lot of those kid things back - tantrums, crying, being overstimulated, etc. Talk about embarrassing. It got so bad at one point that I actually considered peeing in a disposable diaper so that I didn't have to face anyone, as there was one bathroom in the house and it was across the living room so you have to speak to at least five people going and coming (I ended up using the bathroom, but didn't look at or speak to anyone). I'm sure they think I am the hugest freak ever.

These experiences really drove it home for me - I have this disorder, and I will always have it. I won't be doing those solitary trips again. I just can't handle it. If it's a place where I can get around by myself and do my own stuff, I'm good.

 

[meowee]

You could have Asperger's traits.

 

[wonderwahine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by arlecchina after I took it I had my son do it and he scored extremely high as well, like 96%

ds rated pretty high, but i couldnt answer yes or no to some of them since hes only 10mths old. But from what I've observed in him from birth, hes definatly sensitive.