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amother
Marigold
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 Thu, Jan 18 2024, 10:01 am
My son is similar. Has done OT
1) I remind him over and over he can’t hit us but he can hit a pillow
2) I bought him a punching bag so I now tell him he can hit a pillow or the bag
Redirecting him helps somewhat. I think he will grow out
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amother
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Thu, Jan 18 2024, 10:15 am
| amother Marigold wrote: | My son is similar. Has done OT
1) I remind him over and over he can’t hit us but he can hit a pillow
2) I bought him a punching bag so I now tell him he can hit a pillow or the bag
Redirecting him helps somewhat. I think he will grow out |
did u see any change with ot help?
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amother
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Thu, Jan 18 2024, 10:23 am
| amother OP wrote: | don't think he ever had antibiotic in his life.
oh maybe yes. when he was born he was in the nicu from day 2 for approx 5 days his breathing wasnt 100 percent okay. dctrs didnt know what it was dont recall but maybe he had antibiotics then
no gi issues im aware of. what r indications of gi issues? | Did you have antibiotics when you were pregnant with him? During labor?
Even if not, clostridia overgrowth is still common.
Obvious gi issues would be reflux, gassiness, pain, constipation, diarrhea etc. But it's also possible that he has pain and doesn't know it because it's always like that for him. Or his gi issues could show up as behaviors only.
A friends child had similar behaviors. It ended up being celiac, confirmed by bloods and biopsy. Child never had gi symptoms, but behaviors resolved dramatically when removing gluten.
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amother
Purple
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Thu, Jan 18 2024, 10:31 am
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My dd is sensory seeking and at times aggressive. OT Definitely helps! It seems like you are nervous to go that route, you keep asking if people saw improvements from it. There is no stigma with getting OT. Lots of children get it without diagnosis other than sensory. 1 important point, it helps, but does not necessarily “cure”. A child who is always seeking needs the input. But a good OT will figure out strategies to help the child receive the input in appropriate way so they can get through their day functioning.
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amother
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Thu, Jan 18 2024, 10:31 am
| amother Lemonchiffon wrote: | Did you have antibiotics when you were pregnant with him? During labor?
Even if not, clostridia overgrowth is still common.
Obvious gi issues would be reflux, gassiness, pain, constipation, diarrhea etc. But it's also possible that he has pain and doesn't know it because it's always like that for him. Or his gi issues could show up as behaviors only.
A friends child had similar behaviors. It ended up being celiac, confirmed by bloods and biopsy. Child never had gi symptoms, but behaviors resolved dramatically when removing gluten. |
he used to complain on stomach here and there and say he's not feeling well. I used to interpret that as him telling me he needs to use the bathroom which was usually the case. he did have a while ago lots of diarrhea but I was giving him lots of vitamin c then for constant runny nose and blamed it on overdose of vit c.
if he's not complaining for a few months already on stomach and his stool is back to regular, should I still check for any gi issues?
and how do I check for those?
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amother
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Thu, Jan 18 2024, 10:39 am
| amother Purple wrote: | | My dd is sensory seeking and at times aggressive. OT Definitely helps! It seems like you are nervous to go that route, you keep asking if people saw improvements from it. There is no stigma with getting OT. Lots of children get it without diagnosis other than sensory. 1 important point, it helps, but does not necessarily “cure”. A child who is always seeking needs the input. But a good OT will figure out strategies to help the child receive the input in appropriate way so they can get through their day functioning. |
I actually am asking cuz I do want to take him. I had taken diff child in the past for diff reason school and evaluators asked for, and I got the feeling from the OT like really u can do this by yourself but if u want me to work with him ok I will...and he is a top OT! so b4 taking another child for what looks like sensory issues I want to make sure its the helpful and common route to take vs providing your child at home with sensory input activities...
Also, my son won't be cooperative and excited to stranger even I'm in the room. and because he is so sensative, might take it so hard that I bring him to a place he doesn't want to be. so that's why I am so hesitant to take him to OT and want to hear if it actually best way to help him. not at all afraid of stigma bh.
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amother
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Thu, Jan 18 2024, 12:12 pm
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if you are an ot, do u feel like working with a child with sensory issues can be done by the mom and have the same outcome? or there is yes an advantage of having proffesional ot for sensory kids?
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amother
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Thu, Jan 18 2024, 12:15 pm
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and while I try to take care of and reduce his need to be agressive, in the meantime, should there be any consequence or reaction when he is hitting scratching punching...or not since it's prob not his fault and maybe almost happens by itself..
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amother
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Thu, Jan 18 2024, 6:44 pm
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any tips on how to react on the moment when he hits and causes siblings to cry?
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amother
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Thu, Jan 18 2024, 7:30 pm
| amother OP wrote: | he used to complain on stomach here and there and say he's not feeling well. I used to interpret that as him telling me he needs to use the bathroom which was usually the case. he did have a while ago lots of diarrhea but I was giving him lots of vitamin c then for constant runny nose and blamed it on overdose of vit c.
if he's not complaining for a few months already on stomach and his stool is back to regular, should I still check for any gi issues?
and how do I check for those? | You could ask your pedi or take him to a gi, but to really get a good look at his gut health you'd want a functional stool test.
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MomTH
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Thu, Jan 18 2024, 10:47 pm
| amother OP wrote: | thanks for responding. I was actually wanting to hear from an ot if its about me providing him with more activities to calm his sensory needs and this will actually turn him into a calmer child and put an end to his aggresiveness or does he need a good ot to see him?
he loves to jump run around and sing. he can't sit through a meal from a very young age and will say he's finish even though he barely ate cuz he needs to go play run...
loves funny stuff. not sure about risk type of behavior though. he's the type to need security and be afraid of strangers, doesn't want me to leave him behind when I have a simcha.. and is pretty much yes afraid and scared of many things. he enjoys banging toys and making noises...
what would unaware of body movement look like? |
Unaware of body movement or lack of body awareness could manifest in a child who is clumsy and bumps into things, child who doesn’t seem to know their own strength (coloring very hard, squeezing someone too tight)
Looking at all this information about your son, I would hypothesize that he has difficulty with proprioceptive (body awareness)processing. Proprioception helps us with knowing where our body parts are, understanding how much force to use, and coordinating between body parts and senses (for example, eye hand coordination to catch a ball).
Your son may be under-sensitive to input (also known as sensory seeker)and in this situation, children will compensate often by seeking out intense sensory input to give their bodies more feedback. There are different types of activities one can use to help children like this regulate their behavior and improve function in their daily routines. Obviously, I’m getting just a small snapshot over here and I don’t have the full picture so I’m not going to give you a whole list of things to do, maybe some general suggestions.
Going on to address another question you put in this post (can a mother just do sensory stuff with the kid on their own), the OT has a background/knowledge to look at behavior and understand the sensory system involved and intervene accordingly. In a clinic/therapy center, the therapist has access to equipment and supplies that a parent doesn’t. However, a big part of therapy is parents carrying over the progress made in sessions to the home. You can have a great OT and if the parent isn’t so involved then it may not be as effective. Or you can have a parent who is just intuitive and can figure out what kinds of activities work for their child and that may be effective for them. You need to figure out what’s going to work for you.
I hope I addressed some of your questions in a coherent manner. I only just sat down properly after a long day so my brain is a mush. If you have other questions, I can try to answer them both as an OT and as mom of a child with sensory issues who receives OT among other services.
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amother
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Fri, Jan 19 2024, 1:07 am
| MomTH wrote: | Unaware of body movement or lack of body awareness could manifest in a child who is clumsy and bumps into things, child who doesn’t seem to know their own strength (coloring very hard, squeezing someone too tight)
Looking at all this information about your son, I would hypothesize that he has difficulty with proprioceptive (body awareness)processing. Proprioception helps us with knowing where our body parts are, understanding how much force to use, and coordinating between body parts and senses (for example, eye hand coordination to catch a ball).
Your son may be under-sensitive to input (also known as sensory seeker)and in this situation, children will compensate often by seeking out intense sensory input to give their bodies more feedback. There are different types of activities one can use to help children like this regulate their behavior and improve function in their daily routines. Obviously, I’m getting just a small snapshot over here and I don’t have the full picture so I’m not going to give you a whole list of things to do, maybe some general suggestions.
Going on to address another question you put in this post (can a mother just do sensory stuff with the kid on their own), the OT has a background/knowledge to look at behavior and understand the sensory system involved and intervene accordingly. In a clinic/therapy center, the therapist has access to equipment and supplies that a parent doesn’t. However, a big part of therapy is parents carrying over the progress made in sessions to the home. You can have a great OT and if the parent isn’t so involved then it may not be as effective. Or you can have a parent who is just intuitive and can figure out what kinds of activities work for their child and that may be effective for them. You need to figure out what’s going to work for you.
I hope I addressed some of your questions in a coherent manner. I only just sat down properly after a long day so my brain is a mush. If you have other questions, I can try to answer them both as an OT and as mom of a child with sensory issues who receives OT among other services. |
Thank u so much for your detailed explanation. I understand from your point of view that there are yes benefits to taking him for OT. will schedule an eval iy"h once I have a referral from my doctor.
I am left wondering, what causes sensory issues in kids?
also, is age three appropriate age to start therapy?
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marineparkmom
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Fri, Jan 19 2024, 7:32 am
These posts are very long
But did you mention his speech and language skills, his play skills, does he get along with the children in school and the morah… OT is wonderful
But a full evaluation is probably better
He may qualify for other services as well
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amother
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Fri, Jan 19 2024, 7:36 am
| marineparkmom wrote: | These posts are very long
But did you mention his speech and language skills, his play skills, does he get along with the children in school and the morah… OT is wonderful
But a full evaluation is probably better
He may qualify for other services as well |
He actually is very expressive and talking from very young age. play skills are great and gets along fine in school.
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amother
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Fri, Jan 19 2024, 8:25 am
I agree with you about not reacting punitively if you think he can't really control it that much. When dd was 1.5 or 2 she was a biter. And at first I thought to raise my voice and say no very sternly. But I could see how deeply hurt she was, and it didn't help anyway. And then I thought why is she doing it. And I realised she needs to bite something, that's why. So the next time she did it, I said calmly, "oh, seems like you need to bite something now. We don't bite people. Let me get you a teether." We actually had teething toys for bigger kids from a sensory site. This was so much better, no getting angry, she wasn't melting down in tears like before when I got upset at her. The best part was that it probably wasn't a week after I started this that she almost bit me, stopped herself, and said "mommy I need to bite something." And we went and found her a teether.
I don't know if it will help with your son, but applying that, I'd try something similar until you do the evaluation and treat this. I doubt it could hurt. "Oh, it seems like you have energy you need to get out." or "it seems like you need to punch something, let's go find you something to punch." But put a plan in place first of things you're going to try.
Sometimes kids also need the sensory input to calm themselves. If that's his issue, you can look up sensory websites for sensory tools like weighted blankets or weighted jackets. There's one brand called sensacalm I liked but this was a while back, so I'm not sure if they're still around. But Google around and look for reviews of places.
Also, I used to work with a woman over shabbos with low functioning autism, and we couldn't really take her out too much when the weather was bad. When she would get bored sometimes and start acting out and being wild and physical, we would sometimes ask her if she could "help" us bring something heavy across the house and then back to where it came from, a few times. Like a box with some stuff in it. Of course we didn't need that thing moved anywhere it was about her getting her energy out. And we would thank her and make her feel all good about herself and it was usually a game, like she thought it was funny she was going back and forth with it. Of course your son sounds nothing like her , but people without autism can have sensory issues too and the same types of ideas might help.
But I really think you might benefit from looking at sensory websites, and seeing what products they offer. Look at the purpose and think about whether it seems like something that could feed what your son is trying to get. And I'm not super obsessive about natural stuff, but sometimes sensory kids are the most sensitive to chemicals, so I'd recommend trying to avoid sensory stuff made in China and from plastic for him. Try a place that focuses more on organic.
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amother
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Fri, Jan 19 2024, 9:25 am
| amother Anemone wrote: | I agree with you about not reacting punitively if you think he can't really control it that much. When dd was 1.5 or 2 she was a biter. And at first I thought to raise my voice and say no very sternly. But I could see how deeply hurt she was, and it didn't help anyway. And then I thought why is she doing it. And I realised she needs to bite something, that's why. So the next time she did it, I said calmly, "oh, seems like you need to bite something now. We don't bite people. Let me get you a teether." We actually had teething toys for bigger kids from a sensory site. This was so much better, no getting angry, she wasn't melting down in tears like before when I got upset at her. The best part was that it probably wasn't a week after I started this that she almost bit me, stopped herself, and said "mommy I need to bite something." And we went and found her a teether.
I don't know if it will help with your son, but applying that, I'd try something similar until you do the evaluation and treat this. I doubt it could hurt. "Oh, it seems like you have energy you need to get out." or "it seems like you need to punch something, let's go find you something to punch." But put a plan in place first of things you're going to try.
Sometimes kids also need the sensory input to calm themselves. If that's his issue, you can look up sensory websites for sensory tools like weighted blankets or weighted jackets. There's one brand called sensacalm I liked but this was a while back, so I'm not sure if they're still around. But Google around and look for reviews of places.
Also, I used to work with a woman over shabbos with low functioning autism, and we couldn't really take her out too much when the weather was bad. When she would get bored sometimes and start acting out and being wild and physical, we would sometimes ask her if she could "help" us bring something heavy across the house and then back to where it came from, a few times. Like a box with some stuff in it. Of course we didn't need that thing moved anywhere it was about her getting her energy out. And we would thank her and make her feel all good about herself and it was usually a game, like she thought it was funny she was going back and forth with it. Of course your son sounds nothing like her , but people without autism can have sensory issues too and the same types of ideas might help.
But I really think you might benefit from looking at sensory websites, and seeing what products they offer. Look at the purpose and think about whether it seems like something that could feed what your son is trying to get. And I'm not super obsessive about natural stuff, but sometimes sensory kids are the most sensitive to chemicals, so I'd recommend trying to avoid sensory stuff made in China and from plastic for him. Try a place that focuses more on organic. |
Love your clarity and ideas! will try them iy"h. Thank u!
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amother
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Fri, Jan 19 2024, 9:54 am
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and regarding asd concern some mentioned, totally not the case. definitely. He doesn't fit criteria. great communication, expressive, great playing skills, very aware of surroundings and everything. sounds like he just has such a strong urge to physically touch and impulsive maybe... and gets angered easily and has to get his anger out physically...
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MomTH
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Fri, Jan 19 2024, 10:03 am
| amother Anemone wrote: | I agree with you about not reacting punitively if you think he can't really control it that much. When dd was 1.5 or 2 she was a biter. And at first I thought to raise my voice and say no very sternly. But I could see how deeply hurt she was, and it didn't help anyway. And then I thought why is she doing it. And I realised she needs to bite something, that's why. So the next time she did it, I said calmly, "oh, seems like you need to bite something now. We don't bite people. Let me get you a teether." We actually had teething toys for bigger kids from a sensory site. This was so much better, no getting angry, she wasn't melting down in tears like before when I got upset at her. The best part was that it probably wasn't a week after I started this that she almost bit me, stopped herself, and said "mommy I need to bite something." And we went and found her a teether.
I don't know if it will help with your son, but applying that, I'd try something similar until you do the evaluation and treat this. I doubt it could hurt. "Oh, it seems like you have energy you need to get out." or "it seems like you need to punch something, let's go find you something to punch." But put a plan in place first of things you're going to try.
Sometimes kids also need the sensory input to calm themselves. If that's his issue, you can look up sensory websites for sensory tools like weighted blankets or weighted jackets. There's one brand called sensacalm I liked but this was a while back, so I'm not sure if they're still around. But Google around and look for reviews of places.
Also, I used to work with a woman over shabbos with low functioning autism, and we couldn't really take her out too much when the weather was bad. When she would get bored sometimes and start acting out and being wild and physical, we would sometimes ask her if she could "help" us bring something heavy across the house and then back to where it came from, a few times. Like a box with some stuff in it. Of course we didn't need that thing moved anywhere it was about her getting her energy out. And we would thank her and make her feel all good about herself and it was usually a game, like she thought it was funny she was going back and forth with it. Of course your son sounds nothing like her , but people without autism can have sensory issues too and the same types of ideas might help.
But I really think you might benefit from looking at sensory websites, and seeing what products they offer. Look at the purpose and think about whether it seems like something that could feed what your son is trying to get. And I'm not super obsessive about natural stuff, but sometimes sensory kids are the most sensitive to chemicals, so I'd recommend trying to avoid sensory stuff made in China and from plastic for him. Try a place that focuses more on organic. |
This is actually something I was going to say, the idea of looking at what causes the behavior and finding an alternative. I do this with my daughter who has sensory issues, when she’s busy touching everything, I’ll have her do an animal walk or cozy on her beanbag. And the idea of carrying something heavy is perfect for many sensory issues, it’s called a heavy work activity and gives a lot of regulating input to the body.
Regarding the sensory websites, OP I really like funandfunction.com It’s run by a frum, Jewish woman who’s an OT. You can look at products by diagnosis or type of sensory issue. She has resources too like webinars and blogs about different sensory topics. It may not be the cheapest for some products but you get a whole lot of support there.
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MomTH
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Fri, Jan 19 2024, 10:06 am
| amother OP wrote: | Thank u so much for your detailed explanation. I understand from your point of view that there are yes benefits to taking him for OT. will schedule an eval iy"h once I have a referral from my doctor.
I am left wondering, what causes sensory issues in kids?
also, is age three appropriate age to start therapy? |
Age three is just fine for starting therapy. I work in EI (early intervention, 0-3) and I’ve dealt with plenty of kids who have sensory issues. The earlier you can work on this and implement tools for helping your son cope in his everyday routine, the better for all involved.
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amother
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Sun, Jan 21 2024, 12:29 pm
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anyone know of kids friendly male therapist, accepting insurance, good for sensory kid in brooklyn?
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