early ID w/sensory issues

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ldtchr Joined: Jun 21, 2006 Posts: 2 Other Topics	Posted Jun 22, 2006 at 10:47:08 PM Subject: early ID w/sensory issues Hi there - I am trying to help a friend who is possibly beginning her journey in the sp ed maze. Her son will be 3 in August and they have noticed some definite issues that appear to me to be a lot of sensory stuff: "here are some of the things from the sensory list we have seen with *: over sensitivity to touch and sound (sometimes he will get so upset if you just brush him and he can hear things long before we ever do) difficulty making transitions from one situation to another (he has a real hard time with this) activity level that is unusually high (I thought he was a normal 2 year old but both * (sp ed consultant and social workder) said that it is unusually high) social or emotional problems (he has some social issues, he sometimes acts outs towards his friends at daycare for what appears to be no reason which is very common of kids with sensory integration problems) impulsive of lack of self control an acute awareness of background noises spinning items and taking them apart (do you know how many car pieces I have here) little awareness of pain avoidance of physical contact with people or certain textures (I'll never forget I took him to a bright beginnings play group and they had this little colorful rocks for the kids to feel she mentions how kids love it.... not mine he screamed and then he got upset whenever we got close to it) May react strongly to stimuli on face hands and feet a strong dislike of certain grooming activities responds negatively to unexpected loud noises,anxiety, fright (he freaked out of a car alarm that was probably 3 houses away and we were inside.) Loves to spin seeks extra stimulation - crawls on floor pushing head along the floor, push head into arm of couch (mostly when tired)". The flip side is that he is highly verbal and very smart. The observers said that they thought the could put him in sp ed with special consideration due to social emotional issues. The parents would like to keep him in preschool at his daycare rather than have to place him in the district he would attend (and cannot afford private preschool). I would have to think that with that eval there is a little more to the story, but I don't really know. He is having great difficulty at daycare and when he is excited has been aggressive with three babies. My question for the forum is actually two-fold: 1) anyone know of any good resources for an autistic/aspergers/sensory integration type kid who is highly verbal with high cognitive ability? 2) Reading IDEA, I am interpreting that if he is eligible for services (OT, Social Work, etc.. whatever) he should be able to receive them at his daycare preschool and does not have to attend the public school (if his parents are paying for the preschool). Is this an accurate reading of the law? Thanks to anyone who could wade through that all and might have some input for me!!
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scifinut Joined Jul 11, 2005 Posts: 550 Other Topics	Posted:Jun 23, 2006 9:44:39 AM Subject:Re: early ID w/sensory issues It sounds like he has a lot going on. I would consider a full psychatric or neuropsychiatric evaluation to get a better idea of what is going on. Many neurological disorders can also come with sensory issues, so to focus soley on that issue would be a disservice. Some resources that might be helpful are: http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/ - OASIS is one of the most informative sites on autism spectrum disorders http://www.out-of-sync-child.com/ - The Out Of Sync Child is a great book on sensory issues, no matter what other issues go along with it. The author has also done a couple of books on fun things for kids with sensory issues. scifinut mom to: ms 16, bp/adhd/anxiety/complex ld mr. 20, add/dyslexic I hear and I forget I see and I remember I do and I understand. -Anonymous
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Joan Joined Apr 28, 2006 Posts: 44 Other Topics	Posted:Jul 16, 2006 10:34:24 PM Subject:Re: early ID w/sensory issues That child is in the spectrum. His behavoirs mimic my son's. I have tried all the traditional approaches but none worked. He stayed very low on the spectrum. Then I tried a neurological approach. Now he is high on the spectrum and continuing to improve. There are great places to go to: ICAN, CNR, Handle but I recommend starting here with Svea Gold http://www.fernridgepress.com/index.html She'll assess a neurological program for free too. Its worth a look - its changing my son's life for certain.
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gui Joined Jul 07, 2006 Posts: 5 Other Topics	Posted:Jul 16, 2006 11:58:19 PM Subject:Re: early ID w/sensory issues I hope you get this - so many choices to make. I thought you descriptions were good. Seems like an evaluation might be pending. In the meantime the parents or daycare providers only get to pick 2 or 3 items to address at a time AFTER making some calculated adaptations to his day. So the issues most people choose to address are safety (personal and others) and acts of aggression. The base program needs to include sensory integration activties built into his day. Some of the things our occupational therapist has suggested are: the brushing program (every 2 waking hours for 2 weeks and then on an as needed basis) - its a special program and does take about 20 minutes to train parents and caregivers, other things include sipping water through a top that requires some suction strength (Gator aid lids have a good head on their bottles), carrying something heavy (setting up chairs or building a fort), removal from all noisy activities (until he's had some desensitiviation work around noises - often involves just listening and identifying all the different sounds and finding out which ones he likes and which ones he doesn't - some of our classes have old tennis balls on the legs of all tables and chairs, weighted vests for seat work - I think the weight is 5% of body weight - only use for a specific activity (colouring or listening to a story) - if it's successful then build it into another time, etc. If you need more ideas I will think of some. There are some special socks at Walmart that have a rib around the instep that 3 boys I've been working with have liked. It does sound like he's extremely bright and experiencing sensory overload. My advice is usually to provide a schedule and build in some choices. Try set bc. picture set on the internet for some good schedules for home and school. Good luck. I'd love to know how he's doing. The single best thing for one of my clients (7 year old) was the brushing program provided by the occupational therapist. It gave us something concrete and active to do. All the best.
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gui Joined Jul 07, 2006 Posts: 5 Other Topics	Posted:Jul 17, 2006 12:02:57 AM Subject:Re: early ID w/sensory issues I forgot to mention I like the RDI approach for children in the spectrum.
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early ID w/sensory issues