Question About Sensory Deficiency

I'm a speech-language pathologist with lots of experience, both personal and professional, treating sensory processing disorder also known as sensory integration disorder. A child who seeks out objects or clothing to chew on may be seeking proprioceptive input, which is stimulation to the joints, muscles and ligaments. It is recommended that you provide her with lots of heavy work activities, such as pushing heavy boxes across the room, moving furniture, as well as climbing and outdoor play tasks, frequently throughout the day to satisfy this need. She could also be encouraged to chew on some vinyl tubing or a "chewy tube", available from Super Duper Publications. I sometimes let my sensory kids wear a necklace with a piece of tubing strung onto it so that it's available for chewing. It's good to give her something appropriate to chew on so that she doesn't start chewing on her clothing or other inappropriate objects. Does your child have any hypersensitivity to touch, textures or sounds? If so, you might want to consult a professional. You can contact me if you wish through the California-Hawaii Elks Major Project.

Hi C.,

My son is 4 years old and has Sensory Integration Disorder. One of his sensory issues (among many) is lack of sensation in his mouth, therefore he is always putting things in it. These days he really likes his hands in his mouth and he loves to chew on straws, which we try to discourage as much as possible. He also likes really strong flavors, especially ketchup. He also tends to like soft foods instead of anything hard or crunchy that he has to break with his teeth. He's very picky and only eats certain foods. Lastly, until recently he used to over-stuff his mouth with food and was a heavy drooler because of low muscle tone in his face. All of these things are signs of sensory processing disorder. It can sometimes be very difficult to figure out, especially if your child shows very few or very subtle signs. Having said all this, it also may be that it's nor SPD at all.

If you're concerned, I would just try to research it as much as you can to see if any other signs apply to your daughter. If not, I wouldn't worry too much. SPD is different for every child, so don't let what you read about the more severe cases worry you. The good news is that if it is SPD there are plenty of things you can do to correct her behaviors. There are several good books that you can buy or may be able to check out from your local library if you want to learn more...Raising a Sensory Smart Child is a good one.

My son is doing great now. We have learned so much through Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy. He is even trying new foods now, which is a huge accomplishment for us. If you do decide to seek an evaluation, your pediatrician can direct you to the right agency in your area that can help you with that free of charge.

Good luck to you.

Hi. I taught a student with Sensory Integration Disorder(Syndrome), and have researched it a great deal. IF your child does have this, it is probably NOT because they did not get enough texture! No one knows the exact cause, but it is possible to IDENTIFY it in infancy. Some believe it can develop in-utero.
Many children are very oral - even if they have teeth. Just because they get all their teeth, it doesn't mean that they stop liking to put things in their mouth. I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet. If you want to read up on Sensory Integration Disorder(Syndrome), just keep an eye out for other symptoms, but I don't think mouthing objects is conclusive evidence that your child has this syndrome.

My nephew did that too and he just out grew it

Get the book the Out of Sync Child - fabulous resource. Many children have sensory needs, without being labeled as "Special Needs".

Blessings

Sensory Integration Dysfunction:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_integration_disorder

Sensory Integration / Occupational Therapy:
http://www.brighttots.com/sensory_integration.html

Sensory Integrative Dysfunction in Young Children:
http://www.tsbvi.edu/Outreach/seehear/fall97/sensory.htm

Sensory Defensiveness:
http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-defens...

Products:
http://www.theraproducts.com/index.php?main_page=index&am...

Groups that you can join for support online:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/sensoryintegrationgr...

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/sid_dsi/?v=1&t=s...

Love, G.. :0)
http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

"I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin." ~ Jerry Newport

My kids licked and chewed everything till about 5. Well, sctually my younger one chewed the sleeves of her clothes till I started to buy her short sleeve shirts. Now, they are normal teenagers, so I think your child is just fine.

I heard about this "deficiency" a few months ago and I think it's completely bogus. I don't mean to offend you but this is just my opinion. My mother in law has a friend that "has" this deficiency and she sent us both this article about it. Maybe the article I read is not specific enough but it said "...sometimes kids with the deficiency put things in their mouths and sometimes they don. Sometimes they shove their mouths full of food and sometimes they don't. Sometimes they want to sleep and sometimes they don't...." When I read this article, it sounded like a typical child. What kids doesn't shove it's mouth full of food or put things in it's mouth. And I am sure that almost every kid has their days with sleeping. I also read that by 3 years old, this "deficency" should be gone.
My kids have done (and still do) a lot of these things and I know for a fact that they are happy, healthy kids. I am not saying that you are this way but there are a lot fo mom (kind of like my mother in laws friend) who need something to be wrong with their child. This "deficency" just sounds like a normal child.
Have you talked to your doctor about this?

I have a friend whose daughter has sensory issues and she was NOT clumsy and developmentally slow (at least not the way it appeared to me!) She did flap/twist her arms and fiddle her fingers mostly when sitting still watching TV,that was the oddest thing I noticed. It is not because she didnt get enough texture when young. It is just the way she is, and there are ways to deal with it, to help satisfy the urge for sensation. She is now 6 1/2 yo and a beautiful gracious girl. Do learn all about it, and what you can do, what therapy she needs (not necessarily saying that she needs to go (but if she does, do take her!) but there are a lot of things you can do yourselves while she is young that will help normalize her in her later years)

For example my friend needed good STRONG hugs to help her calm down & when waking up. Mom learned to take a little bit of extra time waking her up by stroking her and touching her and massaging her (otherwise she'd be horribly whiney and tantrum prone all day) She needs showers instead of baths. VERY picky about shoes and comfortable clothes. Learn your daughter's needs and "whys" and help her satisfy her needs so she can go on happy with her day (and you/others around her too).

Then again, it could be a very normal thing, just liking to chew, feel, etc. I'm an adult and I *still* bite my fingers, chew pen caps, etc etc.

This could very well be normal healthy behavior so before panicking I would take her to a doctor or specialist to figure out what is really happening. Terri sounds like the perfect person to talk to or if she's too far away ask your pediatrician who he/she would recommend.

If all your daughter is doing is putting stuff in her mouth, I would not worry. My daughter is very oral and was putting everything in her mouth until she was at least 5 and she is doing just fine. She still sometimes wants to chew on something, especially at bedtime. Now that she is older she chews gum a lot.