My Autism Insights

It’s great to be in sync with service providers without even knowing it.  Apparently Gus’s Occupational Therapist (OT) has been teaching him to tie his shoes.  For a child with a short attention span and trouble with fine motor skills and coordination, this can be a difficult life skill to learn (tying in general, not just shoes).  Gus had said a while back that he would learn to tie them by the time he turns eight.  Well, that’s coming up pretty quickly, and he might just do it!

I know there are a few strategies used to teach kids to tie shoes .  We’re using the single loop method.  We tried bunny ears, but that just didn’t work for some reason.  Some people use elaborate stories, but ours isn’t too complex.  He sings She’ll Be Comin’ Around the Mountain while he’s tying, which is a double edged sword - he gets the gist of the story, but he also loses focus because of the singing.

1. “She” is on a train coming around the mountain.  So we need to make the train tracks.  Make an X with the laces.
2. The train goes through the first tunnel. Take the tail of one lace, through the tunnel and then pull them apart.
3. Make a mountain.  With the dominant hand, make a single loop and hold in place.  (I find that Gus sometimes forgets to hold onto the loop.)
4. Now the train goes around the mountain and through another tunnel.  Take the straight lace around the loop, and then push from the middle through the second tunnel.  Pull the loops apart.

It’s not a foolproof method, but he’s getting it.  Because he tends to learn well with a musical component (musical intelligence) the song does it for him, but use whatever works for your child.

Has your child learned to tie shoes?  If so, what method worked for you?

I recently learned that it is Sensory Processing Disorder Awareness Month.  SPD (and this is the extremely simplified version of an explanation) is usually seen when the individual has trouble processing information received through the senses and often results in over-sensitivity or under-sensitivity to environmental input, or in problems in the vestibular (movement) or proprioceptive(positional) senses.  In recognition of the awareness month, I’ve decided to link to some of my past posts relating to the topic and to a few other blogs.

On the use of music in helping with symptoms and Auditory Integration Therapy: Try a Little Music.

On proprioception: Proprioception and Sensory Integration.

Wilbarger Technique.

SPD/SID and sleep issues: Summer, Sleep and Sensory Integration

And a couple of other bloggers I’ve seen discussing the topic:

Good Fountain

Special Needs Blog

Eamon’s Journey Thru Autism

Anyone else blogging on SPD, please let me know and I’ll add your link!

I recently learned that it is Sensory Processing Disorder Awareness Month, so in recognition of that I’ve decided to link to some of my past posts relating to the topic.

On the use of music in helping with symptoms and Auditory Integration Therapy: Try a Little Music.

On proprioception: Proprioception and Sensory Integration.

Wilbarger Technique.

SPD/SID and sleep issues: Summer, Sleep and Sensory Integration

And a couple of other bloggers I’ve seen discussing the topic:

Good Fountain

Special Needs Blog

Eamon’s Journey Thru Autism

Anyone else blogging on SPD, please let me know and I’ll add your link!

I recently learned that it is Sensory Processing Disorder Awareness Month, so in recognition of that I’ve decided to link to some of my past posts relating to the topic.

On the use of music in helping with symptoms and Auditory Integration Therapy: Try a Little Music.

On proprioception: Proprioception and Sensory Integration.

Wilbarger Technique.

SPD/SID and sleep issues: Summer, Sleep and Sensory Integration

And a couple of other bloggers I’ve seen discussing the topic:

Good Fountain

Special Needs Blog

Eamon’s Journey Thru Autism

Anyone else blogging on SPD, please let me know and I’ll add your link!

Now that we’re well into autumn, here are a few things that could be fun to try with your special needs child:

Apples and pumpkins are in season!  Take a trip to an orchard if one is accessible to you.  Then, after the fun of picking fruit, you might be able to use that sense of accomplishment to entice your sensory defensive child to touch…pumpkin guts!  Eww!  Seriously, if your child has tactile sensory issues, touching something gross that he/she actually picked and worked to obtain might help get past the hump.  If not, it’s okay, you do the scooping then use one of those carving kits to work with the outside of the pumpkin.  Poking holes around an outline can be great for fine motor skills.  I’d avoid the sharp instruments, though.  If carving is still not an option, how about painting faces on little pumpkins?  That could be appropriate for children who have trouble differentiating emotions.  Let’s not forget about the apples!  How about making an apple pie with a homemade pie crust?  For a child who can tolerate the sensation and needs to strengthen fine motor muscles, kneading dough is fun and the end result is delicious.  Cooking is also an essential life skill.

Autumn is also a nice time for outdoor sports like cycling, hiking, or running.It’s neither too hot nor too cold, and in many places, the scenery is pretty breathtaking.  If you’re in an environment where the seasons don’t change, you can still enjoy being outdoors.

Finally, one of our favorite Halloween season movies is Spookley the Square Pumpkin.  The first time we watched it, I noticed that Gus became very quiet and serious.  It’s about a pumpkin that is different and is shunned by most of the inhabitants of his farm.  He has a hard time fitting in, but in the end he finds acceptance.  It’s a sweet movie with a nice message (in my opinion) for typical and special needs kids alike.

Is there something special you do with your kids during the month of October?

As I was randomly looking netsurfing for something to blog about today, I came across an interesting site: Retrain the Brain .  I’m always on the lookout for ways to help Gus build his focus without medication so the headline “Get Kids Off Ritalin” caught my eye.  The theory behind this program is to teach Palmer method penmanship (remember that??) along with special music to develop the left (analytical/reasoning/executive function) brain.  It seems to make sense to me, but I don’t have $90 to spend on a handwriting program.

So I went and did some research on the Palmer method and found a free version of Palmer’s Penmanship Budget .  We’ve also been trying having Gus do his work with headphones on and his teacher sent home a copy of the CD they use in class.  I think another experiment is on order.

Best case scenario,  the combination of music and handwriting practice will help him.  Worst case scenario, he’ll get some extra practice in an area he needs it.  Nothing to lose.

If anyone has any experience with this theory or with that particular program, I’d love to hear more!

I went to a baby shower today.  And as we sat around watching the new mom open all the little onesies and bibs and blankies, I remembered my own pregnancy with Gus.  In particular, I remembered a game I used to play with him while he was still in the womb - the tapping game. (The tapping game was when I would tap on my belly and he would kick back - very sensitive even in utero, I guess.)  At no time during my pregnancy did I ever imagine the path we’d end up on.

I never imagined the most awesome giggle I’d ever heard.

I never imagined how cute the word ‘tur-tle’ could sound coming from the mouth of a one year old.

I never imagined how a child so affectionate at home could be so isolated at day care.

I never imagined that a two year old would know the alphabet and would be counting.

I never imagined early intervention, ABA therapy, occupational therapy, special ed classes, medication trials, or IEP meetings.

I never imagined a seven year old who could make up Pokemon riddles that are actually funny. (What does a Pokemon say when he has a cold?  Pik-achoooo!  C’mon, that’s pretty good!)

I never imagined what an awesome and fun kid I’d be blessed with.

At the shower, we were asked to give the new parents advice or words of wisdom, and I just thought of something I should have added because there seems to be so many people who worry these days about autism:

You never know what cards you’re going to be dealt, so there’s no point in worrying, but also no point in bemoaning a hand that seems less than optimal when it’s dealt.  The cards will fall where they will, and all you can do is play it to the best of your ability.  Even a difficult hand can be a winner.

Today I’ve got one big thing to be thankful for: I finally feel like I’m on the same page, or at least in the same chapter, as Gus’s school staff.  We had a long chat last night at open school night, and the question of medication is not an issue for the time being and I think I can stop feeling so pressured about there being an agenda.  If there is, I don’t think it’s the one I was worrying about.  Everyone’s really thinking out of the box and they’re trying everything possible to help him achieve his considerable potential.  And that’s not to say he’s doing poorly at all.  Aside from having such a busy brain, he’s holding his own with much older kids.  Yes, we need to find ways to help him focus at least long enough to finish a task - so that’s the goal.  If anyone has any tricks for building focus (aside from martial arts and yoga) ideas are welcome.

So far we’ve tried: special cushions, a balance stool, bouncy ball chair, rewards, separate space to minimize distractions, and periods of movement throughout the day.

We’re going to try music, and I may suggest trying to use resistance bands in some way.

So, feel free to comment with your thankfulness and any thoughts you might have!  Have a great day!

 A few weeks ago a friend commented that she didn’t see what the Wilbarger Technique- a specific brushing and joint compression technique - was supposed to do.  I couldn’t really explain it myself, at least not in plain English.  But I think I may have it now.

Picture the brain that has some proprioceptive oversensitivity as a sort of high-strung mother hen.  The parts of the body are her chicks.  Our hen, in addition to being a little high-strung is also not so great at keeping track of those chicks.  Now they tend to stay pretty close to her, but she doesn’t seem to always know that.  So she spends a lot of energy trying to figure out where those guys are!  When she gets worked up, so do the chicks.

But what if we help her out by doing a sort of head count every couple of hours?  Once she knows where her chicks are, she’s happy, she can relax a little and get on with the rest of her henly business (whatever that is).

My best understanding of the protocol is that it helps the body ‘check in’ with itself.  Once the brain knows where everything is, it can calm down and focus better on the other myriad tasks it needs to attend to.

During the winter, instead of using a single fiber-filled comforter, I’ve learned to layer blankets on my son’s bed. This has the effect of keeping him warm and providing a nice amount of weight to provide soothing sensory input. But in the summer, when it’s too warm for anything, how can that sensory need be met?

I have another friend who had a similar issue with her teenage son who would also insist on wearing long pants and sleeves. But there’s a big difference when a seven year old sweats and when a teenage boy sweats. Yet still need some sort of weights in order to sleep well.

You could always run the air conditioning (if you have it - my son does not and will not have an AC in his room) and then pile on the blankets, but with energy costs on a rapid rise, that may not be the smartest thing to do. So there must be something that is heavy enough, yet lightweight enough. Here are my two ideas:

1) A Mexican yoga blanket - These don’t offer the perfect solution, but they certainly help. They tend to be weighty, but still breathe so are not extremely hot. They are also not very expensive. We use ceiling fans, so the combination of ceiling fan and three-pound blanket is not bad.

2) Tight tucking - Sometimes deep, squeezing pressure can be a good substitute for weight, but if a child is particularly squirmy (like Gus), a top sheet sized to the bed may not stay tucked in very well. I purchased top sheets for Gus that were a size larger than his bed. That way, they can be tucked all the way under the mattress and he stays nice and snug.

Those are the two things I’ve tried, and they have worked reasonably well. I am working on another idea to take some lightweight fabric (or sheets) and fill them in strategic spots to provide weight, but I have yet to figure out the logistics.

How do you cope with sensory integration challenges during the summer?

My son has very sensitive hearing.  When he was in Early Intervention, his Occupational Therapist tried AIT or Auditory Integration Therapy with him to prevent some of his meltdowns.  Auditory Integration Therapy is a method that uses music modulated to remove different frequencies at random throughout a half hour CD.   That was a particularly rough year - one of the students screamed often and that happens to be one of Gus’s worst triggers.  I don’t know that the AIT normalized his hearing or if he simply adjusted over time, but he tolerates much more than he used to.

Lately, it seems that his sensitivity is increasing again.  For the past couple of months he has been covering his ears again, and last week was shouting at people (his teacher included) because they were talking. 

One thing that has helped him has been to play soft music for him.  When he’s tired and having a meltdown at home, we let him go to his room and he’ll put on his favorite Cd’s.  His teacher has mentioned using the headphones with some success - music can help him focus in addition to keeping him calm.  I’ve offered to send in a few of his Cd’s from home.  I’m pretty optimistic that they will help to make these last few weeks of regular school more pleasant.