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My son has sensory problems

by Elmarie
(South Africa)

My 5 year old son has sensory problems. What kind of exercises does my child needs to do when he is 'sensory defensive'? I want to exercise at home with him.

O.k, some of the symptoms he has are the following:
- cannot sit still
- hates brushing teeth and hair
- hates wearing shoes and socks
- sometimes hates wearing underwear
- struggles to concentrate
- very busy
- talks louder and louder when there's noise around him - also gets more busy when noise is louder
- when I want him to wear a vest under his clothes and it has been washed regularly, now having little wool on, he refuses to wear it
- gets irritated quickly and easily
- hates to struggle
- does not like to search for anything
- starts playing with one thing and when he sees something else, he does not finish the task he started with
- he can play roughly with other children and his dad, but someone mustn't play roughly with him or he cries easily
- struggles to eat breakfast in the morning - but doesn't complain about eating foods like corn etc.
- he walks around now with feelings of negativity that he is no good because his previous school labeled him as naughty - we are really struggling with this part

I took him to a occupational therapist a while back - she confirmed his problem. I just cannot afford the sessions and want to help him at home with exercises.
Can anyone assist me? I can really see he's struggling.

Kind regards
Elmarie

Comments for
My son has sensory problems

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Some Tips for Living with Sensory Processing Disorder
by: OT Mom

Hi Elmarie

I sympathize with you, it has been a rough ride so far!

The fact that he dislikes certain tactile experiences (socks & shoes, underwear, brushing teeth and hair, rough play when someone is rough with him) makes me think that he definitely has a sensory processing disorder of some sort. It will really help if you can find an Occupational Therapist in your area who can at least show you a brushing program that you can do with him at home. Unfortunately it is not the kind of thing that I can describe to you and then you can do it, you need to have a hands on demonstration. But it really, really helps. It does take a bit of discipline in the beginning, as it initially needs to be done 3 times a day, but you should see the results if you keep up with it.

As your son sounds so similar to mine, I am going to share what helped me in our own life:

I have to remind myself that, because he has a sensory processing disorder, he struggles to "screen out" information which we think is really minor (like the seams on socks, and labels on underpants). So if he gets irritable because he is wearing a scratchy top, I give that top away and let him wear a different one. Maybe you could try a long-sleeved t-shirt instead of a vest? or add layers on top instead of layers underneath? My son loves his fleece waistcoat, which he wears over his t-shirts instead of a vest underneath!

Kids with sensory processing problems who receive a small bump or bruise can scream as though they have been killed, because to them, it is such an assault on their over-sensitive systems. As they get older, they can learn to calm down and not overreact so much, but it does help if you give deep pressure. Deep pressure helps to calm a child who is "overreacting", and helps him to find a "stable base" in himself to go out and face the world again! My son responds well to a firm hug when he has hurt himself (I hug him from behind, and then I can apply pressure all the way down his back and arms as I wrap my arms around him). He also finds jumping on a trampoline calming (the jumping gives him deep pressure input - proprioception- from his own muscles working hard). Rocking on a rocking horse or swinging on a swing can also be calming.

I have also found that it helps to give J a quiet place to go when things get too much (we often have lots of kids and people in our home) - he likes to go and get into bed (warm place) with the curtains closed (dark) and sometimes he listens to music or just lies there until he feels ready to come out and face the world. Of course, we have to get the balance right between expecting him to do his best to interact with a world that requires this interaction, and finding a safe space to recover!

I hope you found this helpful?

Kind regards,
OT Mom

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