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DS6 is PG and has always had a few sensory quirks. None of them are a big deal really and they come and go as new ones surface pretty much. But a few of them are starting to be a problem at school a times...and frequently occur when eating and I am not sure what is all about. He frequently gets up from the table while eating and starts spinning around in circles. He just stands and spins until directed back to his seat and he usually will get up and start again without realizing this. He does this other times of the day as well....but at times he will just sit forever and not move (reading, on the computer, painting or working on projects, playing board games, watching TV). He also doesn't do this when we go out to restaurants or other peoples houses, but seems to be doing it more at home. I know it is because he feels more comfortable, but I also know at school they have talked about him is him rocking in the chair all the time and moving around in his chair, and sometimes getting up out of his seat. When he has to sit sometimes I will even see him roll his eyes around in his head repeatedly. The other issue that has been a problem at school is the humming. He hums a lot. It isn't really an issue at home, except it is quite annoying as he does hum a lot while he eats. I guess I am wondering about ways to meet his sensory needs in other ways that are less distracting to others. I know I posted this in the 2E section and DS is not 2E...but I realize that others may have more experience in these things here and sensory issues effect a whole lot of kids.

Any thoughts about substitution behaviors or ways to decrease these behaviors?

My DS9 has tourettes and has done some of these behaviors as well, for him they are identified tics. Tics are common for many children espcially in this age range. They are frequently seen in boys. It doesn't mean that he is ticcing but it is a possiblity. It also doesn't mean a medical diagnosis b/c tics do happen w/ many kids. If that is the case they will decrease in the future as he develops other stratagies for sensory issue.
For the fidgeting in his seat there is a rubber type thing that he can sit on that lets him squirm unobtrusively. he loves it. It came from the OT in his building. Many kids do well sitting on a balance ball. it takes focus to remain upright. It strengthens the central core. It also allows for mild movement. My son is also a hummer. He isn't even aware of doing it. He teacher quietly ask him to turn down the volume. That has worked well for him.

Last year the school had the OT do an observation/informal evaluation just due to his getting out of his seat and all that. They said he didn't qualify for any OT services but they tried the disc to sit on, but didn't seem to do much for him. I actually suggested they used whatever may work because I am a social worker in schools and know that OT strategies can really be helpful. They may have tried a weighted vest some with minimal help. It's really just the vestibular sensory seeking stuff he does. Gum sometimes helps, but they haven't tried that in school yet. They may have to go that route. He does stop the humming momentarily when asked, or does it a little softer at least. It doesn't bother us much as we just got used to blocking it out as it is so frequent. Although sometimes DH and I have to just look at eachother and smile at the dinner table when it persists. We may look into the disc again for in his seat at least. Thanks Vicam.

forgot to mention...I did look into tics, but it doesn't seem to be. Still not completely sure...he has had a few other things that seem more like tics in the past and have gone away. He had a shoulder shrugging thing that lasted on and off a week. He still rubs his fingers together but that was really awful for a while and his fingers were getting calloused...that one doesn't happen much anymore either. Funny how they come and go. When one gets less usually another thing surfaces.

That sounds alot like what is called the waxing and waning of tics. They will increase in intensity and then stop. Suddenly a new one may pop up out of no where. My son also does a throat clearing sniffing thing that was attributed to allergies but is a tic. He also does a blinking that was originally called allergies. The most significant one for my son is a stutter. He is not a stutterer though b/c of where the breaks occur. The pediatrician thought it was his brain going faster than he could talk.
Depending on who said they weren't tics you may want to look at again. I ended up with a pediatric neurologist

Thanks, We may look into it again. He hasn't seen anyone about anything other then testing with a psychologist and a developmental pediatrician at 3yo. So what would they do for it if it was tics? Just curious. My understanding was there is nothing they can do. Did I mention my son is also a whisper repeater That's been getting a lot better too though. It has been going on for years and for a while there it was pretty bad. It usually resurfaces when he is really excited about things.

Shellymos,

When you say your son is a whisper repeater, are you referring to echolalia - repeating the words other people say - or to something else?

no, he repeats his own words...i guess more like palilalia. I found this interesting link a while back about others that do it. http://en.allexperts.com/q/Speech-Disorders-987/f/son-repeats-word-sentences.htm
Apparently Einstein used to do it. We were reading a book about Einstein the other day and when DS read that part he smiled very big and was glad to know that someone else did it too

Apparently there are many out there that do it...many that don't fit any diagnosis, just an odd quirk I guess. DS6 told me a while back that when he says things, sometimes he sees the words that he says in a box and it is like reading them back. I don't know. He is more aware of it and doesn't seem to do it as much. Still does it every day some, usually when he is very excited about something. I asked 2 of his teachers at his first conference though and they said they have never noticed it. I try to tell myself that that doesn't mean he is unexcited at school, lol

Depending on the impact the tics are having there are meds available. My son is also on an IEP now that is to accomadate when he is high ticcing(very active). It also enforces that he doesn't get into trouble if there is an anal teacher who has to be forced to do the right thing(had that last year). My son doesn't take any meds but is given the opportunity to leave the room for walks or is sent on errands to break the ticcing cycle. For me just knowing helped.

Hi Shellymos. Your son seems to be seeking more vestibular input right now. You could try to offset his need to move by providing more vestibular (movement based) activity throughout the day - using a sensory diet approach to provide the right sensory experiences to elicit a quiet, alert state. Sometimes providing the needed sensory experiences in a proactive manner can help to decrease the behaviors during specific activities. From this perspective you could try to provide him opportunities to move over the course of the day at regular intervals or specific times just prior to when he is required to sit still. Including some deep pressure or "heavy work" might help as well.

The other approach is substitution for the behaviors. I typically suggest more accommodation for the behaviors as well as trying alternative, less obtrusive behaviors. I let my son change position as needed and he often chooses alternative seating such as a therapy ball when needing to focus on school work. He also often stands up to work or even eat his meal. Sometimes chewing gum or other chewies helps with humming although some kids will hum while chewing When trying to find substitutes you really need to do some detective work to determine what other activities might serve the same purpose and be suitable for the specific situation.

Some of the auditory training programs have been helpful for decreasing these behaviors as well. Since the auditory programs can influence the vestibular system my experience has been that many children who participate in a program such as Therapeutic Listening or Integrated Listening have decreased need for movement at some point and to some degree.

shellymos, interesting that you post this. I don't have any advice, but I have had a very similar concern.

This year, DS7 has had more instances of "can't sit still". Though it's not quite what your DS does, there is the tapping and bouncing and rocking in his chair. At home, he will just stand up, sit down, rock back, stand up, sit down, tap, rock back... it's almost like he has to go to the bathroom and won't go. Of course, he doesn't. He's restless even when he's focused on things that used to have him still as a statue.

I have been concerned with ADHD, but he's not really that hyper otherwise. I have ADD, or at least I am on ADD meds which help eliminate many of my executive function issues.

This is actually one of the reasons that we decided to get him on the lottery list for the Charter School in are area (so glad he got in!!!). They have three non-curriculum focuses that differ from the regular public schools here. 1. the lighting. There is more natural and soft lighting. 2. muted paints on the walls. bright colors can sometimes overstimulate and/or distract kids. 3. MOVEMENT!!!! They require their teachers to have their kids up and moving (even if it's just shaking the "sillies" out) every 20-35 minutes!!! This one alone will help DS (and DD) tremendously!!!

Anyway, I didn't mean to make this about us, but I am interested to read how everyone responds!