Can an OT shed some light on sensory and my ds

amother

Fri, Oct 12 2012, 7:27 pm

Just to give you a little background....

my ds is 6. He has not officially been diagnosed with a sensory disorder. I am in the process of making appointments with a neurologist and an OT.

From what I've read, every person is different, and a special "diet" is prescribed for each person based on their issues.

My question specifically is, why when my son is getting dressed in the morning he has a fit and a problem putting on his shoes and socks, but if he takes them off later in the day he doenst have an issue (he puts them on quickly and doesnt complain)?

Another thing I noticed is that he'll eventually "give in". Before school he'll have a problem getting dressed, we'll take his shoes in the car with him, and 20 minutes later when he's at school he can put them on without complaining. Why? Does it still bother him but he feels like he has no choice and he is suffering while wearing the clothes? I know its not a control issue because sensory is a real thing, but if time is rushed and he wants to go someplace he "magically" can get dressed without a problem.

BlueEyes125

Sat, Oct 13 2012, 2:31 pm

OT weighing in...

In terms of sensory-- yes, every person is different in his/her sensory needs and what might be good for one person is not good for another. That being said, not every person will have a "sensory diet" prescribed/designed for him/her.

There are also "normal" sensory problems-- two common categories are tactile (touch) and vestibular (motion): tags in shorts, the line by the toe in socks, wool, velvet, chalk, swinging, spinning, jumping/trampoline...the list goes on. Of course there are ranges of normal to abnormal within this-- not every person likes swinging, and not every person who doesn't like swinging is considered to have a sensory disorder.

There are also different kinds of sensory disorders-- there are kinds that the person does not process the sensory information correctly, the person is too sensitive, not sensitive enough, combinations.

All that being said, I am not saying if your ds has a sensory disorder or not. If it's only an issue with his socks and shoes, and he CAN and DOES put them on without a fight 20 minutes later, than even if it is a sensory disorder it does not sound very severe.
I do not know all the information about your ds, but if there are no other "sensory" clues/symptoms, definitely think about when/where these incidents occur and if there are other factors-- time of day, what the next activity is, if you switch socks/shoes does he put them on more willingly?

Ask his teachers in school also about his behaviors. The OT may give you questionnaires-- ask the teacher as well.

Good luck!

c.c.cookie

Sat, Oct 13 2012, 2:31 pm

I'm not an OT, but I myself have sensory issues, as do two of my sons. I think what you're describing makes a lot of sense. Think of something you don't especially enjoy - but if you're motivated you don't mind it as much. Also, if it's a time when you're more stressed, or more tired you'll most probably dislike it even more. It's probably the same thing here. In the morning your son is probably still very groggy and tired. Also, some sensory kids have trouble transitioning from sleep to awake, so add the discomfort of shoes and socks on top of that and it's doubly uncomfortable. But a little later when he manages to regulate himself a bit, or when he's particularly motivated, it's much less of an issue.