Lower Sensory Threshhold-anyone Have a Child W/this or Advise on This?

I am more familiar with the more general term of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Kids can be sensory avoiding (have a low tolerance for noise, textures, smells, tastes, or movement) or sensory seeking (they seek higher than normal amounts of those same inputs). All of us have a combination and to varying degrees. Where it becomes a problem and should be diagnosed and treated (IMO) is when it starts to interfere with a child being able to participate in activities that they want or need to do. For example, my DS really, really wanted to play on an indoor soccer team, but the noise would cause him to curl up in a moaning ball on the gym floor (sensory avoiding of sound). Also when he started preschool he was starting to make enemies out of his classmates because he would crash into everyone (sensory seeking for certain tactile and vestibular inputs).

I always recommend "The Out-of-Sync Child" to parents wondering about their child. They have clear explanations of what to look for. If it seems like the SPD is a problem for your child find a developmental pediatrician or an OT who specializes in sensory issues.

These are clear symptoms of a person not having enough adrenal hormones, (cortisol) and possibly others. Cortisol helps a person deal with stress. Those with low cortisol will over react to stress, cry easily, be "jumpy", be sensitive to touch, etc. The central nervous system is affected by the same hormones, so it will be affected and the symptoms are: sensitivity to light, noise, smells. The immune system will go into hyper-overdrive when cortisol is low so the person will have food allergy or intolerance, could show celiacs, GERD, esophegeal problems, etc. , may avoid eating or seem to not like to eat, not gain weight appropriately. Cortisol also controls blood sugar, so there could be symptoms like , rage, anger, impatience, phobias and abnormal fears, innability to deal with stress in movies, scenes of people being hurt(blood), etc , blook spikes (laughter and mania) after eating and then crash a hours later, (shakes, dizzy, etc)periods of zoning out. Cortisol controls stomach acidity so stomach aches are more common .So are migraines. ADD , bipolar and Aspergers can be definitely linked to adrenal malfunction. There are two main controls of the body - hormones and nerve impulses. Both have cholamine receptors.

There's a very comprehensive set of checklists at this site to help identify kids who are hypersensitive, hyposensitive, or a combination, plus loads of information about how parents deal with children's sensory needs: http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-proces...

I think that this is the kind of lagnague OT's use when they describe certain symptoms related to sensory processing. If your child has issues that cause them a problem, either socially. with sequencing skills, low muslce tone, inabilty to sense direction, or where they are, clumseisness, or they have difficulty wtih visual motor processing skills, like writing, or copying, you shoudl take them to see an OT for an evaluation. Many kids who benefit from therapy do not actually have a diagnosis (the low threashold is not a diagnosis that I have ever herad of) and many kids will benefit from just a few weeks of therapy. Most OT evaluations are covered by insurance, so it is usually a win win when you evaluate. You either walk out the door knowing that you have nothing to worry about, or you walk out knowing how to help them.

M.

I don't know that I would consider this a "disorder" of course I guess it would be if it went to such an extreme level that it kept the child from being able to function in the "real world". To me it is just a way of saying that you have a child who is extremely sensitive. I believe that my grandson, who just turned 3, is one of those children. I think it is a combination of just the way he was from birth and also partly because of the parenting style that his parents adopted. They have noticed from day one that he was very sensitive to bright lights or loud noises and have gone out of their way to make his environment comfortable for him.
He is also very sensitive emotionally.....by that I mean that he is ULTRA sensitive to other peoples feelings, if a child around him is upset, he wants to do what he can to help soothe that child, or he can become upset himself. He also reacts rather strongly to violence or fights in any tv or movie that he is watching. For instance...do you remember the scene in Dumbo where Dumbo loses his Mother? He would come UNGLUED if he watched that scene!!! He does become more "desensitized" to things like that after he watches it a couple of times...and has had a chance to discuss it with his Mama and Papa.
I feel like it is really a positive thing...he is such a loving, caring child, so concerned for others, and so willing to go out of his way to be kind to others!!
I think it is just simply a difference in the way they process things....how they react to things....as I said at the beginning...to me it is just a sensitive child. My daughter had written several times on her blog about raising a sensitive child...she has done a TON of research on the subject and as far as I can tell is doing an excellent job of dealing with her sensitive son!

There are various levels of LST, some falling into the normal range, (i.e. Not being able to focus on reading a book while people are talking near you or being distracted by an outside noise) to high needs level.(i.e. Having an emotional meltdown because the light flickered in the room or being actively disturbed by the slight hum of the refrigerator.)

What are the symptoms/behaviors that your son presents? I would like more information to respond further.

My oldest son really fell into this catagory. I never got a diagnosis, but we found ways around it. He had alot of food and clothing issues. For clothing he often went "commando" in sweat pants and wore inside out socks and shirts so the seams wouldn't rub. As far as food we just kept trying. I am happy to report that he is no longer overwhelmed socially, or with noises or lights, I think this is just exposure. He is no longer bothered by most clothing although at 9 still VERY picky about his underwear :) He also eats alot better now. I do not know the severity of your sons issues, but with paitience and practice we have overcome alot. My son still has a very low pain threshold. I do not know how to fix this, it is sometimes incredibly frusterating for me still. It will just have to be something he learns to cope with I think... Good Luck and know you are NOT alone :)

I have a 9 year old who has had these issues. We did the same things as Janette A. did. He is so much better now, then when he was 5 years and under. we once did a tea factory tour and he was completely overwelmed (screaming and crying) by the smells of the tea. He gets overwelmed by noise, lights, food (certain textures and taste), and clothing.
Look up Sensory Integration disorder.
We did Occupational therapy when he was 2 and 3 years old.

Hi--
Google the term "crystal child". If the description sounds like your son then I have some great ideas for you.
J.

Several experts said my child could not have spd, but she is a highly sensitive child. The book The Highly Sensitive Child explained it to me so I can better help her. The Out of Sync Child is good too.

I could not get anyone to agree my daughter needed occupational therapy for the sensitivity, but I would have paid for it outright. Because she is successful in school, the teachers don't see it as a problem.

We avoided the movies, amusement park rides, and anything that overwhelmed her. She still remembers when her grandpa pushed her too high in the baby swing, her grandma yelled shut up, and other things.
Trust your instincts. It is great you are intuned to your child:-)

Sensory Processing Disorder is a problem with handing sensory input of all kinds - some kids can't tolerate noise, or smell or itchy clothes with seams etc. There are several different subtypes and you can read all about them at www.spdfoundation.net . An excellent first step is to get the book (the library should have it) The Out-of-Sync Child, by Carol Kranowitz. It has excellent and reliable checklists to determine what kind of sensory issues a child may have. If you think this indicates your child may have sensory issues, you can request an evaluation from a Occupational Therapist, but you must find one with training and experience in SPD. The SPD Foundation website has a directory. good luck.