Sensory Integration Disorder?/

Try the Excel institute in Shelby Township. They are wonderful. My son has a little of the same issue, along with visual perceptual difficulties. Give them a call and see if they can help, or direct you to the right place.

Don't let the title freak you out -- and get a book called, "The Fabric of Autism," by Judith Bluestone. It describes the NEUROLOGY of the sensory systems that we see in SID/DSI and also in autism.

The HANDLE approach is designed to REMEDIATE the deficits, the developmental delays, that exhibit themselves as sensory issues.

Ignore the title and read the book!

Hi,
Sensory issues at this age can be hard to deal with. My son is dealing with vestibular deficiency ... which basically means that he can spin all he wants and will never get dizzy. While this sounds good to most people, the downside is he can't balance and often falls down or falls off of a chair if sitting. Anyway, we go to therapy once a week and in testing we also found he had a slight food texture issue and some of the other sensory things. In therapy (it has now been 4 months) he is making some significant strides (he started when he was 4). I would definitely recommend therapy. We go to a wonderful place recommended to us by his school:
Sensory Systems Clinic, P.C. 30801 Jefferson Ave., St. Clair Shores, 48082 ###-###-####. The therapy sessions are $100 each, and most people go 1-2 times a week. If/when you call, they will tell you that they will have to do testing first and will give you a report. The testing are just little games and exercises that they do with your daughter with you in the room ... really no big deal. I hope this helps!! Good luck!

My youngest (6 yr) has this problem. We are always aware of the noise level in the house, prepare him if we are going some place with a lot of noise (he wears headphones/earplugs depending on the event), and we allow him to try out all his new clothes before we buy them. Wearing socks is still at battle.

Since he has a need to touch everything, he's been taught to ask if it's safe and alright before he does (we explained that it's for his safety and it's just good manners). He also rocks himself a lot, so we make sure his teachers are aware that he'll do this for comfort or to keep his head clear while he's trying to explain something.

When he goes on "overload" we remove him from the situation and sit with him calmly, taking deep breathes until he has a handle on himself. It's a long, on-going process, but we have made improvements to what he can handle and how he copes on his own.

Hi L., my son was diagnosed with SID about the same age as your daughter. Not knowing what school district you live in, check it out and see if they have an Early On program. This is where you will find the therapists and I believe they are always free. Most children with SID will work with an Occupational Therapist. Our OT really helped our son, even though he still has "issues" with certain things. As your daughter gets into school, you will also want to let teachers know about this diagnosis. Your school might do an IEP on her. One thing you will learn about SID over the years is her "quirks" can change constantly. Our son has gone through tactile, vestibular, auditory and even smell issues. We never know what will set him off. Also read, if you haven't, "The Out Of Sync child". It is a great book with lots of information. Good Luck!

Sounds like she might have it. I have a son with it. She might just grow out of it, or symptoms might lessen over time. There are books about the subject. There are some therapies you can try at home. Easter Seals has a program in the Grand Rapids area which is helpful. Ken-o-Sha diagnoses and provides therapy services in the G.R. area, I think. Sensory integration issues can be a part of something else - my son has Asperger's syndome, which is sort of high functioning autism. I've also heard that S.I. can go along with ADHD. I would read up online, too.

hey lisa!

yours sounds very much like my son at that age. i try to avoid labels because each child is so very unique but research is the first place to start and unfortunately we often find ourselves in a labyrinth of label after label.

to be more direct, if she has always had these sensitives, i would predict that she won't simply "grow out of it." what will eventually happen, with therapy or without, is that she will learn her own coping techniques to tolerate the input she is receiving. the questions then become will these coping techniques be effective, will they be socially acceptable, or will they create more difficulties than they solve.

for example, one of the poorer ones my son developed at that age was to sit in the corner, cover his ears with his hands and rock, whine and moan so to block things out. while it worked for him in the moment, it was something that confused and, in some cases, scared the other kids, thereby creating a quick fix but another longer term challenge.

i can recommend a woman that i came across at my son's school. she specializes in these matters and can give much more individual and unique guidance to meet your specific questions. Kim Waters, M.S., L.L.P., Exceptional Strategies in Livonia. ###-###-####. not only does she have professional experience but her kids also have had challenges so she has lived this from both sides of the coin.

in the future, depending on her situation at school age, you may want to consider alternative schools other than your public system. my DS attends a school that is sensitive to these aspects and i fully believe that in our case, without this resource, he would, at the very least, be on daily medication.

i am sure she is a very special little girl and knowing she has such an observant and dedicated mom will serve her tremendously in the future.

best of everything to you and yours. :-)

S.

Contact your local ISD (Intermediate School District). They will do the testing and evaluation. Also, children ages 0-5 are entitled to FREE services for the testing and for therapy (either home visits, indivual sessions @ school or in a classroom setting based on needs and availability). Get her evaluated and take advantage of the services that are available. It can't be comfortable for you OR for her... why wait?? I think you'll be relieved to find that there are things you can do to help your daughter and that there are other families dealing with the same behaviors and challenges. Good luck!!

Lisa,

My 7 year old daughter receives treatment for fine motor delay. They determined that she had some of the SID symptoms and started doing some different things with her so should could become more comfortable.

Examples:

Playing in sand, shaving cream, etc.
Exposing her to different textures

Recently she has been diagnosed with ADHD. Now I'm thrilled when she wants to play in the sand/dirt even when the dirt under her fingernails drives me crazy. ;)

I would suggest you have her evaluated as therapy can make a world of difference.

Hang in there as it will get better.

C.

Everyone has had really great things to say. They only thing I will add is to go toe library and check out two books. The first is The Out of Sync Child and the second is The Out of Sync Child Has Fun. They are excellent and I believe that they will answer a lot of your questions! Good luck and God Bless!

Hi Lisa -

My 7 year old son has a speech delay and SID - mainly a noise sensitivity and inability to play/integrate with other children his age. We had him evaluated when he was 4 and early intervention is so important. My son did 1 1/2 years of sensory therapy at Sensory Systems Clinic (www.sensorysystemsclinic.com) in St Clair Shores (13 & Jefferson). They are incredible there and I do know they have treatments for food texture issues as well as noise sensitivities. My son is still sensitive to some noises but they are greatly reduced and we at least now know how to help him "defend himself" against them. As said below, you can also check into what your school district offers but I personally would have your daughter at least evaluated by a clinic that specializes in SID. They don't require you to go ahead with treatments if you get her evaluated and it will help you have a broad picture of everything your daughter may be dealing with as well as give you something to work off of if you decide to go through the school district.

The therapy is all play based with cool swings, ball pits, etc. and my son absolutely loved going once a week to play. Obviously, I believe that treatment is key to helping SID kids and saw great improvements in my son.

Best of luck to you, you daughter and your entire family.

Lisa,

My son also has some SID issues, mostly noise, bright light, and being touched. Many of his symptoms lessened after we had him tested for food intolerances and removed the "bad" foods from his diet.

However, we also found the brushing technique to be a great help. I work with him at home, but also try to accommodate his needs when we are in public.

Such as, bringing headphones to a movie so the loud speakers don't hurt his ears so much, make sure he has sunglasses with him to protect his eyes, and only touching him with a firm touch so as not to "hurt" his skin.

Therapy can be a great help and the therapist can give you games to play at home (even with your younger daughter) to help your oldest adapt to her sensitivities.

Good luck with your research.

-C..

You might also contact your local Intermediate School District to see if they have a Therapist who can and also your Pediatritian. My nephew has had issues since he was about the age of your child and my sister fought with professionals until just this last spring to get help and he is now 13. So start working now and insist that they help you and give you answers so you know just what it is with your child. It is possible she will out grow it but if it is something that needs more then it is best to do thing earlier rather than later. The best of luck to you and your family.

What area do you live in? I ask because there is a support group for children with sensory disorders in my school district, which is Hartland School District. They conduct seminars/classes to educate and support parents.

I'll be honest I don't have the name of the group, but I can get it for you. If you don't live in this area, the head of the group may be able to direct you to a group in your area.

M.

My 13 year old son has SID. He received treatment for feeding therapy, we did brushing and other methods when he was 2-5 years old. His difficulties were very prominent when he was young, seams, clothes, tags, people touching him, noises etc. I think the intensive treatment helped him greatly when he was young. He now has very mild difficulties that he knows how to make his own adjustments for. Many pediatricians do not know much about SID, be persistent with your concerns for a referral. Mary Free Bed has an excellent outpatient program. Or check with an OT at school district.
I pray for patience for you, it is a difficult road but with early intervention things improve.

My son has SID, and he wasn't diagnosed until he ws 5 becasue I didn't know the symptoms. They were all there, but I wasn't educated in them. 3 is a great age to treat because it is before they get into kindergarten. My son had to do 2 years of kindergarten becasue the SID interferred with his learning. reatment consisted of occupational therapy and speech therapy. We did it for 1 1/2 - 2 years and he is fine now. Go to your pediatrician, tell him what you think, and get a prescription to go to a pediatric development center, not the school system. Most school systems don't even offer SID as a diagnosis. If you would like to email me privately, just send me a message and I will be happy to talk to you. You are so lucky to find this at the age that you did, it is treatable, and the early the intervention the better.