Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Sensory Processing? (sorry, it's long)

I've got both books; just started "Sensational Kids" today. I also have "The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun" but I have no idea where to start.

Petunia, in your shoes I'd stick with the neuropsych and not pay for the OT eval on top of that. So many of the traits on your list overlap with ASD (quite a few with ADHD as well) that you will need an expert to distinguish the two; and an OT is not qualified to diagnose or rule out ASD or ADHD.

DeeDee

That occurred to me, DeeDee, as I was typing it up. I just don't know how to get us through from now until June without doing something. We're all so tense and stressed out that we are practically at each others' throats. Meltdowns are becoming more frequent and emotions are high.

I wish I had followed my gut and had him checked out when he was 7 and people talked me out of it. Ughh. I'm so weary of all this.

Petunia, remind me-- is school evaluating him as well? If not, might as well do those processes in parallel.

It can feel like forever. Thoughts on triage, in case I haven't said these things already:

--Can you hire a brave college student, give them a sense of your DS's needs, and have them serve as respite care? A nice older boy to take him for workouts 2-3 times a week, for instance, or act as tutor/help with homework? We sometimes find a non-family member can work better on desired behaviors than we can, and college-age people are not that expensive to hire.

--Does the neuropsych run a cancellation list? We were able to get DS in more quickly by taking advantage of someone else's missed appointment.

I hear you on the weariness. Things WILL get better-- sometimes it's just hard to see that time scale clearly when you're that tired.

DeeDee

The school did an evaluation last year for Autism and Language. They found only the pragmatic language disorder for which he receives therapy (which he dislikes!).

The weird thing is, if we hire someone, my son is perfectly well behaved. We've had various babysitters who say they love to sit for him because he is so polite and well-behaved and a joy to be around. Makes me nuts.

We are on the cancellation list for the NP but she has "several" people on it so she was not optimistic.

Interesting items on sensory processing and ASD:

Article by a well-informed parent surveying recent thinking on the subject:

http://www.care2.com/causes/popular-autism-therapy.html

Research study (behind firewall, but you can see the abstract) that suggests sensory integration therapies do little for people with ASD:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1750946712000074

Statement to the same effect by the American Academy of Pediatrics:

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/05/23/peds.2012-0876

DeeDee

Interesting DeeDee. I felt like our OT absolutely understood and accurately described our DD to us, including what she would have been like 3 yrs prior to his first laying eyes on her. But I was never that convinced that the course of OT did that much for her. Integrating her retained reflexes DID seem to appreciably help but I think it was the craniosacral physio who achieved that. All the left-right crossing and integration activities also seem to have appreciably helped, but that was achieved through swimming and piano more than formal therapy. Diet seems to have had the single biggest impact socially, emotionally and academically. But ultimately she's still not NT and was still diagnosable AFTER all the things we tried to do to help her, before realising she was in need of a more global diagnosis.

My DS7 was born with severe processing disorder - and other physical issues. He had 5 years of ot/pt/speech (plus feeding therapy) through EI/preschool part and 2.5 yrs of vision therapy. He did water therapy this Aug/Sep and has been in neurofeedback since Aug as well. He's also been on a gluten-free/sugar-free/processed-free/dairy-free/everything else-free it seems diet since then too.

So what's helped? All of them to a degree. Unfortunately, none of them are quick fixes or have been covered through insurance since leaving EI/preschool extension. As my son was born with torticollis, we had major problems with crossing the midline/bilateral integration (right-left crossing), etc. that MumOfThree mentioned.

DS is eg/pg and had a major meltdown when he was in school the last two years. This year, I'm homeschooling. The meltdowns have subsided over the last couple of weeks with neurofeedback if it gives you any comfort.

Last summer I took him to a 2e expert and she said that neurofeedback may (emphasis on may) solve the majority of my son's attentional/sensory issues since it's basically re-wiring the brain and a more permanent solution. With neurofeedback you may be able to eliminate the need for medication or greatly reduce it. So far, I've been pleased with the results, but again I must emphasize that it's not a magic cure or a quick fix. It's a loooong haul.