Sensory integration disorder

Kristy - posted on 04/11/2012

My son, grandson I've adopted, is almost 6. He has the focus issue (ADD/ADHD) where our pediatrician has put him on a small dosage of adderall each morning. This medication helps him function in the school environment. He is less hyper, and can pay attention longer. He also has a high tolerence for pain, low tolerance for loud noise, and bounces off the walls in general. He's very particular about the comfort of his clothing, everything has to feel just right. I'm not very knowledgable about the SID, SPD stuff that I'm reading here, and intend to do some more research. Two of my other sons have ADD issues. Without the help of medication school was almost an unsurmountable task for them.

Theresa - posted on 06/14/2009

Hi Judy, I have a daughter who has SID. She was dx with this at the age of 6 and she is now 11. I have to agree with some of the moms that have already replied to your post. It is important to have an IEP for school, this has done wonders for our dd. Talk to the principal or teacher about this. It's a long process, takes weeks, to get this together. Now would be the time to get this going for next year. Also, the mom who said brushing. My dd had alot of taxtile issues and this worked great!

You also wanted to know if the children out grow this...And I have to say each child is different. My dd DID outgrow alot of this in the last few years.

From the sounds of it your are doing everything you can think of and I would most certainly keep him into all those classes. The jumping and movements are important to the kids with SID. Almost a need in a way.

I hope that things start to look up for you and your son. I know it can be very frustrated to have a child that appears a little different than others at times. I am there and it's now just starting to get better.

Always continue to educate yourself and others. You are the best adovcate for your son! You are doing a great job! Good luck and take care!



Mom of a dd with Selective Mutism , Social Phobia, and SID

Linda - posted on 06/13/2009

One thing I've had tremendous success with is the Feingold Program. It's a dietary program for behavior modification. While it didn't resolve my son's issues, it "turned down the noise" in his head so we could better address them with his OT. www.feingold.org

Michele - posted on 06/12/2009

my son was diagnosed with sid when he was three. he is five now and doing well. he still has some strange behaviors ex: walking along the fence at the park instead of playing on the equipment, he does play on the equipment, but he needs to walk alot before doing so, also he will not drink from an open cup or use a straw. his sid mostly affects the way he eats. he will not try different foods and gags when I try it. he had ot for about a year and he gets speech therapy in special ed class at a public school. you can try in your town to contact the child study team and be evaluated for services. i dont know how old your child is. that is what really helped my son, they gave him pt/ot and speech therapy in preschool and he is ready for full day kindergarten in the fall, he will be pulled out for speech and ot but will be in a regular class. sid kids tend to have some attention deficit disorder also, that is why you son may not be able to sit still. I would suggest a pediatric neurodevelopmentalist as I went that route with my son and she makes sure that he is on track to where he is supposed to be. good luck any other questions feel free to contact me,i have been thru this all. mhayesbabies@yahoo.com

Roxanne - posted on 06/11/2009

One other thing with SID is to figure out if your child is hypersensitive (loud noises bother them) or if your child is hyposensitive (seeks an over abundance of sensory input). My daughter falls into the latter category. One thing is she have to touch, taste and even smell everything new.

Cheryl - posted on 06/11/2009

My son is 10, he has ADHD (diagnosed at 5). He has some strange sensory disorders as well. He gets over stimulated and he craves intense weighted pressure on his body (think lying under a mattress). He also enjoys massage. I am not sure where you are located but we had lots of luck with Kidsense Pediatrics in Milford, CT. They specialize in OT. The most important thing you can do for your son is give him the tools he needs to control his behaviors. If he learns to identify when he is not on task he can deal with it better. I see no signs that my son has outgrown his disorder but I know he feels more in control.

Stacey - posted on 06/11/2009

brushing helped my son, deep pressure-he always liked to be rolled up in a blanket tightly and then unrolled. Your OT will give you many great ideas. My son is now 7. holding him a year before starting kindergarten has made all the difference. He has learned to manage his difficencies without as much social pressure. Some of my sons strange behavior has become some of my favorite memories of him. You are your child's biggest advocate. Don't ever stop. I demand my son not get overlooked because he could be viewed as annoying at school. I also ask the para to redirect and step back-they will not manage themselves if it is done for them. The teachers probably think my behavior is more odd than his!

Roxanne - posted on 06/11/2009

I have a 6 yr old little girl that we adopted from India. We brought her home when she was just over 3 yrs old. I tend to look on her as a work in progress. Some of the things we have done are practicing basketball and volleyball with her and putting her in dance lessons. All this helps with coordination, discipline and muscle tone. My daughter works one on one with a para too as she tends to thrive with the one on one attention. Some of the things you can try is to have them chew gum or fruit gummy treats in class. This helps keep them focus. When we put my daughter in dance we made up a prize box. Before she went to dance (it was once a week) we would let her look at the box and pick out 1 thing she would like to get if she was good in dance. But she would only get the prize if she was good. If she wasn't good it stayed in there til the next dance class. Kids with SID, in my opion, are very smart. It only took a couple of times for her to figure out what she needed to do to get a prize. She still has her bad days though. Another idea is to look for the local Parents Encouraging Parents (or PEP) chapter in your state. You can find this by searching on the internet. They quite often can put you in touch with parents who have gone through what you are going through. And even explain the dreaded IEP meeting (with the school) to you. Good luck with your son. You are in my thoughts and prayers as I am in the same situation that you are in. Everyday is a learning lesson for us. I just pray that someday everyone will see her as the same miracle child that I see her as.

Bobbi - posted on 06/11/2009

Hi Judy!

I've never heard of SID, so after I read your post, I went to WebMD and read about it. It didn't mention anything about "out-growing" SID, but the article mentioned that treatment for SID seemed to help with other behavioral problems. I think you're on the right path with the physical exercises and activities, but it also talks about sensory therapy also. There's an extensive list of behaviors and symptoms of children who are eventually diagnosed with SID. It didn't mention anything about medication. It sounds as if you have your hands full and I certainly wish you luck.

Bobbi

Bobbi - posted on 06/11/2009

Hi Judy!

I've never heard of SID, so after I read your post, I went to WebMD and read about it. It didn't mention anything about "out-growing" SID, but the article mentioned that treatment for SID seemed to help with other behavioral problems. I think you're on the right path with the physical exercises and activities, but it also talks about sensory therapy also. There's an extensive list of behaviors and symptoms of children who are eventually diagnosed with SID. It didn't mention anything about medication. It sounds as if you have your hands full and I certainly wish you luck.

Bobbi