Is your child with #Autism a sensory seeker?

OMG, Emmett is all over the place.  He needs more of a physical outlet because he’s literally climbing on me all day long.. We used to take him to park in the warmer weather.

With insurance refusing to cover OT, PT and speech anymore, this has become an even bigger problem.

I’m grateful for what he’s received but I’m angry and frustrated with their reasons for not paying anymore.  Essentially, they are saying that he hasn’t reached the level of his typical peers and they don‘t believe he ever will.  In other words, Emmett to them is a bad investment.

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I don‘t agree with how insurance companies have been handling children and adults with #Autism.

Anyway, Emmett desperately needs that physical outlet and he’s made progress.

Right now, he’s sensory seeking and doing so by running into walls, bouncing off of everything he can and climbing on anything he can reach.  It’s exhausting.

He’s very aggressive with his climbing and bouncing, to the point that he actually hurts me in the process.  It’s unintentional but still painful and exhausting.

Are your kids sensory seekers? What sort of things do they do for sensory input? Do they ever hurt themselves in the process? Last week, Emmett busted his chin open while sensory seeking.

I was hoping that could share our experience.

Rob Gorski

Full time, work from home single Dad to my 3 amazing boys. Oh...and creator fo this blog. :-)
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RhondaCat

Abbi has been to the ER….she bashes the heck out of herself…me too. She squeals loudly and shrilly. A LOT!  and oh how it infuriates me when they try to slap a big ole < (less than) sign on my child. yes she is special needs, no she may never learn calculus but she has a right to learn as much as she can…and get as much OT as she needs to get her to the max of her potential. I was so worried that when we were voting on whether to take the racist language out of the Constitution that folks were going to vote yes to that….because they piggy backed a freakin' law that stated "everyone in the state of AL was not entitled to an education." I was pissed! and scared….if that law had passed they could have easily said that my daughter would never have the same future as a typically developing child and refused her an education. I was so afraid people would only know about the first part…the racial part. Thank God the word got out for what they were really trying to do…cut out education for our special needs children.  I would have gladly voted to change the racial language, but not at the expense of my daughter's education. Can you imagine how horrible that would have been if that law passed? speaking of judging a book by the cover….they would have been judging our amazing children and the outcome would have been just heart breaking.

MicheleChaney

My kids love the personal trampolines for exercise and treadmills. Great way to get rid of excess energy, sensory seeking and build muscle tone. We also have a Wii and they love doing the exercises and dancing.

JenniferWhynott

My oldest is not on the spectrum but is a sensory seeker. She is constantly rubbing against the walls as she walks down the halls, has to sit right on top of me (she is 5'5", 170 lbs and just turned 12) (I am 5' even) she is a loud talker and cheers alot, very excitable. Even in the az summers with lows in the high 80's she is sleeping with a heavy quilt on. My youngest who may be on the spectrum is affectionately called my tumor. He is constantly by my side and needs to hold my hand at the most inopportune times including when we sleep. He needs to hold my hand so that I do not leave without him.

rmagliozzi

yes! We get lots of that. My youngest PANDAS kiddo is in flare up mode and climbing everything,hitting, biting and trying to eat my shirt! Some community centers sometimes have rock walls kids can climb. What about something like that? If you need more ideas for Emmett, go to http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com, and there should be a tab on the left hand side for prioreceptive exercises, which are heavy work exercises. You can use those. Also, chores are heavy work exercises, so maybe he can help you clean house a bit!

JudiH

I'm a complete over the top mum, when it comes to sensory seeking.  Yes I'm the best climbing frame, but to combat the climbing on me, we have a room dedicated to sensory in it we have a climbing wall, hooks in the ceiling (thru the jousts) for stretchie hamocks, swings, ball swings, ropes, ladders and anything else I want to set up a gang plank this holidays because I have a bit of timber and my son needs to word on feet facing forward.  at school I made 5 body socks for the class so that if he hit overload in the class then the teacher could set up a group activity for 5 kids with the body socks.  Plus we swim, to Taekidokai, and still do OT

rmagliozzi

@JudiH Judy, you rock! I need to beef up our sensory supports here. You gave me some great ideas.

Suz

Trampolines are our best friend, brushing, body socks, gym balls ( used to be good but now send him hyper).

Silachan

Weighted vest, joint compressions, trampoline etc. All that stuff. Let him get it all out but in a safer manner. Have him do tumbles down the hallway while you watch him. Make it into a game or something, Elliot could join in too. Wears them both out for you too.
 
Push ups
Jumping Jacks
Pushing/pulling heavy doors
Jumping on a trampoline
Wall pushes
 
etc. good luck!