Something wasn’t right.

To most people, my two-year-old son’s behaviors seemed ordinary. He hated to nap, he hated to go to bed (typical) yet he still didn’t sleep through a six-hour stretch. He had tantrums (typical) yet his screaming fits lasted more than an hour. He’d get so worked up, he couldn’t calm down. He was picky, (many two-year-olds are) but would only eat four foods and as a result was underweight. And while other kids in our playgroup delighted in noisy, chaotic places like the pool, my son freaked out.  

And don’t even get me started on haircuts!

When I brought up these issues during a routine visit with our Parents As Teachers coordinator, she recommended an evaluation by an occupational therapist, suggesting he be tested for Sensory Integration Dysfunction. I began researching that night, reading up on the symptoms. He definitely ”fit the bill.” And within the first few minutes of a visit from an occupational therapist that suspicion was confirmed.

What is Sensory Integration?

Sensory Integration Dysfunction is a neurological disorder where the brain has difficulty organizing the input received from the body’s sensory systems. These sensory systems are responsible for detecting sights, sounds, smell, tastes, temperatures, pain and the position as well as movements of the body. The brain also gets bogged down trying to gauge appropriate reactions, which can cause a primitive survival technique called “fright, flight, and fight”. This results in what often appears extreme and inappropriate reaction for the particular situation.

According to the site BrightTot, “The neurological disorganization occurs in three different ways: the brain does not receive messages due to a disconnection in the neuron cells; sensory messages are received inconsistently; or sensory messages are received consistently, but do not connect properly with other sensory messages.”

Symptoms

There are a number of symptoms children with Sensory Integration Dysfunction exhibit. A few of these include:

*Difficulty transitioning from one activity to another.

*Avoidance of physical contact with people and with certain “textures.”  May have melt downs over sticky or wet hands. Will sometimes refuse to walk barefoot or will tip toe on surfaces.

*Reacts strongly to stimuli on face, hands and feet. May dislike grooming activities like teeth brushing, haircuts and getting face washed.

*May have a very short attention span and become easily distracted.

*An unusual sensitivity to sounds and smells. Gags easily.

*May refuse to wear certain clothes because of tags or insist on wearing long sleeves/pants so skin isn’t exposed.

There are a number of  other symptoms. For a more detailed list click here.

Help On the Way

I learned through our occupational therapist that kids with sensory integration dysfunction typically love to swing. (The swinging helps them self regulate.) I was told to make sure my son was able to swing daily for at least 15 minutes at a time. (We became “park connoisseurs” during this time. We’d go to a different park at least  two to three times a week.) We also installed a hammock type of swing in the house so Seth could swing in the winter months. Our occupational therapist visited once a week to work with Seth and often gave me activity ideas to incorporate into our routine.

Seth also did a type of music therapy where certain sounds were infused into children’s music. He’d listen to the cd’s for 20-30 minutes each day while swinging in his indoor swing or while working with play doh.

Within a few months, we began to see a marked improvement in Seth’s disposition and in his fine/gross motor skills. (He had alot of issues there.)  He slept better. And his therapist was even able to introduce him to some new tastes/textures.

I remember initially feeling overwhelmed by the diagnosis and the workload. But we incorporated the therapy time into our daily routine and soon, it became part of our daily ritual. All of the hard work paid off in spades.

Five years after that therapy, we’ve got a boy who sleeps through the night, who has discovered a passion for swimming, and eats a variety of foods. (He loves Mexican, Indian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, and Italian cuisine.) If there’s a pool, he’s the first to jump in. And those haircuts? No more screaming. He still loves to swing. He knows he feels more “zen” after swinging and will now go out to swing when he’s stressed.

Over all, Seth is a much happier, healthier kid. That makes me a happy mama.