The inability to function smoothly is not because the child won't, but because he can't.
Do you ever wonder why? Why does my child act this way? Why does my child not seem to register that something can be harmful to him/her? Why doe my child seem to know the difference one minute and completely forget or not care the next?
I wonder this all the time. I use to think my son just does not listen to me. Constantly ignoring me and doing whatever he wanted. It never came to my mind, before now, that he just was not able to understand.
Here is an example:
How inefficient sensory integration leads to inefficient learning.
Your child pulls the cat's tail, the cat hisses, arches its back, and spits. Normally, through experience, a child will learn not to repeat such a scary experience. He learns to be cautious with the cat. in the future, his behavior will be more adaptive.
The child with SI Dysfunction, however, may have difficulty "reading cues, " verbal or non-verbal, from the environment. He may not decode the auditory message of the cat's hostile hissing, and visual of the cat's arched back, or the tactile message of the spit on his cheek. He misses the "big picture" and may not learn appropriate caution.
Another possibility is that the child can read the cat's reaction but is unable to change his behavior and stop himself. He receives the sensory information, but can't organize it to produce an efficient response.
A third possibility is that the child sometimes can take sensations, organize them, and respond appropriately - but not today. This may be one of his "off" days.
This explains a lot, for my situation at least.
I can tell when my child can't process something. I can tell when he does not understand. I can see the signs of him struggling and things that lead up to it. I know, when he flips his right shoe off and on, he is uncomfortable. When he chews on his clothes he is having a hard time understanding and concentrating.
I am beginning to understand him, a little at a time. What I don't understand is how to explain it to others. How to explain it where it does not look like I am making excuses for him, or lacking any parenting skills, or flat out just do not care. I know when we are out to dinner or shopping and my child breaks down, for whatever the reason, it is because he does not understand or cannot process or accept what is going on. To outsiders it looks like I am a mother who cannot control her child. A mother who lets her child take advantage of her. A mother who does not respect others in a way.
I guess what really matters is not that the world understands him, but that the people in his world understand him.
You have to have patience. You have to be open-minded and understanding. I am still working on the patience and the understanding. When things get out of control and my child is having a huge meltdown, I try to remind myself that he does not understand. If I am his mother and I do not completely understand the world and his disorder, how can I expect him to?
[All information in this blog is from personal experience and from The Out-of-Sync Child, unless otherwise stated.]
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Monday Monday....
So, my son starts the bus tomorrow. I was excited about this last week, but not so much anymore. He wants to ride the bus. He rode one when he was in the first school. I loved the set up his new school had. The Driver was a father of a special needs child, and a teacher there at the school of a different special needs class. The aid on the bus was the Coach and has been working with special needs children for a while.
Friday, Mr. Stephens tells me my son will most likely not be on his bus due to the time limit and the route would be over 2 hours with picking up my kiddo. So another bus will start picking him up tomorrow.
He is excited.
Anyways, not too much to say. Just wanted to give a quick update.
Thank you for reading.
Friday, Mr. Stephens tells me my son will most likely not be on his bus due to the time limit and the route would be over 2 hours with picking up my kiddo. So another bus will start picking him up tomorrow.
He is excited.
Anyways, not too much to say. Just wanted to give a quick update.
Thank you for reading.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Traffic Jam
Our physical senses are intended to assist us. Deficiencies in these areas encourage a variety of visible behavioral difficulties. Identifying these distinctions early allows the necessary actions to be implemented. Sensory issues may be altered with treatment. The capacity to understand the world would become less complicated for those affected. Realistic encounters within their environments would become more productive and less confusing.
People always ask me, "What is Sensory Processing Disorder?"
Honestly, I don't really know, not the full spectrum of the disorder anyways. I mean I have read so much about it, but there are still so many questions left unanswered. I guess the best explanation I have found is "A traffic jam of information in your brain."
This disorder is child specific. Meaning that no two children with this disorder are exactly alike. They don't react the same to situations and in fact can react the exact opposite to another child. SPD/SID is usually accompanied by another disorder or several. Like, ADHD and Autism.
Here is some helpful information I have found.
Information found at The SPD Foundation
Most children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) are just as intelligent as their peers. Many are intellectually gifted. Their brains are simply wired differently. They need to be taught in ways that are adapted to how they process information, and they need leisure activities that suit their own sensory processing needs.
Research by the SPD Foundation indicates that 1 in every 20 children experiences symptoms of Sensory Processing Disorder that are significant enough to affect their ability to participate fully in everyday life. Symptoms of SPD, like those of most disorders, occur within a broad spectrum of severity. While most of us have occasional difficulties processing sensory information, for children and adults with SPD, these difficulties are chronic, and they disrupt everyday life.
"Is it something I did?" parents want to know.
The causes of SPD are among the subjects that researchers at SPD Foundation and their collaborators elsewhere have been studying. Preliminary research suggests that SPD is often inherited. If so, the causes of SPD are coded into the child's genetic material. Prenatal and birth complications have also been implicated, and environmental factors may be involved. Of course,as with any developmental and/or behavioral disorder, the causes of SPD are likely to be the result of factors that are both genetic and environmental. Only with more research will it be possible to identify the role of each.
Signs of SPD/SID
Information found at Sensory Processing Disorder
Signs Of Tactile Dysfunction:
Hypersensitive:
Refuses or resists messy play, resists cuddling and light touch, dislikes kisses, rough clothes or seams in socks, resists baths, showers, or going to the beach.
Hyposensitive:
Doesn't realize hands or face are dirty, touches everything and anything constantly, may be self-abusive, plays rough with peers, doesn't seem to feel pain (may even enjoy it!)
Signs Of Vestibular Dysfunction:
Hypersensitive:
Avoids playground and moving equipment, fearful of heights, dislikes being tipped upside down, often afraid of falling, walking on uneven surfaces, and avoids rapid, sudden or rotating movements.
Hyposensitive:
Craves any possible movement experience, especially fast or spinning, never seems to sit still, is a thrill seeker, shakes leg while sitting, loves being tossed in the air, never seems to get dizzy, full of excessive energy.
Signs Of Proprioceptive Dysfunction:
Under-responsive:
Constantly jumping, crashing, and stomping, loves to be squished and bear hugs, prefers tight clothing, loves rough-housing, and may be aggressive with other children.
Over-responsive:
Difficulty understanding where body is in relation to other objects, appears clumsy, bumps into things often, moves in a stiff and/or uncoordinated way.
Difficulty Regulating Input:
Doesn't know how hard to push on an object, misjudges the weight of an object, breaks objects often and rips paper when erasing pencil marks.
Signs Of Auditory Dysfunction:
Hypersensitive:
Covers ears and startled by loud sounds, distracted by sounds not noticed by others, fearful of toilets flushing, hairdryers and/or vacuums, resists going to loud public places (even cafeteria at school).
Hyposensitive:
May not respond to verbal cues, loves loud music and making noise, may appear confused about where a sound is coming from, may say "what?" frequently.
Signs Of Oral Dysfunction:
Hypersensitive:
Picky eater with extreme food preferences and limited repertoire, may gag on textured food, difficulty with sucking, chewing, and swallowing, extremely fearful of the dentist, dislikes toothpaste and brushing teeth.
Hyposensitive:
May lick, taste or chew on inedible objects, loves intensely flavored foods, may drool excessively, frequently chews on pens, pencils, or shirt.
Signs Of Olfactory Dysfunction:
Hypersensitive:
Bothered or nauseated by cooking, bathroom and/or perfume smells, may refuse to go places because of the way it smells, chooses foods based on smell, notices smells not normally noticed by others.
Hyposensitive:
May not notice unpleasant or noxious odors, smells everything when first introduced to it, may not be able to identify smells from scratch 'n sniff stickers.
Signs Of Visual Dysfunction:
Hypersensitive:
Irritated by sunlight or bright lights, easily distracted by visual stimuli, avoids eye contact, may become over aroused in brightly colored rooms.
Hyposensitive:
Difficulty controlling eye movements and tracking objects, mixes up similar letters, focuses on little details in a picture and misses the whole, looses his place frequently when reading or copying from the blackboard.
Click here for a SPD check list.
I hope this information is helpful to you! It is so hard to understand SPD. Things that seem ok with your child one day traumatize them the next.
People always ask me, "What is Sensory Processing Disorder?"
Honestly, I don't really know, not the full spectrum of the disorder anyways. I mean I have read so much about it, but there are still so many questions left unanswered. I guess the best explanation I have found is "A traffic jam of information in your brain."
This disorder is child specific. Meaning that no two children with this disorder are exactly alike. They don't react the same to situations and in fact can react the exact opposite to another child. SPD/SID is usually accompanied by another disorder or several. Like, ADHD and Autism.
Here is some helpful information I have found.
Information found at The SPD Foundation
Most children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) are just as intelligent as their peers. Many are intellectually gifted. Their brains are simply wired differently. They need to be taught in ways that are adapted to how they process information, and they need leisure activities that suit their own sensory processing needs.
Research by the SPD Foundation indicates that 1 in every 20 children experiences symptoms of Sensory Processing Disorder that are significant enough to affect their ability to participate fully in everyday life. Symptoms of SPD, like those of most disorders, occur within a broad spectrum of severity. While most of us have occasional difficulties processing sensory information, for children and adults with SPD, these difficulties are chronic, and they disrupt everyday life.
"Is it something I did?" parents want to know.
The causes of SPD are among the subjects that researchers at SPD Foundation and their collaborators elsewhere have been studying. Preliminary research suggests that SPD is often inherited. If so, the causes of SPD are coded into the child's genetic material. Prenatal and birth complications have also been implicated, and environmental factors may be involved. Of course,as with any developmental and/or behavioral disorder, the causes of SPD are likely to be the result of factors that are both genetic and environmental. Only with more research will it be possible to identify the role of each.
Signs of SPD/SID
Information found at Sensory Processing Disorder
Signs Of Tactile Dysfunction:
Hypersensitive:
Refuses or resists messy play, resists cuddling and light touch, dislikes kisses, rough clothes or seams in socks, resists baths, showers, or going to the beach.
Hyposensitive:
Doesn't realize hands or face are dirty, touches everything and anything constantly, may be self-abusive, plays rough with peers, doesn't seem to feel pain (may even enjoy it!)
Signs Of Vestibular Dysfunction:
Hypersensitive:
Avoids playground and moving equipment, fearful of heights, dislikes being tipped upside down, often afraid of falling, walking on uneven surfaces, and avoids rapid, sudden or rotating movements.
Hyposensitive:
Craves any possible movement experience, especially fast or spinning, never seems to sit still, is a thrill seeker, shakes leg while sitting, loves being tossed in the air, never seems to get dizzy, full of excessive energy.
Signs Of Proprioceptive Dysfunction:
Under-responsive:
Constantly jumping, crashing, and stomping, loves to be squished and bear hugs, prefers tight clothing, loves rough-housing, and may be aggressive with other children.
Over-responsive:
Difficulty understanding where body is in relation to other objects, appears clumsy, bumps into things often, moves in a stiff and/or uncoordinated way.
Difficulty Regulating Input:
Doesn't know how hard to push on an object, misjudges the weight of an object, breaks objects often and rips paper when erasing pencil marks.
Signs Of Auditory Dysfunction:
Hypersensitive:
Covers ears and startled by loud sounds, distracted by sounds not noticed by others, fearful of toilets flushing, hairdryers and/or vacuums, resists going to loud public places (even cafeteria at school).
Hyposensitive:
May not respond to verbal cues, loves loud music and making noise, may appear confused about where a sound is coming from, may say "what?" frequently.
Signs Of Oral Dysfunction:
Hypersensitive:
Picky eater with extreme food preferences and limited repertoire, may gag on textured food, difficulty with sucking, chewing, and swallowing, extremely fearful of the dentist, dislikes toothpaste and brushing teeth.
Hyposensitive:
May lick, taste or chew on inedible objects, loves intensely flavored foods, may drool excessively, frequently chews on pens, pencils, or shirt.
Signs Of Olfactory Dysfunction:
Hypersensitive:
Bothered or nauseated by cooking, bathroom and/or perfume smells, may refuse to go places because of the way it smells, chooses foods based on smell, notices smells not normally noticed by others.
Hyposensitive:
May not notice unpleasant or noxious odors, smells everything when first introduced to it, may not be able to identify smells from scratch 'n sniff stickers.
Signs Of Visual Dysfunction:
Hypersensitive:
Irritated by sunlight or bright lights, easily distracted by visual stimuli, avoids eye contact, may become over aroused in brightly colored rooms.
Hyposensitive:
Difficulty controlling eye movements and tracking objects, mixes up similar letters, focuses on little details in a picture and misses the whole, looses his place frequently when reading or copying from the blackboard.
Click here for a SPD check list.
I hope this information is helpful to you! It is so hard to understand SPD. Things that seem ok with your child one day traumatize them the next.
Friday, February 20, 2009
What it's All About.
My name is Becky. I am starting this blog to document our journey and help others. Please leave feedback!
My son is currently 6 years old. He was born 10 days early by C-section. I was induced too early and he was face up. I was in labor for 12 hours before they decided he had to come via C-section.
He was a happy and vibrant baby. Full of smiles and giggles. He was by far my little bundle of joy.
Around 3 months old he started getting ear infection after ear infection! It got to point it was like he was living with a constant infection. We decided, close to 1 year of age, that tubes would be the best option for him. Due to his snoring, they also removed his adenoids. (However, he still snores 5 years later.)
His surgery was scheduled for December 2003. Just weeks before his surgery he got pneumonia, we had to post-pone the operation. While we waited he continued to have ear infections. Once we finally got another appointment in February he got pneumonia again. This time the ER insisted he needed Prednisone. I was not given much (if any) information about the drug, other than it would help my son recover. I was unaware that doctors would not operate on my son for 2 years after taking this medication. (Now I have learned this isn't true and they could have placed his tubes anyways.) He lived with ear infections for 2 more years.
When he turned 3 years old he finally had his tubes placed and adenoids removed. He recovered quickly and seemed like the infections were clearing up and not as often.
We noticed that he wasn't as responsive to sounds and still wasn't talking like he should. We contacted Early Childhood Intervention (ECI). He started receiving Speech and Social Therapy after their evaluation. They helped me get him placed in a school for children with disabilities. He started school at the age of 3, and has been going ever since.
He was enrolled int he PPCD program and continued to receive Speech Therapy as well as Occupational Therapy. He was learning a little here and there academically. He was always a good kid there. He loved his teachers and jthe school he was in. During the summer he continued to attend classes.
However, when he was no longer eligable to go to that school (the age of 5 is the cut off) he was put in kindergarten. We enrolled him in the local elementary school. I called them before enrolling him and spoke to them about PPCD and Special Education. They assured me on the phone that they had a program to fit his needs and could continue additional testing.
When my son was enrolled they did not mark him with special education. (Even with the ARD paperwork.) The school told me he was in General Education at the last school. How was this possible? The school he was in was for children with learning disabilities only, there were no general education classes!
For 3 months my son attended Kindergarten at this school. Just after school started I took him to The Child Study Center. He was evaluated and diagnosed with Severe ADHD and Slow Learner. The school would not accept this diagnosis as it was not fromt he school district. I asked them to schedule another ARD meeting to set him up for testing for ADHD, Autism, and Sensory Disorders. At the ARD in November 2008 I was told they could not test him until March of 2009!!
The teacher my son had ignored him. She told the class to not pay attention to him and she would deal with him when she had time. She told me this to my face. He started getting sent to the office and suspeneded for every little thing. I was irate. I was told "If he cannot sit and read a book with the other children and not act up then he was better off at home."
That was my sons last day at that school. My dad had passed away during this time and I had moved back to my moms. I called the local elementary school in tears. I enrolled him the next day.
This school was FABULOUS!
He was enrolled on December 12th and we had an ARD on December 17th. Two days later was Winter Break. Within 1 week of returning to school, my son was writting his name, spelling his name, singing his ABC's, and counting to 18! Before this school my son could not even understand what the difference between a letter and number was! He loved this school and his teachers so much! (So did I!!!!)
On February 11th we had an ARD to discuss his evaluations. He was diagnosed by the district with Severe ADHD, Speech Impairment, Slow Learner and Sensory Processing Disorder. The dicision was to have him attend a different school in the district that had a program specifically for children with his disabilities.
He started the new class this past Monday, February 16, 2009. He is already showing his strength and determination.
For more information on these disorders and updates on our life with disabilities please subscribe, follow me, or check back often!
Thank you!
My son is currently 6 years old. He was born 10 days early by C-section. I was induced too early and he was face up. I was in labor for 12 hours before they decided he had to come via C-section.
He was a happy and vibrant baby. Full of smiles and giggles. He was by far my little bundle of joy.
Around 3 months old he started getting ear infection after ear infection! It got to point it was like he was living with a constant infection. We decided, close to 1 year of age, that tubes would be the best option for him. Due to his snoring, they also removed his adenoids. (However, he still snores 5 years later.)
His surgery was scheduled for December 2003. Just weeks before his surgery he got pneumonia, we had to post-pone the operation. While we waited he continued to have ear infections. Once we finally got another appointment in February he got pneumonia again. This time the ER insisted he needed Prednisone. I was not given much (if any) information about the drug, other than it would help my son recover. I was unaware that doctors would not operate on my son for 2 years after taking this medication. (Now I have learned this isn't true and they could have placed his tubes anyways.) He lived with ear infections for 2 more years.
When he turned 3 years old he finally had his tubes placed and adenoids removed. He recovered quickly and seemed like the infections were clearing up and not as often.
We noticed that he wasn't as responsive to sounds and still wasn't talking like he should. We contacted Early Childhood Intervention (ECI). He started receiving Speech and Social Therapy after their evaluation. They helped me get him placed in a school for children with disabilities. He started school at the age of 3, and has been going ever since.
He was enrolled int he PPCD program and continued to receive Speech Therapy as well as Occupational Therapy. He was learning a little here and there academically. He was always a good kid there. He loved his teachers and jthe school he was in. During the summer he continued to attend classes.
However, when he was no longer eligable to go to that school (the age of 5 is the cut off) he was put in kindergarten. We enrolled him in the local elementary school. I called them before enrolling him and spoke to them about PPCD and Special Education. They assured me on the phone that they had a program to fit his needs and could continue additional testing.
When my son was enrolled they did not mark him with special education. (Even with the ARD paperwork.) The school told me he was in General Education at the last school. How was this possible? The school he was in was for children with learning disabilities only, there were no general education classes!
For 3 months my son attended Kindergarten at this school. Just after school started I took him to The Child Study Center. He was evaluated and diagnosed with Severe ADHD and Slow Learner. The school would not accept this diagnosis as it was not fromt he school district. I asked them to schedule another ARD meeting to set him up for testing for ADHD, Autism, and Sensory Disorders. At the ARD in November 2008 I was told they could not test him until March of 2009!!
The teacher my son had ignored him. She told the class to not pay attention to him and she would deal with him when she had time. She told me this to my face. He started getting sent to the office and suspeneded for every little thing. I was irate. I was told "If he cannot sit and read a book with the other children and not act up then he was better off at home."
That was my sons last day at that school. My dad had passed away during this time and I had moved back to my moms. I called the local elementary school in tears. I enrolled him the next day.
This school was FABULOUS!
He was enrolled on December 12th and we had an ARD on December 17th. Two days later was Winter Break. Within 1 week of returning to school, my son was writting his name, spelling his name, singing his ABC's, and counting to 18! Before this school my son could not even understand what the difference between a letter and number was! He loved this school and his teachers so much! (So did I!!!!)
On February 11th we had an ARD to discuss his evaluations. He was diagnosed by the district with Severe ADHD, Speech Impairment, Slow Learner and Sensory Processing Disorder. The dicision was to have him attend a different school in the district that had a program specifically for children with his disabilities.
He started the new class this past Monday, February 16, 2009. He is already showing his strength and determination.
For more information on these disorders and updates on our life with disabilities please subscribe, follow me, or check back often!
Thank you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)