As I've attended classes trying to learn more about how to help my kids on the spectrum, I've come to a realization: I HAVE SENSORY ISSUES TOO!
This was made really clear to me a few years ago after a particularly hard day. It was 7pm, and I had had it! No energy, no direction, no drive. I just wanted to get in bed. As I took off my jeans (that weren't tight or uncomfortable) and put on my soft P.J. pants...Kryptonite Removed. Super Mom was back in business! My mom told me I would come home from elementary school and change right into my pajamas. My 5 year old self knew what I needed in order to feel "right." It took me another 30+ to realize that it is okay to put on soft knit clothing in order to be really productive.
Besides needing knit to feel right, I was also a sensory seeker. I loved wrestling, lifting heavy things, and riding my bike hard and fast. People chalked that up to my being a tomboy, but those heavy work activities helped me feel together. Keeping that in mind, we don't get up early as a family and go for a long walk or bike ride for kicks or for "exercise." We do it because heavy work grounds us so we can have a good school day. Exercise and fresh air are gravy.
My sensory seeking included asking for back scratches so hard they almost drew blood. I also loved extreme deep pressure massages. My experiences with my daughter and son who are on the autism spectrum and have sensory issues have helped me understand my own sensory issues. The pressure of an apron tied around my waist helps me get things done. And sometimes when I need a break, I climb in bed and pile the blankets and pillows really deep--not for warmth, just for pressure.
But my biggest sensory discovery was the weighted lap blanket. Okay, for me it was my school bag full of books. Once I was in middle school, most of my teachers didn't seem to notice or care that I had my bag on my lap. I discovered that when I had my bag of books on my lap, I could concentrate. I went from being an okay student to an excellent one. I had peers that would make fun of me for holding my bag on my lap, but when I would try to do without it, I didn't feel "right": fidgety, distracted, disconnected. I found it was worth putting up with the teasing to be able to be successful in class, all thanks to my book bag.
It's safe to assume your child on the autism spectrum has sensory issues. It is also safe to assume that some of his or her negative behaviors stem from those sensory issues. So how can you go about tackling them?
Finding What Works:
1. Your child is most likely demonstrating what he needs. Crying about tags or wearing pants, spinning around, needing a hard hug, covering ears, avoiding bright lights are all indications of a glitch in your child's ability to process the world around them. So buy clothing without tags, spin your child on a swing or office chair, buy or make a weighted blanket, try noise-canceling head phones, or dim the lights. Our son was CONSTANTLY asking, "What's that noise?" over and over when ever we went anywhere. He was hearing things we could easily send to the background.
2. Schedule an Evaluation with an OT. An Occupational Therapist can help you understand the sensory areas your child struggles with, can give you lists of exercises to do at home, and can demonstrate how to help your child with their sensory struggles. After some sessions with our OT, we bought a ball pit and a lycra swing because we could see how participating in those activities grounded out son.
3. Research Sensory Processing Disorder. Sometimes going to an OT is just too expensive, so this is your chance to research and experiment. I found the book The Out-of-Sync Child has Fun to be a big help. There are piles of lists for each kind of sensory disintegration. By trying new things and then observing your child's ability to focus or perform a task afterward, you can learn what your child needs. Don't be discouraged when something that worked one day doesn't work the next. Doing sensory activities will give your child a chance to identify what he needs, and he may even start requesting what he needs.
