I Think My 3 Yo May Have SID (Sensory Integration Dysfunction)

My 9 year old daughter has it...as there are many different levels of SID. I would recommend seeing the folks at Child Development Center in the Springs. They were fantastic with us. We use many different techniques to get her "going" and keep her calm. One is an infant hair shampoo brush to use on her whole body, we do stretching and flexing of joints and lots of spinning. Good luck, they do learn how to deal with their issues on their own eventually.

Hi J.,
My daughter was diagnosed 9 months ago with SID. It has been an intense journey since she became diagnosed. Intense is also a good word to describe my daughter. Her emotions are extreme in nature. When she is happy, she is really happy and when she is mad, she is really mad. I did a lot of reading on the subject of sensory integration disorder before I sought professional help for my daughter. I really had a hard time coming to grips with the diagnosis because sensory integration issues seem to effect us all in one way or another. Meaning, it is easy to dismiss certain behaviors as being just developemental hurdles, or just personal coping strategies; many of which I could relate to as an adult. Once I finally conceded to getting her some help and me some support I became much more aware of just how problematic some of the behavior I was seeing, was. Change really would and still does to a certain extent set my daughter off. She would become unhinged if her routine was at all altered. Now, however she has been given the proper language and tools to deal with the overwhelming emotional response that is illicited by change. I found out through the grapevine that there is public assistance through your school district for children with disabilities. She was assesed and then assigned to an occupational therapist who up until recently visited our home once a week. I can't tell you what a tremendous resource this has been for us. She has made a lot of improvement in a short amount of time. She is turning 3 soon and will enter a preschool that is tailored to not only her learning ability but social abilities as well. I think it is really important if you can, to get your little one checked out now while he is young because this is a great time to teach them skills that will carry them through tough times adjusting in adolescence and adulthood. If you want more info. you can email me. You also might qualify for help through the military. So, good luck to you and know that you are not alone.
B.

Hi J.,

I am a Natural Health Practitioner and I know there are things that can be done to help. Two things that work very well together are Brain Integration Technique and Nutritional Therapy. Here is the website of a woman in Fort Collins that I would highly recommend http://www.openpathwaystolearning.com/.

The last sweet young boy that I worked with with SID had a very hard time eating. After getting nutrition through food and supplements he has grown over 3 inches since September, grown a shoe size, has graduated from his vision therapy and is much more calm and focused.

I would highly recommend that you read the book "Please Don't Diagnose My Child" by Dr. Scott Shannon.

If you would like to chat further please send me a message.

As a side note, please thank you husband for his service for me. I wish him complete safety.

My youngest son had tons of sensory integration issues when he was young. We noticed it early because he was so unhappy all the time. He would cry about clothes, the position he was in in his carseat, the hum of the lights in grocery store...everything made him upset. I truly believe that had we not intervened as early as we did my son would have been autistic.

My advice is to read The Out of Sync Child as soon as you can and contact your public school system for an evaluation for him. If they try to brush you off, keep at it. You have to be an advocate for him. Don't take no for an answer.

What worked amazingly well for us was theraputic listening. Make sure anyone who sets up a program for your son has been educated by Shiela Frick at Vital Links. She has done more research in the field than anyone else. It costs a lot of money if you have to buy the CDs but if you can find a PT or OT who will loan them to you while you're on the program you can save. We started seeing positive changes within days of him listening to the music.

My son also benefited from body brushing. That was also one activity we saw lots of benefit from.

Lastly, I got him to qualify for free preschool through our public school system based on sensory issues alone. Generally they want kids to qualify in two areas but I wouldn't drop it. He is in a specialized classroom with 3 adults and 7 kids. The adults are all trained in dealing with kids with sensory issues. He has an IEP and I get to help set what his goals are for the coming year. However, this began a year and a half after we had already been doing other things.

A good OT (my primary consultant was a PT but that is more unusual) can do an analysis that will let you know exactly what your son likes and dislikes as well as give you a program of play activities to help him.

My son will begin kindergarten next year at a new school. He may still have an IEP with a couple extra things we want to continue to work on, but he should transition into a regular classroom with few problems.

Good luck!

Hi J.,
I am an OT (occupational therapist) that has helped a lot of kids with SID concerns over many years. It is terrific that you recognize a problem here and are open to getting help for your child. It sounds like your child may be hypersensitive to touch (tactile defensiveness) and possibly sound, too. I would definitely suggest having an occupational therapy evaluation. Be sure you choose a therapist with plenty of experience sith sensory integration dysfunction. Therapy can help your child a lot, and also help you to understand your child's world better, too. Two books that I have found very useful: "The Out of Sync Child" and "The Highly Sensitive Child". Sorry I do not recall the authors off the top of my head. Removing the labels from the clothing and wearing socks inside may help him cope, but will not get at the underlying problem. I am also the parent of two highly sensitive children, and I am one myself. My daughter went through preschool with her hands over her ears, and never wanted to sit too close to anyone so she wouldn't get touched or bumped. She would perceive an inadvertant bumping as aggressive bahavior, because to her, it was uncomfortable and caused a mild "flight or fight" response. She was also fearful of swings and slides.(She was probably more SID than "highly sensitive" in regards to touch) There is a difference between SID and high sensitivity. Not all kids with SID are highly sensitive - some are just the opposite and they crave sensory input. Not all highly sensitive kids have SID. I think it is a matter of severity and how much it is affecting their life. Highly sensitive kids can function, but it helps if parents are tuned in to their unique needs. The book, "The Highly Sensitive Child" has great suggestions for parents and teachers. These would also apply to some kids with SID. Kids with SID really benefit from therapy in addition to understanding and supportive families and teachers. Hope this is helpful. K.

Hi,
My name is J.. I am a mom to Liam (9 months old) and I am an occupational therapist in Denver as well. I evaluate and provide therapy to many children with SID. It is a disorder that is getting more attention and there are very good treatments to help children take in sensory information more automatically and comfortably. However, there are many children and adults who tend to have a more sensitive nervous system and that does not always mean they have a disorder. My advice would be to try to incorporate activities into the daily routine (especially before stressful dressing or self-care routines)that give your child deep pressure or heavy input into the muscles/joints (deep massage, squishes, jumping, rolling up tight in blanket). If the sensitivities are impacting life, then an evaluation by an OT who specializes in sensory integration would be helpful. Best of luck!

I think it's really important to ID this really early and get evaluation, diagnosis and whatever treatment is needed. I'd recommend the Star Center in the Denver Tech Center - Lucy Miller is a nationally known expert on SID. The website is www.starcenter.us and another great info site is www.spdnetwork.org. By the way, SID is known now as Sensory Processing Disorder, as research shows it is a problem of the brain processing the sensory info it receives. Lucy's book, Sensational Kids, explains it very very well.

Someone has already recommended Carol Kranowitz's book The out-of-sync child, which is wonderful, both for helping diagnose the disorder and for recommendations. I was given it by our OT to help understand our daughter when she was diagnosed at 18 months. She's 12 1/2 now and we are still dealing with the SPD issues.

Carol and Lucy are kind enough to endorse my last book, Parenting a Child with Sensory Processing Disorder, by Chris Auer and S. Blumberg, which focusses on what you need to know to successfully parent a child with SPD. We deal with family issues, sibling issues, how it affects your marriage, communication issues, etc.

Hope this helps! take care, S.

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about me
I am a mother of 3 grown sons one set of twins and a grandmother to 5. I have a homebased business, I am
a pastors wife.

i can relate. my oldest son was diagnoised with asperger's syndrome (a mild form of autism - brillant, but socially challenged) and sensory intergration disorder. many people would never know there is something 'wrong' with him.

after you take your son for diagnosis, they will recommend some form of occupational and/or physical therapy. most insurances will not cover sensory intergration disorder, so the cost is prohibitive, but don't let that stop you from going for at least 9 months to a year or more. they will 'play' with your son and each activity will help him to self-regulate - swinging, jumping, deep pressure on joints, using chew toys to relieve internal stress. they will give you outside homework that will decrease his sensitivity to 'normal' sensations - cottonswabs versus pinpricks, revving your 'motor', soft space.

therapy will also increase his sensitivity for the appropriate reaction to external stimuli (your son probably has an increased tolerance to pain and plays really hard like running into walls and jumping from high surfaces). and gives you some hints and techniques for helping your child, such as visual schedules, wording to say to trigger certain responses for calming your son down, anger basket, etc.

i also highly recommend reading 'the out of sync child'. it is really helpful and has a lot of great ideas to try. there are lots of great support communities out there, especially on the web. you are not alone!
D.

Hi J.,

Living on the Front Range, you're luckier than many families. I wrote an editorial a few weeks ago about "Behavior Problems and Alternatives to Medicating Children." It's currently accessible from the home page of GreatIdeasForKids.com

You'll see Item 3 in the article is solely about Sensory Integration and provides links to 3 excellent, local resources (sinetwork.org, the STAR center in Denver, and the book written by the leader of the STAR center).

If after being evaluated your son is diagnosed with SID, there's a lot of non-drug therapies available. Your son will probably just think it's all fun and games.

All the best to you and your family,
..J.

Editor of GreatIdeasForKids.com
Free weekly newsletter of events and activities for kids 8 and under in the Boulder/Denver area

I don't have a child with SID, but am thought to have it myself. I didn't fit within any diagnosis at the time, and now it isn't possible to know without a doubt.
I do have dislexia, but otherwise didn't have other problems.
I'm responding just to let you know if he does, there is a lot of hope. It's often like things are magnified, and it is different things with each person. For me as far as I can tell touch can be like if you have a sunburn, and skin is really sensitive to touch, and the way clothes fit. That might not be true for your son, it's just what skin sensitivity seems like to me.
Those things can be helped so much by working with therapists, like Occupational therapists, that can help him and you find more ways to adjust if needed, and there are ways to get used to stimuli. There is a lot of hope, reguardless of if he has this, or another reason, especially so young, good luck with all of what you are looking for!

My son has some nerve damage and is a toe walker. He is in physical and occupational therapy and they have the bast tricks that seem like games to the kids. Get a big bin of rice and stick puzzle pieces or toys that don't have sharp objects in it. Have him take his shoes and socks off and shuffle through the rice to find the toys. If he his really sensitive, start our with one or two toys and grow from there. My son's toe walking has gotten so much better and I bet if he has issues with his hands, this activity would help. Play dought and putty help the hands. We also have him rub lotion into certain parts of his body to feel the normal sensation (helps teach bathing oneself also) I hope this helps you.

I have never heard of this disorder before, but I bet if my mother saw this post she would think it was about me as a child. I don't remember being this way, but she tells me how she could only buy me cotton clothes and had to cut out all the tags. She said I would not wear wool, polyester, or any other fabrics because it "itched". I now have no problem with these fabrics (except wool). Also, my mom said I had a really hard time going places like the grocery store--she said it was complete sensory overload for me and I would cry the whole time. I am not sure if these things fit the description of SID, but they sound similar to what you are discribing. Anyway, I am completely fine now as an adult, and I don't remember having any troubles like this, so I must have out grown them.

Hi J.,

My oldest son has had some of the same symptoms and he showed them at an early age too. Some of his symptoms are his sensitivity to loud noises. The first we noticed of this was when we took him to see The Lion King at the theater, and the whole time my husband was back in the back and outside with him because he was crying and covering his ears. Next we noticed he didn't like some clothes, particularly jeans, because the seams were too big, bulky and rough (he still hates jeans). He has some texture issues as well with the foods he eats. He is now 12 1/2 and still dealing with all of these symptoms. He also gets highly emotional and agitated, and his temper tantrums at his younger years were full out 'rages'. After all his testing, my son has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome (high functioning autism), Anxiety Disorder, and ADHD with some OCD tendencies.

I think you are wise in having him tested. Testing not only helps your child, but you as well. That way you don't feel like you are going crazy because you can't figure out your child.

And a little about me, I too am a stay at home mom, with 3 boys 12,9, 2 and another boy on the way in April. I am married to an soldier in the Air Force. I must say I completely agree with you about the whole anti-war/anti-military argument. =) The military is completely necessary in the crazy world we live in.

Depending on your school district and the degree to which it is affecting your child, Head Start may qualify him to work with an Occupational Therapist. You might see if you can have him tested. You also might search out a preschool that specializes in special needs... they will know how to help with sensory integration.
Good Luck

My son was diagnosed with it when he was 3. Early detection is key so if you think it might be true you should get him evaluated by a professional - not by the school.

We had to resort to all cotton clothing for our son and removal of all tags- this made a huge difference. You can actually teach him how to cope at home and the world around him so that transition becomes easier for him.

The whole family has to be onboard as it will make it easier for him as well. I am going to recommend a book - this author has others that are great but I started with the Out of Sync child one first. I personally didn't like the title but after I dove into it - I didn't care anymore because I was finally able to understand what my son was going through and how we could help him.

http://www.out-of-sync-child.com/

The good news for us is that our son is now 11 and you would never know that he has SID - simply because we took care of it early on. He will always have it- but he has been taught how to over come the obsticles so that he can be successful..

When he gets older- Karate is a great activity to get him involved with too.

Hope I have helped..
Blessings,
C.

We do not have a child diagnosed with SID, but have you checked out any support groups or resource centers? They have several listed on the web.

J.,

Is this J. Hammerick at Fort Carson? If so we need to talk. Much Love, S. from PWOC

My mom works with children like your son. She could answer lots of questions if you want to talk to someone. I know one of the things she has mentioned in the past is that there are weighted clothes that feel better to these types of kids. I don't know where you order them, but if you're interested I could find out. Also, an OT would probably be a huge help. My mom also does a program that helps, but the children usually start at age 4 or 5. I hope you find some good answers.

Hi J.,
I have 2 pre school age boys with Sensory Integration. We noticed it when it started affecting his behavior with his peers. We had him tested by an occupational therapist and ended up doing about 6 months of therapy for each of them. I was reluctant at first but the therapy did wonders. You may want to look into Child Find as they may be able to do an evaluation and provide you with some recommendations.
J. F

Hi my son was also diagnosed with slight SID when he was 3. He is now 7 and really showing no signs of it now. We got him in Occupational Therapy immediately 2 times a week (offered free through the school system) and it made a WORLD of difference in him. I can't say enough about the results. If we hadn't done that, starting kindergarten would have been very difficult for him. Now, the only issue he really has is with certain kinds of meat(chewing) For now, I would let your son pick out whatever he wants to wear to preschool, even if it is the same thing every day. Just being patient with his "issues" and working with an OT will really make a big difference and by the time he starts kinder. you won't even believe he is the same boy. Good luck!!! Mom of 3 in Colorado

Sensory disorder,my son was badly effected with touchen things.he was struggling with sand,water,glue,syrup,certain meterial..he had a wonderfull sweet headstart teacher who kept him the 2nd year 5 days all day,she worked with him alot and gave me advice too.

now my daughter has n she 13 now a different type of Sensory thing going on,she would walk n fall estimate steps wrong..its cuz vision problem,she got moebius syndrum..congnitive disorder is how they sum my kids and me up.all 3 of us.in other words dont wait till its too late,ure mom trust what rue thinking.if u feel error somehow find dr too check it.i was fighting dr's since my 1st born no one saw problem till it slapped dr's in face.

Occupational therapy is what I use for my son. However, you must find an occupational therapist that is involved with sensory dysfunction. Many old school OT's are not. In larger cities you may be able to find a person/place that specializes in sensory, but I have not been that lucky. Theraputic Listening System is an option, brushing and compressions are also used. If you would like more detailed information don't hesitate to ask.