sensory processing disorder

Hi laurie0515 I just joined this site and as I was looking for interests i did not seem to find any about SPD (sensory processing disorder) I attended some seminars on this because my son has autism/SPD. When your child seem to touch everything i believe that it is a tactile issue. what do you mean when you say aggressive behavior? what does he do? because my son has a bit of tactile, olfactory(smell) gustatory (taste) and proprioception so when they have these issues like this their body seek or rejects it. just to give you an example, my son's issue is proprioception this is about movement and body position so his body seeks jumping, running and pinching etc. there are books about this. if he has aggressive behavior,try to find out what triggers it and try to avoid it or you can channel the behavior into something else. I hope I was able to help you. =)

My son who is almost 3, also has SPD and can be rough with other children without realizing it. Have you tried putting pillows or cushions over his body and applying pressure? This activity might help him to be calm.

Hi! I understand what you are saying. Sensory issues are not the same as disciplinary issues. Read "The Out of Sync Child" by Carol Kranowitz. It will explain a lot about what sensory input children need and why. It will also give you suggestions on how to handle things like sensory overload, etc. My daughter is on the Autistic Spectrum and also has sensory issues. Have you tried a weighted blanket? Sometimes putting a weighted blanket on a distressed child can help calm him down. If you don't have a weighted blanket, try putting two pillows over your child's body (not his face) and applying some pressure. You'll know immediately if your child has a favorable reaction to it. Most of the time, in these situations, either giving your child the input he needs, or removing him from the irritating stimulus, will calm the child down. Let me know if there's anything else I can help with. I've been through this, too!

thats so sad..

I found a great new resource. Go to www.thesensoryshow.com. It's a free podcast that is run by an occupational therapist that specilizes in SPD.

We went through this with my 4 yr old beginning at around age 2. He was a toucher and played so rough with friends that he appeared to be aggressive. He didn't understand he was hurting others because it didnt hurt him - the sensory input felt good to him. What we did was a combination of redirection and discipline. We redirected him to activities that would provide similar sensory input. If he was crashing into friends, we would find a place for him to crash where he couldn't hurt anyone. These kids don't know what they need until we show them. If you need ideas, there are tons of web sites out there to help. As he got past 3 yrs old, we began to intermingle some discipline, short time aways from the situations as they occured, then we led him to a different, more appropriate, activity. We began disciplining as well because he needed to and was old enough to start to understand that he actually hurt some one when he did things like that. We have seen dramatic improvements in our child's interactions with other children. Spanking does absolutely no good since if a child is hitting, you don't want to hit them - it only makes it look like that is ok. Plus, it may have no effect as sensory kids sometimes like the strong input of a spanking. Good luck to you!

Im so sorry for you and Im sure this is a hard time for you.I suggest you try a weighted blanket it is suppose to calm a child down.I just hope in time things become better for you and your child.Good Luck