Sensory Disorders

YES, it's real--and I recommend www.handle.org!

or

Go see Ann Strebler, an OT at Kaufman Center. You'll love her!

Carol Kranowitz has some wonderful books -- with lots of ideas.

Gotta go, be back later

You are a good mother to be concerned. I am not educated regarding sensory disorders but I have been informed that children that walk on their tiptoes have a tendency towards speech problems. I would definitely see a children's specialist. I wish you well.

Hello, my daughter has a sensory problem. She can't handle shoes socks, and most of all clothes in general. We did do a sensory integration with the physical therapy department at the hospital, she has a lot of other problems, and her psych. therapist had mentioned that if we had done this when she was much younger that it may have helped. We didn't do this until she was 7 or 8. So if this is something you are considering please start it as soon as possible. You really don't want this to progress.

Our daughter is a sensory seeker. She is 6 years old and was diagnosed when she was almost 4. She has always been very active and has always had incredible verbal skills. In a play environment she is amazing - no fear, keeping up with the boys, high energy and polite. In a classroom environment things were different. She would lean on the other kids, roll on the floor, could not settle down durning down time, had problems processing 2 step commands, finishing projects, listening skills were weak. Her teacher suggested we have her evaluated by an OT for SPD. Also when she was a baby she could only fall asleep in a swing, and she slept in a swing for 4 months. We did not know it then but we know now that it was because of her SPD and craving of constant movement. When she had her evaluation it was immediatly apparent to the OT that she had sensory seeking SPD. Her OT was amazing. We visited her twice a week for 1/2 hour sessions. The OT's job is to teach the parents what type of therapy works for sensory seekers and it is the parents job to provide a home that has therapy available for the child at anytime of the day depending on what the child thinks her body needs in order to get "In Sync". Making your home an OT heaven is pretty easy. Our daughters Vestibular, Proprioceptive, and body awareness/Modulation are effected. We needed to provide a bean bag for crashing into and cuddling in for her proprioceptive, a trampoline for all of the above and several other things. We did go crazy and buy a swingset with the fastest slide possible, a 360 tire swing, swing, disc climber/rope, and ring set to help with OT. It was quite an expense but we felt it was well worth it for her to have access to basically an OT gym whenever her body craved the input.
Our OT also gave us a sugical brush and taught us to brush her arms, legs, and back and how to do joint compressions. This is still something that she asks for that helps to calm her down and make her feel more together.
She is older now and we still do OT at home when she tells me she needs it - the OT is ran by her because only she knows what her body needs to feel safe and together. Brushing a joint compression was initially done every 2 hours daily followed by an intense OT session. This was done for about 4 months. Then it was time to take what we learned from the OT and bring it home and incorportate it into our own lives.
It has worked wonders. It was a gift.
We were extremely fortunate to have a fabulous 4pre k teacher who invited and embraced movement in her classroom - she helped our daughter with joint compressions and was very supportive. This is where our daughter found her love of Yoga. She now is in a Yoga kids class and it helps her tremendously - it is self joint compressions, and her learning to self center herself and finding ways to calm herself.
Her balance has strengthened, her words are softer it is an amazing gift you can give your child. Look for a Yoga kids class being offered in your area.
She is now in 1st grade. was on honor roll on all semesters in kindergarten and received citizenship awards also. We chose a school for her that offers a ton of sensory input. She goes to a public performing arts school. She has learned Italian, is taking violin, dance, art, and musical instruments and is waiting to hear if she was excepted into the drama course. Music and dance have always been a love of hers and she is enjoying everyday of school.
Books:
Sensational Kids
The Out of Sync Child
The Out of Sync Child has Fun (GREAT OT BOOK - a TON of suggestions to do daily and it is outlined by each sense!)

Good Luck to you!!!!

Not sure if you've read this book, but it has been very helpful to many parents & teachers:

The Out of Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz

It gives you suggestions on how to counteract some of the issues which may help you, too.

Also, I would keep pushing the doctors to refer you to a therapist who specializes in working with children who have sensory issues. They have some great techniques that you can use at home, too.

I don't have any experience on sensory disorders, however I wanted to reassure you about seeking a second opinion. I have learned that as parents we need to go with our gut. When our oldest daughter was about six months old she had a lot of symptoms that told us she was really sick. We called the doctor and the on call service told us it was probably a cold and told us what to do. By morning she had stopped eating, sucking on her pacifier, and began crying with no tears. We rushed her to the emergency room to find out she had rotavirus and potentially pnuemonia - and she got two days in the hospital.

My point is, as parents, we are with our children 24/7 - we know what is normal, and what isn't normal, for them. Doctors only see the behavior that they exhibit in the exam room, or what we tell them. Sometimes we need to ask, and pursue, what we think is the right direction. Even though the path may be rough, you need to do what is right.

Hi H.,

I felt compelled to write in response to this. My son is now 4 1/2 and at the age of 4 we got him evaluated and we did get this done through our hospital and NOT the school system. He has alot of the same issues as your daughter for the exception of licking, and the not wearing tennis shoes. We got an eval. and the whole thing took about 3 hrs from start to finish. It was with a child psyciatrist. AFter about 2 weeks we got the results. He is adhd. They mentioned nothing about sensory processing disorder, but they did mention his tip toe walking (he does this constantly) as a possible sign of a learning disability. Being adhd you usually get something else with it like dyslexia, or LD. We took our son a million times to a ped. ortho. and they said that it was nothing and it just a habit, but I didn't agree. He is very overactive and we also get the same comments from total strangers about his "hyperactivity" however, like you, he can concentrate if it's something he enjoys.

coming from a family with a HUGE history of ADHD this came as no shock to me. I knew there was something not right from the moment we brought him home. ADHD children/people do not realize their own strength at all. They are very clumbsy and disorganized even for a 4 year old. they do things at this age that an otherwise a 2 year old would do. Example being yesterday I caught my son in the bathroom and he took the bottle of febreeze and sprayed the living daylights out of the bathroom. It was all over the floor, toilett, sink and countertops. Not to mention his hair. He has no idea why he did this, but he felt compelled to. He still gets into cabinets, stoves, he rips things up for no reason, he's constantly flicking lights on and off and he speaks waaaaaaaaaaay to loud. Also children with ADHD have issues socially. It's hard to see it at this age but it is there. Sometimes my son can just be way to much for the average kid. He tires them out and can be very overwhelming. He doesn't pick up on the social cues yet when other children have had enough.

Get the eval. you'll feel much better once you have some answers. It's horrible trying to convince yourself that she/he is fine when you KNOW something is off. Good for you for recognizing this as well. It's hard to admit their might be something there.

Have her evaluated so intervention can begin asap. Follow your gut. There are different things that can help - we are in the process of beginning neurofeedback and hoping it will help. If you send your daughter to a regular school, she will most likely have problems, but if you have a diagnosis in hand, the teachers and school would (hopefully) be more accommodating, plus the earlier therapy is started, the better the results. Your daughter would be happier. And don't worry about being too overbearing or overly concerned - you are your daughter's advocate, you need to do what's best for her and not worry about what others think. We have been there, and still are. Good luck to you.

Find out if your school district has early childhood testing and have an occupational therapist evaluate her. School districts usually do it for free. My son (5) also has a sensory disorder (diagnosed at 3) and currently was just diagnosed with ADHD. Always trust your gut, sometimes your doctor. If I had listened to my doctor, my son would not be doing as well as he is now after getting therapy through the schools. Be aware that the sensory problems can change...one day it can be auditory and the next tactile. It can be very frustrating to both your child and yourself. I'm sure your friend told you to read the "Out of Sync" Child...it's the best! Good luck!

If you're concerned you should definitely get your daughter tested. It's unfortunate she's 4 already b/c otherwise it should have been covered under early childhood intervention. We just moved here recently so I'm not positive of MI regulations, but usually the state covers intervention "testing, therapy" up to age 2 or 3. However, if she's tested she may be eligible for special preschool programs. Just so you know what to look for.

I was a nanny in college for a boy who had sensory integration disorder. They are actually more common than most people realize, and to reassure you, easy to deal with. Sometimes it is making a "lifestyle change" for your child, but a lot of times physical thereapy helps. Good luck! let me know if you need any help after the testing. The little boy I nannied for is now in junior high and an AMAZING kid. He's a little shy sometimes, but you would never guess he started out with so much trouble (he had a severe disorder and didn't crawl until after 1 b/c of the sensations he felt while moving). But, other than not liking roller coasters or fast height changes, he's learned how to control his environment and deal with sensations!

H.,

I'm sorry that no one has responded to you. I do not know anything about sensory disorder, I'm sorry to say. But if you feel that something maybe wrong with you daughter then there is nothing wrong with getting it checked out. Look at it this way isn't it better to have had it checked out an find out that it was nothing than to not have it checked out and it be something? As a mother you have to follow your gut and not worry about what other people say or think.

Good luck:o)

H.,

The book The Out of Sync Child is a great resource, but I also like the book "The Sensory-Sensitive Child" by Karen A. Smith, Ph.D and Karen R. Gouze, Ph.D. The women who wrote this book both have children who have sensory processing issues. My son has mild sensory issues and we have been working with him. I have actually pulled him out of school and am homeschooling because he is so distracted in the classroom. I found this book at Barnes and Nobel in the parenting section.

There is a lot of great research available to parents, but I also recommend you submit a letter to your local special ed department for sensory disorder testing. Having her tested at the school may also help with your insurance, but this is not a guarantee. Most insurance companies don't recognize brain issues in children. Not surprising since most pediatricians don't know how to recognize it either!

Good luck with your daughter. I know you will find something that works for you. The best thing you can do after she has been tested is research her particular issues, teach her how to redirect her unsafe behavior, work to find what feels best for her body, let her be herself, and have lots of patience.

-C..

I don't have experience with this, but my sister is an educator in Grand Rapids, and she specializes in children with all different types of sensory disorders. From what I've heard from her, and by what I've read from you...I would definately advise further evaluation...by a Specialist. As a mom, we are the advocates for our children. If you think that this requires some looking into, be adamant and ask to see a specialist. If your daughter does have a sensory disorder, it will most likely be diagnosed by a specialist, not your pediatrician. Tell your family doc that you would like the reassurance from a specialist and demand to see one! The added bonus to this, is that if the specialist says "yes...here's the diagnosis for your daughter" then you can work on managing it. On the other hand, if your specialist says "no" then your mind is at ease.
Good luck...I hope we hear back from you to see how your daughter is.

I wish I could be more help that this, but perhaps I have a tiny bit of information. My friend's child is five and he has a sensory disorder, I would say similar to your child as I know them quite well. He has a mixture of therapies - including physical and occupational and I believe psychological. He is doing much better than he was a year ago with this treatment. When he was four he went to a special preschool in the district for children with similar issues and this helped too. I think you need to be a strong advocate for your child - which is exactly what you are doing. Some medical professionals won't understand, or choose to ignore, your concerns so you'll have to keep pushing for the right help. Best of luck - ALison

YES! get her evaluated! i would me mad at you if you did not! (like i know you:) ) but seriously, that is not right and regardless, you are her mother and you know when something is 'off'. i have a great pediatrician (2 actually) if you are interested, email me. First, get rid of that pediatrician. they need to go. they are too routine and old in thier ways it sounds. 2nd, if you have no where else to start, how about the school? my son had other issues but the MISD (macomb intermediate district) was a good start for us. I wish i had more experience in this exact thing. One thing i will give you my opinion on, and i know i could catch flack but this is my opinion and i KNOW this is the right advice for you, quit giving your child any vaccines. There is a definite problem with the relationship between the brain and the nervous system and you want to keep as many toxins out of her problematic system as you can. that also means eatting real foods, not fake or artificial foods.

I actually know a few doctors that are wonderful in different arenas. if you want to email me and tell me what city you live in i can tell you who i know and see who is near you.

Go with your gut. My pediatrician said it best "the best problem solvers are mothers. Mothers point the way and doctors pave it."

Have you tried early on?? it is a free evaluation for developmental disorders through the school system.

There is not alot of agreement as to whethere sensory disorders are real disorders or not..

I would see a child psychologistor or child psychiatrist..

My duaghter has sensory issues.. she is very sensitive to noises, smells food textures...-- it really wasnt so pronounced until we had the second child with none of these issues..

good luck.

H.,
You are right on about getting an evaluation. I am a behavior therapist and also a parent of a child with sensory concerns. We are seeing similar behaviors from our daughter and have just made the decision to seek an evaluation. Many of the behaviors you describe are very much indicative of children with sensory deficits or irregularities. It sounds and seems so overwhelming, but the therapy can be very effective. Something else to explore is possible food allergies/sensitivities, mold exposure or yeast overgrowth in the digestive system. Often sensory related behavior will are caused by these other triggers. I would be happy to talk with you more in depth on any of this if you would liike, feel free to email me at ____@____.com i just want to say, trust your instincts. Mothers are very intune with what their children need.

Here is a link that may help you. http://earlychildhoodmichigan.org/articles/10-03/CCEP10-0... I'm not sure which county you live in, but these programs help young children with support for you and the child on how to work with the findings of the test results. I think that you are the mother and if you are thinking something is "off" with your child, then you had every right to have your pediatrician set you up with an appointment for testing. You know your child best and are the only advocate that you daughter has right now. If it turns out that the results are "normal", then there was no harm done to anyone. If it turns out the the results find something like a sensory disorder, then you can start getting her help.
I work at a day care and we had a therapist come in to talk to us at a staff meeting about some of the things that they work with in children with sensory integration disorders. Most of the therapy is centered around the children playing like they would normally, but with soem adaptions to help the child be comfortable. Some examples might be "fidget" toys that the child hold on to during circle time that they can move around in their hands, in order to focus on what the teacher is saying. Another might be a weighted jacket if the child likes the feel of heavy things on them. The therapist works with you and your child to determine their needs and design a program to help them succeed.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask and I can try to answer them or find out answers if I don't have the answer. Good luck!

Hi H.,

I am a mom of four kids. My oldest, now 12, has a sensory disorder as well. She seeks pressure and is very sensitive to how things feel (i.e clothes, blankets, etc). I read a great book that helped me out in understanding her, but I would encourage you find someone in your area that specializes in sensory integration. Through therapy a parent can usually really help thier child integrate thier sensorys and learn to process them properly. I am from Michigan and the location B.R.A.I.N.S. was very helpful. Thier website is www.brainspotential.com. If you're not in the area you can email or call them to get direction. The name of the book is "The Out of Sync Child". Good luck! I have heard how great early intervention can be. The good news is that there is help out there. And if it's any comfort, my daughter is turning into a great young lady, depsite her sensory integration issues.

C.

H.,

Wow, what a great mom you are! I don't have any experience with sensory disorders, but wanted to write to let you know you have the support of moms out here. Trust your instincts. You are your child's advocate, and know her better than anyone else out there. If you think that this needs to be investigated, then by all means do it. I don't mean to be negative of all Doctors because some of them really try their best. But sometimes I feel as if we are shuffled in and out and if our children don't fit into the "sniffles and sneezes" category many docs just don't know what to do. As Chloe's mom, keep serching for answers until you are satisfied. If this is how you feel, don't let anyone talk you out of it, it is your right.
Just another thought, have you ever read about other children's reactions to vaccinations? Many experiences reported by other parents sound similar to your daughter's actions.

I wish you the best!

M.

Like everyone has said, go with your gut. I had a pediatrician tell me that "Mom always know". I had a son who wouldn't develop a fever with ear or sinus infections. I would take him in and they would look at me like I was crazy because he didn't have a fever. He just wouldn't eat for a day. That's how I knew. Anyhow, you know your child and if your daughter doesn't change her behavior after you have tried to correct her, then go for a second evaluation. However most of what you wrote seems fairly normal for that age. My kids at that age ate rocks, no shoes, walked tip toed, etc. God wired us all different whether it's a "disorder" or just high energy. The school system should also be able to help you as well with early learning programs.

Hi H..
I don't have personal experience with this, but I know a couple whose son did have something like a sensory disorder. From what you've described, your daughter sounds very much like how this little boy acted. I do remember they had to push a little to get the referral they needed to get him tested.

What I really wanted to say, is YOU are her mom. You are with her every day. You carried her in your womb. Bottom line, YOU know your child better then ANYONE else. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. People talk about 'Mothers Intuition' for a reason. I believe very strongly that we are more in tune to our kids and more sensitive to small changes and what not. I can remember growing up my dad always felt my mom took me and my sister to the Dr. way too often. However, whenever she did....there was ALWAYS something going on that needed a dr's attention.

That's just the way moms are wired. We are designed to be in tune with our kids.

So, you did not jump the gun too quickly. If YOU believe there is something that needs to be looked at...then get it done. Keep pushing until you get the answers you need. You are your daughters best advocate.

Good luck. You're a great mom!

I can't say that any of my kids have these sorts of behaviors, but I do have a friend whos 12 yr old won't eat pizza... He finds it feels too greasy... Loves hot dog rolls, but won't eat regular sliced bread... Too squishy...
Another friend I have has a daughter that can't sleep unless the weight of the blankets is evenly distributed on her body... Some pants she will not wear because they "feel" funny. She has certain pairs of shoes she will not wear anymore because they feel " uneven"...

If it is something you are worried about then yes, get him evaluated...

Hi H.,
I do not have a child with a sensory disorder, but as a Recreation Therapist I have worked with children with behavioral and emotional issues of all ages. It is my experience that ADHD is overly diagnosed. I believe that it is definitely worth talking with an expert. I agree with you, that it does not sound as if she has ADHD. Whether or not she has a sensory disorder or something else, the sooner you find out the sooner your family can receive the services that you need. I hope this helps!
:) S.

You definitely need an evaluation from an OT that specializes in pediatric issues. Welcome to the world of advocating for your child. This is the first of many you will encounter. One word of advice that applied to my situation, maybe not to others: don't go to the school system for your first evaluation. My school system does not recognize 'sensory dysfunction' as a diagnosis and gave me the runaround and wasted precious time that my child could have been treated. Go to a private place that specializes in pediatric development, your dr. should give you a referral to someplace, if not, look for it yourself. Get her evaluated, get a diagnosis, and THEN go to the school district and demand that they treat her, in addition to what you will get privately. After her evaluation, make www.wrightslaw.com your new best friend, and click, click, click away. It will teach you everything you need to know about your rights, what to expect from the schools, diagnosis, treatments, definitions, etc. You must educate yourself to help your child. FYI, ADD children can also be hyper-focused, so don't rule that diagnosis out just yet. Sensory issues can be treated and helped, and I found the OT's to be wonderful, & highly knowledgeable, really wanting to help my child. You are definitely in the right direction and pat yourself on the back for not accepting the nurse practitioner's answer. I'm glad for you that the dr. knew what steps to take, and now it is up to you to go the next step. Good Luck! P.S. If you wait for the school's, in Michigan, they only treat the child until they are 2 years behind. So, for example, if your child is below in gross motor skills at the age of 5, when he reaches the 3.5 level, they will stop treating. Don't wait for her to get into school to find out she is failing, 4 is the perfect ge to get her treated before kindergarten. In on yer's time she cna makelepas and bounds! You are so much on the right track and you don't even know it!!!

You can call your counties Department of Human Services. They will send out a person who will do a full evauluation and have you see a specialist if needed. Then they will advise you as to the care you should seek from there. I hope this helps...

Hi,
I don't think you are wrong at all to want to have your child checked out farther. Qudos to you. You have an instinct and it is telling you something--go with it. I really dont' know much about the area just that I wish I would have done something when my now 16yr old son was younger, he had to have his socks on just so,a nd if they weren't.......(the line on the sock had to go across the bottom of his toe and be straight), now he will have a huge fit if anything touches his toes and also now it is his upper arms. I also have a sister with two sons who have sensory issues of different sorts--but I commend you on wanting to get your daughter in to see what is going on. Have a wonderful day and hope you get answers to your questions(And being a stay at home mom to 3-16,15,and 5--all by the same hubby(18 yrs together)--you will have many more questions to answer in the years to come.)

I think you are right to get a second opinion. I wouldn't say the behavior you described was typical 4 year old behavior. You are right for wanting what is best for your daughter and sometimes you have to ask a lot of questions and talk to many people to get answers. All the best!

Mom's must go with their gut when they feel something is not quite right. I think you are absolutely doing the right thing in getting her evaluated. I would get more than one opinion if you are able. My son had/has behavior issues and it took quite some time and a great effort to get him the right help he needed. I got many opinions and spoke to many different doctors. Do what you need to do so you can be at peace with your daughters health and she can be happy! Good Luck!

Hi H.,

The day my life changed was the day my daughter was diagnosed with a Sensory Processing Disorder. It made my child make sense and after 4 years of being blown of by her doctor, I finally had answers. A lot of doctors don't even recognize SPD as an actual disorder so it is hard to be supported. I am unsure where Yale is, but I do have the name of a Pediatrician and an Occupational Therapist that helped me through this. Please message me if you have specific questions or concerns. It's very hard, I know.

C.

Hi H.,

My granddaughter "suffers" from sensory disorder. I was unaware of such a thing until this diagnosis, and like your pediatric nurse, I too chalked it up to "just being Kailey". Wow, how wrong I was!! My daughter-in-law found great success in using occupational therapy and a new hyperbaric therapy as well. With a matter of months, my granddaughter has changed!! Most of the sensory issues are gone completely....certainly the worst of them anyways.

My daughter-in-law is really the expert here...and should you chose, you can find alot of information on Dr. Ron Knaus' hyperbaric treatments by visiting

www.americanaspergersassociation.net

This is wonderful website in as much as there a forums where you can seek answers to your questions. My daughter-in-law frequents this website, as she worked hand in hand with Dr. Knaus to set this up. Her name is Kim (csweepigirl)and she will certainly help you as well.

Hope this helps...or at least gives you some sense of direction. Good luck,
J.

Always go with your gut instict. If you feel your child needs to be evaluated and there may be something that needs attention you need to follow your instinct. Never let a doctor "blow you off". If you don't like what you are hearing always get a second or even third opinion. I have no experience with a sensory disorder - but from what you described of some of the behaviors- I would not consider them all toddler normal. I only have two children of my own but have 12 nieces and nephews and see a variety of behaviors. My one nephew was just diagnosed with a form of autism and we all knew there was something "different" about his behaviors and reactions compared to the other children. It is reassuring to know that there is a reason for it and now there are things we can do to better help him. He was evaluated and told nothing was wrong - it wasn't until a second evaluation was done with a different doctor that they diagnosed him. A doctor is only human and never 100% right all the time - they do thier best just like we do. But no one knows your child better than you do. You need to take control of the situation and never stop until you feel you have the answers you need to make sure your child is getting the best care for her. Good luck.

H., my friend has great info for you. She is on vacation in Toronto right now but I'll have her respond when she gets back if you give me an email address. Not sure where you live but all of her docs and therapy is in the West Bloomfield/ Southfield, Walled Lake area...my personal email is ____@____.com.

Hi H. -

I am so sorry i didn't respond before. It didn't come across on the email posts so I wasn't aware you needed input. I don't have a lot of time to go to the site and look though I probably should. I myslef have three special needs boys and they also has sensory issues. You are not alone. If you feel there is even the littlest chance your daughter needs to be evaluated then go with your gut and have it done. Mom's instinct is rarely wrong and you know your child best. If you can get a referral from your family doctor that's great. Hopefully insurance will pay for it but don't count on it. Interventions and therapys can be very expensive. I would suggest you go to your local school district special education department and ask to have her evaluated by them. They should have programs she can start in now to help her provided she comes back with a diagnosis through them. Put your request in writing and they only have a set amount of time to complete the testing and give you a meeting/report. They should include your input in their evaluations as well as their own testing. Licking like she is, walking on her toes all the time, her eating/playing habits and her aggressiveness when trying to be loving all put up red flags for me. She needs to get in for evaluation, the sooner the better. There may be more to it besides just sensory issues and you want them addressed as well if there is more. Also, watch your youngest one closely and take notes. When you have one special needs child your chances of having another increase significantly. Just remember this isn't the end of the world. You may need to make some environmental adjustments to accomodate the behavior adjustments but eventually it'll become second nature to you and things will work out. You're a good Mom for trusting your gut and asking for help.

S.

This does not sound like normal 4 year old behavior. I would definitely get it checked out. Some of what you describe...toe walking, licking things, failure to pick up on social cues (talking too loudly, hugging too tightly) remind me of the children I've worked with who fall on the autism spectrum. I believe that includes diagnoses such as Pervasive Development Disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, and of course Autism. I've worked with children diagnosed with these disorders, but am not familiar with the diagnosis process or how any of those might be related to a sensory disorder. However, I would definitely ask about these things when you talk to your doctor. I don't know about the sensory disorder, but with anything on the Autism spectrum, the earlier they're diagnosed and begin therapy, the better the outcome. So trust your gut and don't let them brush you off.

Good luck!

Go with your gut. Absolutely get an evaluation. Thank you for reposting your concerns. I'm sorry I didn't see the original post.

You are your children's advocate from day one. Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with being on the cautious side with our children and their health.

Our son has A Typical Autism. We have 6 doctors in our ped's practice. The head doctor was MY ped. many (40...YIKES!) years ago. It wasn't until we finally saw him that he noticed my son's behavior almost immediately, when all the other were saying it was just a phase. I'm not saying the other doctor's were out of line. The developemental spectrum is huge, but this guy has seen it all. I also gave him a list prior to my appt with all of our concerns and a whole list of questions. The doctor only needed a few minutes of observing to see it for himself.

Thankfully it gave us an early diagnosis and started him in an early intervention program before he was two.

The best of luck to you.

Keep pushing to have it evaluated! You know your child best and have to be their advicate. You are not being overbearing, your being proactive!!! Talk to the school district as well about testing for her. At 4 there may be resourse at the school district level that are appropriate for your daughter.

My daughter was not diagnosed with Aspergers (high functioning Autism) until she was 12. The schools wanted to test earlier and I was resisitant. What I would do to get those years back!!

Hope this helps.
G.

Hi H.,
I feel your frustrations, I found it hard for people to understand what I was seeing in my son.
I got the typical......it's a boy thing, he's just being boy, etc. I knew it was something more. We start to doubt ourselves and wonder if we are overeacting. Go with your gut feelings, mothers always know.
Why don't you start with your county. They will do an evaluation for free. It may take a month or so to get in.
You can have your pediatrician refer you to the county program. Here in Livingston County it is called L.E.S.A.
They will have a team of a Ocupational therapist, Physical therapist, congnitive therapist, speech therapist etc. They will spend about two hours with you in room evaluating your child as they put them to different tasks. It feels like play time to the kids so it is not stressful to them.
In the end they will give a report of what they found.
From there you can move to the next step with what ever the evaluation states.
Best of luck, don't give up you are your childs only advocate so speak loudly for her. You know her best.
M........sorry for all the typo's.

You are absolutely right to push this if you think something is wrong. Drs are not in your household 24/7 like you are. They see your child for maybe 20 minutes and they're supposed to make a diagnosis. Not to mention Drs make mistakes. One thing you can do is contact your local school district/ISD and tell them you need your daughter evaluated. Michigan has a program called Early On which helps to get kids evaluated for possible needs. Your county health department may also be able to tell you how to get in contact with Early On. Or see if there is a hospital/center near you that does evaluations (we're in the Grand Rapids area which has a rehabilitation hospital that does evals - those will cost you though, the school district can provide this for free)

My son has many special needs and we've had to fight Drs and specialists to make sure he is getting everything he needs. We've done evaluations even when we think it's possible everything is being taken care of as best it can. Who else is going to stand up and fight for him but us? So what if you're wrong?.... better question, what if you're right?!

It all sounds very familiar. My son also has SPD(Sensory Processing Disorder, sometimes called Sensory Integration Disorder). He also happens to have Autism(the two often go hand in hand). I have researched extensively, spoken to experts in the fields so I have a vast knowledge of both.
Medical doctors are not trained to recognize these types of disorders. You need to get a referral to see an Occupational Therapist at your nearest bigger hospital. They will be your best bet to get a good diagnosis. They will be located in a Pediatric Rehab Clinic.
A book that may help you is The Out of Sync child, and to help her, try the Out of Sync Child at Play. But still get the eval, it's very important so that you can stop problems in the future.
And to the lady who recommended going to a Ped. Psychiatrist? why on earth why would you do that? It has nothing to do with the psyche??!!

As parents, you are the only advocate for your child. Doctors monitor your child's growth and general health, but are not specialized in sensory or behavioral issues. Good for you for pushing the issue a bit. The younger you start, the better off your daughter will be. Talk to your county's Intermediate School District. They can do an evaluation and let you know where she registers on a sensory profile. Good luck with it! I think you will be amazed by how much of a difference little changes and suggestions from an OT or other child specialist can make. They will help you to set your daughter up for success and help develop a plan to work with low registration or sensory seeking issues (or whatever may be going on). Stick with it! I think you're on the right track.

I would trust your self, if you think something might be wrong it is way better to get her evaluated by a professional now then wait until much later and allow her to suffer any negative impact. The worst that could come of it is some testing that tells you she is fine and some recommendations for ways to help her regulate some of the behaviors.

That all being said - what you described can be normal in small amounts. The thing with disorders like these or any other disorder is the amount of the behavior. All children are sometimes overactive, and ADHD child is overwhelmingly so. All children sometimes talk fast, lick something, walk on their toes... but if they do all of these things together more often than not, it might be concerning and most certainty worthy of getting checked out. I would encourage you to seek help for you daughter now, if she doesn't need it at least you both have peace of mind!

H.,

While I don't have any experience with this issue, I do however have experience with being brushed off by a Dr's office. For me it turned out that my gut feeling was correct and I still regret not standing my ground at the time I brought it up.

If your peditrician promised you a referral, call the office back and tell them that, and keep bugging them until they give it to you, which means they should actually make an appt for you at the office they refer you to. You can do this while still being nice about it. I have 5 children, the oldest one is 13 years and the youngest one is 2 yrs, it has been my experience that my gut feelings generally pan out.

Good luck to you and in my opinion its better to check it out and have it be nothing than to wait a couple of years and wish you had done something sooner.

Hello H., not only would I get her checked out, get second opinion as well. I am not familiar with this, but have been around children all my life, I have 4 daughter's & 3 grand-children, working in hair care industry I take clients, other stylist won't, in the past not at my current Salon, but I have heard, we don't cut people in wheel chairs for example, I cut hair, for anyone with hair, worked in hair replacement as well. I try to put myself in other's shoe's so to speek, and never under estimate a mother's intuition. I'm telling you this to show my experience with the public, cutting children with Autism, and so forth, I'm not saying she is a sensory seeker, but I would want a Dr to give his professional opinion.

H.,

I see you've gotten many responses, but wanted you to know I have a 4 year old son going through the same thing.

First I want to thank you and everyone else for posting to your concern as I have learned from them too.

My son's daycare teacher noticed his sensory concerns. He fidgits, can't sit still, can't focus, touches friends, touches objects, pushes, pulls, sensitive to food textures, etc. Daycare had a trained observer come in and verified the concerns. We tried a few tools to help with his Sensory Seeking actions. A keychain with ribbons on his belt loop helped keep his hands to himself. A lap-sized bean bag helps him sit still and focus at circle time. I'm in the process of getting paperwork together to get him officially evaluated at UofM. There are many places to go to do this.
www.playproject.org helped me with some information and a variety of locations in Michigan to get evaluations and therapy.

The book that many recommended "The Out of Snyc Child" is a wonderful resource. It like the Bible to me now. Really helps you understand. There are different sensory types. Also learning that your child can have good sensory days and bad sensory days. You can also look for toys/tools that are specific for sensory disorder type kids. I bought a few that have helped. Now that I'm starting to educate myself, parenting him has been easier now that I understand him better.

There is so much I want to say and share with you. Feel free to email me to chat about it, I would love to share with you what I've learned. ____@____.com are doing the right thing by being concerned and noticing something is not quite right. Like others have stated, definitely get her evaluated. It can't hurt and you'll learn what direct to move her to next. I'm hoping since we caught this at an early stage, their elementary years will go more smoothly.

Take care,
Renee

Hi H.,

I didn't respond last time because I assumed you would get alot of responses. My son who is now 5 had sensory issues. I was told he had sensory issues by his school district. He has some developmental delays. If you are near the Walled lake area, you could take your daughter to The Abilites Center. They are on Maple between decker and Welch. My son had vestibular (swinging) and texture issues. We had alot of trouble feeding him different texture foods. He also did not like his hands to be dirty etc... so We are more opposite. He did not like to put anything in his mouth. Anyways trust your instincts and take your child to be evaluated. I feel doctors don't say anything unless is is extremely obvious. Early intervention is the key so if she does have sensory issues they can be dealt with early on. I would not longer say my son has sensory issues with the therapies he has received. I took things into my own hands too. My pediatrician gave me the referrals but was not too concerned with it. Good luck. You can e-mail me with questions at ____@____.com

I don't know much about sensory disorders but I've read a book called "Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Allergies, and Asthma" by Dr. Kenneth Bock. What I found interesting int he book is that he says that many kids can have symptoms of these disorders (like some of the things you mention above) while not qualifying for a full diagnosis. So I don't have suggestions for what you should do but it's definitely something worth looking into (especially if it helps your daughter with some of the symptoms she's experiencing). I don't think you're being too overbearing at all.

Follow your heart. That's why it is called Mother's instinct.

Good luck.

S.

I'm sorry that you are not getting a lot of help regarding this subject. I am a pediatric occupational therapist and I work with children with sensory processing disorders. The things that you are describing are indicative of a sensory processing disorder. I would suggest getting a prescription from your Dr and getting her evaluated by an occupational therapist who is knowledgeable in sensory processing disorders in order to formally confirm or deny what you suspect. If your daughter has sensory processing disorder the occupational therapist can give you a variety of strategies to give her the sensory input that she needs in order to help her sensory system to develop and mature. I just want to applaud you for pursuing answers. If you have any additional questions I'd be happy to help. You can contact me at ____@____.com.

HI H.
I bet your blown away by all your responses this time :)
Yes push for it, and if they won't give it to you go to a different doc (tell them you'll be leaving first, maybe that would help). They don't know everything, there just body mechanics and I haven't found a car mechanic that always does a great job.
My daughter has a thing about food and won't eat anything with what she thinks is a funny texture, like rice. Veggies make her vomit. I have to hide them in blueberry smoothies.
Good luck, and trust yourself you know your daughter best.
A. H

I didnt read all your responses because I only wanted to tell you a little that I learned. My son sees a therapist (mental health) and a psyciatrist. if you cant get help with a pediatrician try to see someone working with the brain. You say your daughter doesnt seem to have adhd but there is more than one type, and I read, AND was told some of these kids have sensory issues. It's some sort of distraction that they are feeling when they feel their shoes or socks or tags in their clothes. Sounds like she wants a stimulation of sorts when she licks. A key word is pays attention WHEN SHE WANTS TO. These kids can pay attention when there brain is stimulated enough. I only know what I have learned with my child and maybe it doesnt apply but its probably not physical but an emotional or neurological? Good Luck and God Bless.

I am a teacher and am on our intervention team at school. We meet on kids that are having academic/behavior problems. Not that your daughter has a behavior problem, but the things that you are saying she does reminds me a lot of one of the students we met on who does have a sensory disorder. I would totally get her evaluated. It is not going to hurt anything to do that. It will also put your mind to rest.

I'd have her evaluated - an evaluation won't hurt anything. It'll either confirm what you're thinking or lead you in a different direction with how to handle your daughter. My daughter was diagnosed with sensory integration disorder when she was around 1 year old. We had issues with her since birth - she couldn't handle bright lights, loud noises, crowds, etc. She would SCREAM! Even now, she's sensitive to noise - her hearing checked out at levels beyond what her ENT had really seen. Anyway, we went through TONS of therapy - Occupational Therapy. The therapy would get her used to sounds, touch (IE - she doesn't like to be wet, wouldn't touch sand, etc.), etc. Early intervention is key here - I would say that 3 years of therapy and my daughter acts pretty darn "normal" now. We had her evaluated in Ann Arbor when she was 2 for Autism/ASD...this doctor told me that someone could put my daughter in an ASD bucket, but really he thought she was high sensory. He recommended we continue with the therapy and not focus on the label. We did just that and again, she's doing great. We know her limitations and do whatever we can to make her days as successful as possible - - - IE, don't overcram the day, don't do two crazy things in one day, arrive first so she's not walking into a loud crowd, etc. The docs told us that many kids really struggle when they go to school and that's when they are most commonly diagnosed...unfortunately, ADD/ADHD tends to be the common diagnosis and that's not always right. Early intervention could prevent such a diagnosis since you train the nervous system how to "behave" at a young age. Hopefully this all makes sense. It has been overwhelming for us, but a lot of work up front has produced excellent results for us. I have one of the best behaved toddler's around! :-) For a time though, I had her in therapy 3 days/week...including cranial sacral therapy. I was willing to try anything! Good luck to you - go on the evaluation and just take things from there!!!

Hi. Absolutely, I think you should push for that referral. We tried for years and years to get someone to tell us what we could do for our son, who had MANY sensory issues, but we always got the brush-off. He was just a kid with an extreme personality or we just needed to be more patient with him. But we knew that something wasn't right here. And once we had other kids who didn't act the same way, we really knew we needed to get some help. (He was extremely rough with them and it progressed to actual violence when he became older and would lose his temper). Then my nephew was diagnosed with sensory integration disorder and my sister called me and told me she thought this is what my son had as well. By this time he was about 10 years old. So I spoke to his pediatrician once again about it and got the same response. Basically, it seems that most doctors don't recognize this as an actual disorder and consider it more of a personality trait. I don't buy it at all. It took us until last summer when he was 12 and had a new doctor who actually listened to us before we were able to get him some help. We took him to see an occupational therapist at the Children's Therapy Center in Battle Creek. They were fabulous and did all they could to help him. We saw a big difference, but they told us that because of his age, they were pretty limited in what they could do to help. We were just thrilled with what they were able to do and we just wish that we had been able to get him such valuable help when he was little and it could have been even more beneficial. You know your child best. Listen to your instincts and if you really feel that she has sensory issues (and it sounds from your description like she may), do everything you can to get her some treatment. I hope this was helpful!

Get an evaluation for SPD at the Abilities Center. My son has been there for 1 year and is able to cope on his own. Insurance now pays for this disability. It's a lot more common than people know.

Hi, H.. It looks like you got some responses but want to add mine as a parent, teacher and special ed teacher. YES, you do want to have your daughter evaluated. Make an appointment with whoever your pediatritian recommeneds, then contact your school district and find out about early childhood programs for kids that have special education needs. Be honest with her teachers about what your concerns are and let them know you want her to get whatever services she qualifies for. Good luck! So many young kids parents don't want to see it when their kids need help...you will be her best advocate.

Hi there, It never hurts to be proactive with your child. You are the mother so trust your intuition! I am an Occupational Therapist. I don't work with children, so I can't speak specifically about your daughter's symptoms, but if the specialist that you are seeing thinks she has a sensory processing disorder, you might want to ask him or her about an occupational therapy referral and then research a center that specializes in sensory integration, esp. before trying any medication or anything like that. Best wishes!!