Sensory Problems

Some things parents want to watch for in their developing child are sensory issues.  Someone doesn't have to be on the spectrum to have sensory disorders.  The signs are there, you just have to watch for them.

With my son he would cup his ears to block out certain noises and still does. A flushing toilet and blow dryer for example. He would become finicky when we were in noisy and crowded places like the mall or restaurant.

Dane would tantrum over starting the microwave, toaster, dryer, flushing the toilet, flipping the light switch, turning on the ceiling fan.  He is to this day obsessed with pin wheels and fans.

Food is also something with certain textures that some children cannot endure.  I don't think my son had much problem with that area. He wasn't much of a picky eater until recently.

Dane would pull at his shirt neck line because the tag was always scratching at him.  A small drop of water on his shirt would have him take it off.

Speech delay a definite sign.  Dane didn't start talking until he was 4.  He is going to be 6 this November and he is hard to understand at times.

One question that really made me upset was when Birth to 3 would question why I think he is smart.  Do you think Dane is smart?  Of course I did.  It was strange.  He was 2 and a half.  He didn't speak but he knew all the animal noises.  You would ask him what noise this animal made and he would hit the nail on the head.  He wasn't talking but he could count.  One time he counted to 20 with Birth to 3. Is he smart?  Hell yes he is.  It's amazing to see him think outside the box.  Sometimes I think he's way ahead of his time while other children are learning to plant a seed.  Dane will say now that the seed will open and grow into a flower.  Then you can take the flower and put it in Grandma's vase.

I remember during his screening for his speech and he was only using a 2-3 word vocabulary.  The picture of a ball.  I was expecting him to say "ball"  he said "beach ball"  I was shocked!  I didn't think he knew what a beach ball even was.  Crazy.

Danes therapist was playing a sensory game with him with beans out of a bean bag chair.  That is when he told her about the seed sprouting and growing into a flower.  Most children his age are still just playing around with the beans and not thinking about the science behind it.  When kids on the playground are busy playing, he is looking up in the sky figuring out what shapes the clouds look like.  He gets mad when he tries telling me and he's pointing and I don't know what he is pointing at.  Eventually I figure it out.