Sensory issues with R

[JenRose]

Was at the CDC today.

Saw a fantastic SLT who LISTENED to everything i was saying about R.

 

I told her that a major problem for us at the moment is in the middle of the night when she wakes up the whole house screaming because she doesnt have her shoes or coat on.

 

She,s like this all the time, it takes nursery half an hour to get her to take her coat off and as for her shoes..... we remove them when she,s asleep as she gets so distressed and starts with the self harm behaviour, headbanging scratching etc.

 

But, the SLT said that some children with sensory difficulties (we havent got the ASD dx yet but its all pointing to that) dont feel sensations like NT,s (she actually used the word neurotypical i was impressed) and that to try and find something that makes her feel secure and if possible to tuck her in really tight, but she doesnt like covers on her so i dont know what to do.

 

How do you manage when your child refuses to take off coats/shoes etc?

 

M is completely the other way, he doesnt like to wear any clothes and would quite happily walk around the house in just his underwear!!!

 

Thanks

[Bullet]

Would she wear thick socks at night? Don't know what to suggest for the rest I'm afraid.

[butterfingersbimbo]

what about wooly tights? el was the opposite too and used to prefer to be naked.....or what about a sleeping bag? will have to try to think about this one....looking good tho for the sensory issues if you know what i mean....

[anita81]

try changing shoes for slippers,then change the coat for a dressing gown maybe.

[baileyj]

Perhaps as others say, she feels secure with her jacket and shoes on, my son likes heavy weight in bed, it seems to comfort him.

 

Found this from ages ago on weighted jackets/blankets, hope it may help.

 

http://www.asd-forum.org.uk/forum/index.ph...EIGHTED+JACKETS

 

Jo

[JenRose]

thanks for all the advice

[JenRose]

Oh it just gets worse.

 

This morning i was speaking to the SPECIAL NEEDS health visitor and i was telling her about R,s problem with her clothes/shoes.

 

She said "its an attention thing and i wouldnt stand for it if i were you, you are making a rod for your own back"

 

So i retorted that i thought it was a SENSORY problem and then she said "Well its cold now its probably that thats making her upset."

 

So i said what about the summer then. she,s like that then.

 

She said did i not pick anything up from the NAS help course that i attended last month.

 

She is an "expert" you see cos she is doing a graduate something or other in ASD.

 

Somebody give me strength.............

[Stephanie]

My son used to always have to have his legs and arms covered - hated shorts etc and it was an incredibly hot summer and I wanted him to wear shorts on holiday. It took me a while to get him in T shirts but he was just so stubborn about not wearing shorts.

 

I went through a week of preparing him for the fact that he was going to wear shorts on Wednesday .. he was saying 'no he wasn't', having strops at the very idea etc. When Wednesday came, I had to force his trousers off and put shorts on him whilst he was kicking and screaming - I told him he was wearing them for one hour then he could take them off - if he took them off himself, I had told him I would take away his favourite video.

 

He wore them for an hour reluctantly.

 

The next day he wore them for 2 hours happily.

 

The next day he automatically put shorts on in the morning and has never looked back!!

 

I may be deemed as a terrible mother for "making" him do things that he doesn't want to do but there comes a point with me that I have to intervene ... same when it came to getting him out of nappies - again, I'm glad I did.

 

I'm not saying you should be as me either, just trying to show that sometimes you have to take small steps, build up to it then take baby steps to get there.

 

My son can be bargained with, some might say "bribed" , I realise that not all children can.

 

I loved the slippers and dressing gown idea - a nightime coat and shoes.

 

Now my son is a bit older he doesn't have the sensory problems with clothes - apart from socks, he always has to have socks on, at night etc. and if there is ever a hole in one of them - pandamonium!

[JenRose]

thanks for your advice stephanie, it has helped for me to see that there could be light

at the end of the tunnel!!!

 

She is now happily playing in her "nightime coat" and slippers and we have managed to

get her to wear them slowly over the last couple of days.

[oxgirl]

She is now happily playing in her "nightime coat" and slippers and we have managed to

get her to wear them slowly over the last couple of days.

 

 

That's fantastic news! <'> These problems can really cause a lot of distress, can't they. Glad you've found a solution.

 

~ Mel ~

[darky]

its good you have found a good alternitive that makes your daughter happy. mine likes to strip off, so i have the opposite problem!

[mandyque]

its good you have found a good alternitive that makes your daughter happy. mine likes to strip off, so i have the opposite problem!

mine too darky It's got to the point now where she has a referral to the child psychiatrist as she will wear swimming costumes or nothing. I have managed to stretch her to wear leotards and dance tights but she won't always wear them. I'm also waiting to hear if I can get a grant to buy weighted blankets and jackets and stuff for her.

 

As a last resort psychiatrists can prescribe anti-anxiety/depression drugs which help with sensitivity issues, I know a couple of other kids on prozac and their behaviour has improved greatly because their sensitivity has been 'turned down' so that they are better able to cope.