My 4 year old girl has had sensory issues since she turned 2. It started with at age 2 her hitting and plowing into people to get input, after OT (which honestly, I think maturity helped more than the OT). She no longer exhibits these behaviors. She has some
behavioral issues and is quite spirited as well. She has no issues with clothing tags or textures. She is doing great in preschool.
They are always telling me how much she has progresssed. I have seen develomental pediatricians, OT's PT's , behavioral therapists. I have everyone on board. She has had a full ENT, audilogist work up- all normal
Current issue is she is having a hard time with birthday parties, muscical insturments, church bells. She covers her ears, and keeps saying "I want to go home!" Today at her school performance when the piano started she woundn't do it, sat on my lap and kept saying she wants to go home in which I am certain she is feeling overwhelmed and the sensory issues were kicking in.
Has anyone had this problem and does it get better? will it effect her learning in the future.
please help with any input. thanks in advance
We have known quite a few children with these exact issues.. With the exception of one boy, who really has Strong Autism issues.. they all outgrew the loud noises.. and the fear and startle reactions,.
One of the girls was actually the Band Major for her High School! Her mom and I laughed about the irony.. This was a child that would have a melt down every time she even saw photo of a balloon.. Much less stay in a room with Balloons.
I don't know your child, but it sounds quite a bit like a boy I took care of for a summer who had sensory integration dysfunction. If we were out at the park and the lawnmowers or landscaping equipment was going, we had to leave nearly immediately. The sound was just too much for him.
Have you read the book "The Out of Synch Child"? This was the book the boy's family had me read before we began our work together. I had worked with him the summer before kindergarten; when I last ran into the mom at the grocery store, she said he was doing well at school. He was probably in 2nd or 3rd grade at that point, so my guess is that it does get better. I don't know what sort of desensitization they did for sound, but that might be something to speak directly to the OT about.
My grandson has SPD, also..... one of his triggers is loud noises, like the vacuum (adapted to), thunder (adapted to), and the noisy fans in public bathrooms.
He had OT and PT for a year, and we also saw a lot of improvement. He hasn't been in preschool, but starts kinder next year.
Is your daughter still in OT? Talk to the therapist about her newer sensitivities... they can add sound therapy to that, also.
Another thing you can do if she has sound sensitivities, is get her used to wearing earplugs or headphones in certain situations. That can help mute the harsh sounds she objects to.
Sounds like she has sensitive hearing. My friends daughter can't stand overhead lights and will do similar stuff.
I suggest you talk to an ENT to see if there is a biological issue. If not perhaps they can prescribe some specially fitted ear plugs for her.
I was going to recommend the book "The Out of Sync Child" too, Kate. Believe me, the OT has helped your daughter in a big way. My son was just like that, crashing into things. The OT had a brushing program for him. I remember pulling into parking lots and opening the minivan door to be on time for his brushing!
Talk to the OT about the sensitivity to noise. She has certainly seen this before. She can at least give you good advise.
My son has had sensory issues, only I didn't know it until he started having problems in preschool. He would also withdraw/shutdown/meltdown at parties or in school. He has had five OT sessions now and while I agree that maturity plays a huge role, he has shown significant progress in calming down. He just 'calmly' got his first haircut in one year, because it was way tooooo difficult before. Did the OT sessions for your daughter include the sensory brushing? I was told the purpose of the brushing is to retrain the brain to stabilize the alpha waves. The brushing has been inconvenient (every two hours while he is awake), but the effect from one brushing only last two hours. Good luck.
My son, 3 1/2, has a sensory issue with loud noises. We did have an OT coming to us from age 2 to 3, but like you said, I think it was maturity that helped him more than the therapy. Really, the only thing I did to help him was warn him that loud noises were coming. Before I would run the vacuum or turn on a loud appliance, i would let him know and he would either go up to his room or go in the coat closet until the noise was over. He is no longer bothered by those types of noises. When we go into a public restroom, he gets worried about the toilets flushing, so again, I just warn him before it flushes and he walks out of the stall and covers his ears. For loud noises we can't control, like fireworks, I'll just take him inside a building to watch them so the noise is muffled. We were at Disney last spring and instead of staying in the park to watch the fireworks, we just watched them from the beach of our hotel. As he gets older, the noises get easier for him and he knows how to handle it better. He only gets really upset if he is surprised by a loud noise and then I just talk him through it and he is fine. Before you go into a setting where it is going to be noisy, talk to your daughter about what she should expect so she has warning and isn't surprised. Also, let her adjust at her own pace. If she wants to hang in the back and cover her ears let her. I'm sure things will get better as she matures, however, if you're worried, go with your gut. Call and get therapy set up, maybe a different OT will do some different things. Good luck!
Sensory Processing Disorder won't go away or "get better." What gets better, hopefully and in theory, is a person's coping skills. That's where therapy comes in (not maturity). That's where preventative techniques from mom and dad come in.
My middle daughter has SPD, and she definitely has issues with certain noises and loud noises. We get her soft foam ear plugs, and she likes that they're comfortable and colorful.
She has problems with certain textures, flavors, odors, and is also very sensitive to visual stimuli. She engages in sensory-seeking behaviors too. We could tell at birth that she had some sensory issues... she's ten now. She's handling some things better but other things are worse. There are new issues all the time.
An OT is definitely a good idea. I would recommend having a sensory kit for her at home and one that you can travel with. I would also have an exit plan for her that she can rely on when things become overwhelming. She would probably do well having a script ahead of time of how you expect things will be, and if things change as you go you can adjust the script for her. That will help her cope.
My daughter is 7 and has this problem. The school has provided her with headphones to wear during noisy times. She knows where to wear them (gym, assemblies, etc.) and it really helps her.
I have several pairs of these:
http://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-Junior-Earmuff-Black/dp/B...
I keep one in the car - one in my purse, etc. so that if it gets too noisy she has them. It really helps.
