DS7 is dyspraxic and has an IEP. He may have inattentive ADHD. He has some ASD like traits that are probably related to the dyspraxia (things like toe walking at times, hands waving around while talking, etc). I've never really noticed any sensory issues with him,and if he does have them they are related to being under-sensitive, like not knowing that food is getting smeared all over his face when he eats. Several months ago we noticed that he gets unreasonably irritated when people chew gum. He came home from school complaining that he had a really hard time in art class because there were kids chewing gum and he had to close his eyes and plug his ears the entire time. I asked what the art teacher did, and he said nothing. I emailed his classroom teacher and IEP manager asking if kids are allowed to chew gum in school because this is getting to be a real problem for DS and he is unable to focus if there is anyone even close to him chewing gum. They are saying that generally it's not allowed but it may be in some kids' IEPs. This school is the "ASD hub" so there are a lot of kids on the spectrum there. IEP manager said that they use earplugs or headphones for kids having problems with noise and they can try that with DS. But it's also the sight of kids chewing gum that drives him batty, not just noise. It completely grosses him out. If a kid is chewing and he can verify that it's something other than gum, then he's Ok with it. Anyone have any suggestions? I asked if the OT can somehow desensitize him to this and didn't really get a reply about that. OT sees him once or twice per week. Also, does this sound like a normal "gifted" hypersensitivy or does it sound more along the lines of sensory processing disorder? It's JUST gum...it's not like he has a long list of things that are intolerable. Overall he's very laid back about everything.
