Probably a Long Shot, but Does Anyone Know About This???

The recommendation of him seeing an OT for possible sensory issues is right on. The recommended book/s (Out of Sync Child) are excellent parent reading on this subject.

I have heard of this. A couple of things...in Hartland School District there is a group at every elementary school that educates on this very subject. I don't know the exact name as my children were out of elementary school by the time this group was formed. Google search?

What products are you using for laundry and cleaning your home? He could be sensitive to those products and it can impact his senses. Many schools use bleach which I know kills germs quickly, but it is also very harmful to our health.

Also, has your doctor said anything about his diet? Are there any foods/liquids he should stay away from?

I'm going to give you the title of a book -- ignore the title, okay, and GET THE BOOK (maybe the library can get it for you via interlibrary loan): "The Fabric of Autism," by Judith Bluestone. It's about the HANDLE approach (www.handle.org), a neurodevelopmental approach to sensory integration (which is unlike anything you'll get at school or at any clinic in the Detroit area). Ignore the word "autism" in the title -- it's about sensory integration. (A lot of individuals w/ autism happen to have huge sensory issues, but not everyone with sensory issues is on the autism spectrum.)

Carol Stock Kranowitz has several books that might be helpful (quite different from Bluestone).

Epsom salts baths may be helpful -- do your research, ask your doctor about them. Susan Owens and Rosemary Waring are the names to google as far as experts. A daily epsom salts bath for a couple of weeks will give you an indication of whether they're helpful for your child -- stop them after about two weeks on a weekend and watch for differences. I am not a doctor, this is not medical advice -- ask your doc and do your own research please.

Feingold Diet may be helpful -- some info here http://danasview.net/phenol -- Again, ask your doctor or a nutritionist. www.kellydorfman.com

Adding essential fatty acids to his diet may also help -- fish oil. Again, I am not a doctor or a nutritionist -- just a mom. Ask your doctor.

He may be reacting to foods like gluten and casein (wheat, oats, barley, rye, malt flavoring and milk). Experimenting with diet can make a huge difference in attention issues. Does he have eczema and/or constipation and diarrhea? How does he sleep?

There are a lot of factors that could be at play in his sensory issues. Get ready to do some research -- don't leave this one up to the school. A private OT eval may be a next step if your insurance will cover it. Ann Strebler at Kaufman Center is *excellent*.

Good luck.

Having 3 children, now 31, 28 and 26...I may be a bit old fashioned. I could see this kind of thing coming when my girls were in elementary school. Teachers and all the professionals at school always want to put a label or some sort of disorder on a child who is probably just being a kid. My girls all went to Montessori preschool. The Montessori Method is amazing! There were 18 month old toddlers, pushing their chairs in and putting their "work" away. There was no monkey business, even from the most precocious kids. You might make sure he is having a good breakfast too...no sugary cereal etc.

Look into the learning style tht he has. There are many learning styles. My 5 yr old boy (and most boys in general) is a Kinestetic learner. He can process things better when allowed to move. Think of those kids that would constantly tap their fingers, bounce their knees, chew on stuff, etc in school. They were exhibiting this behaviour.

Teachers teach in THEIR learning style... The teacher may just not understand their own style and the difference of your sons.

Do not allow your child to be labled unless you agree that he fits into that lable... It will follow him around for the next 13 years.

Also, you need to point out those times that he is acting inapropriate so he recognizes what behaviour is not wanted. If he winds up, tell him that he needs to calm himself down.
Some of this will also be rectified by maturity... But that is some way down the road still.

Also I would suggest reading "Wild at heart"...

K. ~
I don't know much about sensory disorders, but he sounds alot like my son when he was that age (he's almost 24 now), and he was ADHD. He was evaluated at the Children's Center in Detroit ... he had a physical, then time with a psychologist. It was reccommended that he start on Ritalin, which he did and he did just fine. He was not doped up. He started out on 5mg at breakfast & lunch in September; went to 10 mg by Christmas; then went to 15mg the following Christmas. He stayed on that dose all the way through high school and did just great. It was enough to take the edge off and let him concentrate without being so easily distracted.
When my son started kindergarden he could count, say & recognize his alphabet, knew the sounds each letter made, recite his address & phone number, etc. He wanted to learn how to read, but he had a terrible teacher who would not individualize her teaching. He was easily bored and then would act up. He was also a somewhat emotional child. He was put into a class for emotionally impaired children in 1st grade, and totally mainstreamed when he started 3rd grade...the teachers he had those years were wonderful, plus he had a resource room teacher that helped.
Good luck!
D.

I agree with reading the Out of Sync Child by C. Kranowitz - excellent easy to read information. Hypo reactive means that your son under registers - which means that he needs more of whatever he is under registering; so in his case, it is movement. He needs alot of movement for his neurological system. I agree that Occupational Therapy is in order for direction and treatment. However, there are also many things that a parent can do at home to supplement what a child gets in the little amount of time they spend in therapy. Carol Kranowitz has another book The Out of Sync Child Has Fun with many ideas in it. But to just begin to think about things at home - this could be a hippity hop ball (large inflated ball with handles from Lillian Vernon), swing set, daily visits to the park with attention to wiggly suspended bridges, merry go rounds, swings of all kinds, anything that provides movement; riding a scooter, activities that promote crawling over, under, around and through - like a tunnel or obstacle course; cd's with songs that promote music/dancing; roller skating; rolling around the lawn; trampoline with safety netting-great activity! I have a friend who encourages her kiddo to go out on the trampoline all year long before he goes off to school to get in a big dose of movement to set his brain for the work of the day.
MANY kids need excess movement in their lives and the schools are doing less and less of it with cutting out recess and gym!
I encourage you to not see your child as "the kid with the hyposensitive movement..." but rather as the wonderful kiddo he is growing up to be - he is VERY young. Many, many things resolve themselves with just a little help. Talk to your OT, and check out these books - sometimes the libraries even carry them. Enjoy.

The OT will have some good ideas to help center your son when he gets too wound up. If you don't get enough from that, seek more OT sessions on your own. Some kids who need extra physical input need to be hugged hard, or wrapped up like a burrito, or wear a weighted vest.
Don't worry about labels. If your son is diagnosed with something, then you know where to start and the schools will provide the services. They have to. Who cares about labels? My son is on the autism spectrum and has ADHD. These labels allow for the school to spend $$ on him to get him the education he can use. Be prepared for a long road. Good luck.

Hi K.,

I am a teacher and area Preschool Director. I can tell you that sensory issues seem to be coming more common. It sounds like you are in good hands. An occupational therapist should give you some wonderful ideas. I have seen some incredible changes in children rather quickly (don't worry, he won't lose his spark). There are several books out there. Your OT may be able to recommend some and should give you some practical strategies for home. If not...find a new OT. Sometimes you have to work to find the right match for your child. As with most things early intervention is best. Best of luck to you!

My son has sensory issues, which was diagnosed in kindergarten. He had them all along, but we (and his teachers) didn't know that is what they were. You are lucky to have a school evaluation, with an occupational therapist stepping in. Occupational Therapy does wonders. Sensory issues mean that his nervous system is not developed enough to receive the information from his senses correclty. He needs professional help with this, and the occupational therapist can show you things that you can do for him also. What he needs depends on which senses are involved. I warn against diagnosing him on your own, the occupationalt herapist can look for so much more and treat him as a whole.

You might want to have him evaluated for occupational therapy at a place in st clair shores..

I have heard good things about this therapy place.

I considered taking my duaghter there for sensory issues..

she has major issues with sound.. she has always been afraid fo noisy things.. vacuums blenders etc.. sh also has food texture issues and will not eat many foods that feel bad in her mouth..

these are all sensory processing issues -- how the brain percieves and processes all of the sensory input...

you should do something now before he starts real school and is behind the other kids or labeled as a problem student.

HI K.
You got a lot of good info. I go along with Beth B. I read a book from the library how boy and girls brains are wired differently. Girls learn well in quite groups, boys need to move or they sort of short circuit. There are 26 kids, mostly boys, in my 6 yo's class. Thats a lot of little ones to keep on task. And I'm always hearing about the same boys being bad. So thats my tid bit. God luck, A. H

Try reading the "Out of Sync Child" by Carol Stock Kranowitz, M.A.

Hi K.,
My 13 yr old has A.D.D. and I have to tell her teachers every year that she must sit in the front, or her mind/eyes wonder; she loses focus and is easily distracted.
I know this isn't the same as a sensory issue, but moving his seat closer to the teacher or board (removing distractions) my help him to focus in the interim while you figure this out.

How your describing your son sounds just like my nephew at this age. My SIL finally had to instill a red, yellow, green light system with him and the teacher. (Something his teacher didn't use but her mom used at the school she taught at.) All the teachers were telling her he is really smart but had a hard time sitting still and paying attention. It took a few months (he was in Kindergarten at the time) but now he is in 1st Grade and doing really well!

Yellow lights were warning
Red lights were given after the warning didn't work
and green lights were given when he had a good day

My SIL would wait until the week was over and reward him if he got all green lights, its what worked for him.

Good luck!

K.; ive noticed those things in my son, however this was 17 years ago before they labeled it, however, my son also knew his stuff, when entering school, and his problem was that he was a smart kid, and his brain was going faster than his body could keep up with, however i do not know anything about this so called disorder, but your sons actions seem to be the way my middle son was, his body was constantly moving, people told me to put him on riddlin and calm him down, but all i saw was a fun loving very smart child, and thats exactly what he was and is, the problem with raising bright children, is now a days most people want to medicate our children cause they themselves cannot handle it, although im not saying not look into your childs conditions , it may be a real one and it may need medical attention i dont know, but all i know is my situation, as i said my son is 17 and he is proven more smarter than usual and im soooo happy i never medicated and listened to others who could simply not handle a smart child, i was able to handle him at home, but others seemed to find that they could not, i found that he needed more brain stimulation, preschool is boring for him, and could not handle that, even throughout school it was i know i can do the work, so why do it, it was more a lazy answer, although his brain would go a mile a minute, or more, he figured he all ready knew the stuff and it did not challenge him, your son may need to be challenged, he might enjoy learning math? or he might make up songs out of the blue, they are in his mind, he might need music, i wish my son had music at that stage im sure he would of been a concert pianist by now, ahahaha however we did not afford music, his first time on drums he put out a nice beat and it was music, even the piano, so your child may be gifted and may be totally bored with preschool, but dont count out all what others say , my situation may not be yours, do whats best for your child, but if he is smarter than others he will enjoy sitting with you at home with a workbook and or will enjoy music or be able to play, its way harder to raise smarter children, so be prepared for some rough times, cause they do know things, one day we were in the car about your sons age and my husband turned on the radio and classical music came on and a violyn solo, our little son, said " i can play the violyn" we were shocked he even knew what a violyn was, let alone knew what it was by its sound, he kept doing such things as this, it was scary , yet wonderful but we stepped up our teaching abilities and did things that stimulated his mind, and he loved to learn, we told him i know its hard for you to sit still in school but you are smart enough to know how, and you must do the work to prove to the teacher you know the stuff, and we never put our kids in pre school, maybe he might find more fun at home, or teach him to do the work, maybe you can go to school with him and see for yourself, does he act this way at home ? if you ask him to sit and listen to story, does he listen? can he sit and watch a movie ? do your own analysis, and it could just be what they say, so take to heart and dont fret, and do what is best for you and your child, have a good day sorry so long , D. s

Hello K., I have heard of some schools using a balancing ball in place of a chair to sit on. Due to using so many core muscles to balance, it burns off energy at the same time. It allow students to pay attention without the hyperactivity. It can't hurt to try it. The ball must be of size to allow a proper height to the table. They can be found at any sport equipment store. Hope this helps.