My 3-year old is being evaluated by psych, and SID came up as a possibility for some of his problems. But, instead of being over-sensitive, we find him to be UNDER-sensitive, which can be another manifestation of this disorder. We actually brought him to be evaluated for ADHD because of his major behavior problems and hyperactivity, and he mentioned SID in addition to something else (still trying to figure out the something else).

So, anyone else have an under sensitive child, instead of over sensitive? What kinds of therapies would be involved? Instead of desensitizing, how do you manage "sensitizing"? I'd love to hear from anyone else who has had this issue.

Thanks!

What behaviors are you seeing that are defined as "under-sensitive?" I'm not familiar with this ... although my daughter is way off the other end of the spectrum!

Never heard of that term. My son is a sensory seeker...very very active, and everything done with force. We have a hammock swing in our home, a trampoline, and we do a lot of deep pressure with him.

My 3 1/2 YO son, Jack (aka The Enigma) has exhibited both hyper (over)- and hypo (under)- sensitivity to different stimuli, so it makes it very hard to come up with a good therapeutic strategy. However, we also don't have him in OT yet, because we're waiting for a center near our home to get an opening. He's currently seeing a Clinical (Behavioral) Therapist to deal with his transition and emotional processing issues. But I'm hoping once we get an OT working with him on a regular basis, in addition the the Clinical Therapy, we'll be able to get him on a more "even keel" all around.

What have they found your son hyposensitive to?

My son Sebastian is very sensory seeking. We have just started working with an OT. He is only two, so it is hard to know what is just goffy toddler stuff and what is over the top.

He is very active and rough. He likes to throw himself into walls and on the floor. He climbs and jumps off everything and loves climbing into things.

He will dump out all his blocks and then roll around on them saying, "oww, oww" but with a big smile on his face.

He also put everything into his mouth and loves chewing on stuff.

I know there are more, but those are the ones off the top of my head.

Many kids who are sensory seekers like Jane's and Katie's boys are often hyposensitive. That is why the seek out sensations and may be rough, throwing themselves into walls etc. They can't really process the sensation unless it is intense so they seek out experiences that will stimulate the sensory processing centers of the brain. Kids may exhbit behaviors that look like over reactions like refusing certain food textures but in reality they are hyposenstive. They refuse the texture b/c they can't process where a small bite of food is in their mouth which can be scary. These kids you may see overstuffing their mouths with food so they can feel where it is in their mouth and feel like they can safely chew and swallow it.

A hyprosenstive kid may display ADD behaviors b/c ADD like behaviors such as constant movement (like my Tressa) helps them stimulate sensory receptors in their brains so they can pay attention. For example I am sure you know many adults who tap their feet or pen when they are thinking - they are actually stimulating brain activity.

Thanks for your replies...I just started reading The Out-of-Sync Child and determined that I had my terminology wrong. I definitely see him as a "sensory seeker" - extremely hyperactive, has to touch EVERYTHING, climbing and jumping on everything, can't sit still, still puts everything in his mouth, crams food in his mouth, has very poor fine motor skills...the list goes on. The majority of his behaviors are tactile sensory seeking, with some others thrown in. But I do think he will eventually be diagnosed, and the psychologist thinks there is more going on.

Next I have the fun task of getting the OT set up. That should be great fun!

Thanks again...I'm sure I'll be asking more questions along the way!

Finding out what the problem is, is the first step in learning how to deal with it. I just read, "The Out of Sync Child, and was amazed at how much of it fit Sebastian. It felt good to know that there was a reason behind his behaviors. I also bought, The Out of Sync Child Has Fun." I have not had a chance to read it yet, but I have heard that it has some great hands on things that you can do.

Good luck with the OT. I hope you get it set up soon. We have only had a few sesions, but it is already helping. I now have a bag of tircks that I can use when Sebastian is going crazy.

Keep us posted on how things are going.

My grandson is also a sensory seeker.....we do a lot of sqeezing of his limbs and joint compressions (never without training first) brushing theropy.....Jayden can racking his head so hard most kids would be screaming bloody murder and he usual just walks away...he also thows himself in to furniture so hard he bounces off and falls to the floor....many others things too ........... OT should be a great benefit for him....keep us posted

Next I have the fun task of getting the OT set up. That should be great fun!

Have you checked in to programs like Early Intervention or Child Find? We are using Child Find for my son's OT. It is a state/federal funded program so we are not paying a cent for the services.

Just a reminder that not every state is able to provide completely free services for their early intervention program.

http://www.infantrefluxdisease.com/forums/showthread.php?p=342289#post342289

Pam is right (and thanks for the reminder!). Texas, for example, charges fees on a sliding scale based on income.

I actually do have experience with Early Intervention here for my little guy. But, that stops when they turn 3, so I would have to go through the school system at this point. It's just setting up all that stuff that's just a pain. Plus, from what I understand, SID is not often recognized as an issue yet by everyone, so just wondering what kinds of problems I'll have getting ot for him. Although the doctor still thinks there's something else going on, so that would help. I just want to see my happy boy again!

I actually do have experience with Early Intervention here for my little guy. But, that stops when they turn 3, so I would have to go through the school system at this point. It's just setting up all that stuff that's just a pain. Plus, from what I understand, SID is not often recognized as an issue yet by everyone, so just wondering what kinds of problems I'll have getting ot for him. Although the doctor still thinks there's something else going on, so that would help. I just want to see my happy boy again!


It is different when they turn three as chidlren 3-21 are covered by a different part of the IDEA (individuals with disabilities education act) law. Unlike birth to 3 which follows a medical model, teh 3-21 part of the law follows an educational model. This means he must fall into an educational classification such as developmental delay to receive services. Medical diagnoses like ADD do not fall into an educational classification and SID is not an educational classification so if he does not demonstrate a delay in his development which meets the qualification for services in your school district he may indeed not be eligibile for OT services for his SID. This does not mean however that you may be able to seek private therapy for which your insurance may cover (if he indeed has a medical diagnosis of ADD) or the service provider may be able to offer you a sliding fee scale.

We have a sensory seeker with Iain and he is also quite under sensitive as well, mainly due to his prioprorecptive (? I can never remember this word!) issues. Basically, he has no clue where his body is in space and at many sessions he has cracked his head, ribs, legs, forehead about the office or therapy room and kept right on going. For instance, during one initial assessment, he cracked his head on a chair when standing up, did it again, then hit his head into an open cupboard, nailed his ribs against the OTs chair to the point where we all cringed due to the huge 'crunch' we heard, and then before it was all over, he hit his head on that same chair yet again. I was sure his brain was scrambled, but nope. I was sue he is just a klutz, but no. My middle son is a klutz, but Iain truly has no clue where he is going at times.

So, this child who can crack his head against things and not even whimper, goes insane if you put a pair of pants on him which have pilling on the inside. It is an interesting mixed bag.

We begin the therapies again in the New Year and I expect to learn more about what makes Mr. Iain tick. ;)