What is Sensory Integration Disorder
Sensory Integration Disorder is a neurological disorder causing difficulties with processing information from the five classic senses (vision, auditory, touch, olfaction, and taste...
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help with calming my 4 year old hyperactive boy
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hello new friends, i have recently found out that my son has SI Disorder, and we are still at the intervention process. This is all really new to me, and I really could use some tips for now to be able to calm my child. he may have other problems too, i am working on getting him evaluated. the problem that i could really use some advice is that he gets so hyperactive that he runs around like crazy, jumps up and down in place, climbs all over us, jumps on us, throws his body all over the furniture unable to remain still at all. he is starting to become a bit violent, hitting, kicking, etc. Its not usually this bad, but he has good days and bad. but lately its been really bad, especially when it gets late at night. Ive tried soothing new age music, giving him a warm bath (he just wants to climb up on the side of the tub and jump and stomp), ive tried giving him a backrub, or big hugs (i heard that could help, it was worth a try). none of this is helping. he loves to be touched and is overly affectionate. Ive heard of brushing, but i believe that is for children that have trouble with being touched? clothes isnt a problem for him (however inside the home, he immediately removes them but will reluctantly keep them on outside of the house), he does have problems with eating (he cannot tell when he is hungry and may not know what it even is), bowel movements, bumping into everything, a bit of speech, coordination, bangs his head into walls and floors when upset. those are just a few of his problems. most things that set him off are when he is around alot of kids, crowded places, loud places, too much movement around him, he destroys toys, loves messes, and has anger issues. If that helps.
i wish i knew what is triggering this nightime freaking out thing, but like i said, were still figuring things out. We try to keep it nice and calm at night, but something is setting him off and we have no idea what it is right now. im willing to try out some techniques to see if they can work at home. please help me. thanks in advance. :) Posted on 10/30/09, 05:10 am |
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Hi stormer, welcome to the group :D.
From your post your DS sounds like a sensory seeker. I was wondering if you had a mini trampoline, a kiddie pool filled plastic balls for him to crash into or even a swing would that help? I know for some kids having a special toy like a trampoline or an area that they can use to get there energy out sometimes help. For much older kids I know that treadmills can work too Sorry, being a sensory avoider as an adult w/ SID I might not be much help. Its just that usually when I go to OT and PT I see the therapists trying these types of activities out w/ their kid and adult patients that have SID. I also hear that using a weighted blankets and weighted lap blankets can help too, especially w/ activities that require sitting still. From what you describe, his night time behavior could be from him not having a source of stimulation to feed his energy so to speak, for example, the night time is just too calm. Also, w/ his bath time would any water toys like those mini basketball hoops or the water windmill toys help? Or what about tub crayons? Or if he like remote controlled cars what a bout a toy submarine for the tub? Lastly, when he goes to sleep does he like to sleep wrapped w/ a lot of covers? If so, is there a heavy cover that you could use to wrap him in? With SID I have such a hard time regulating body temperature so I have to sleep wrapped like a mummy all year long plus the added weight of many blankets really helps me feel calm at night. I also understand what you mean about crowded places and too much movement. I have the same issues. For me its just too hard to take visually on the eyes and emotionally on the ears and body to the point that your mind just goes into overload and just shuts down. Sorry, I couldn't be much help. I hope his OT can offer some good ideas. Good luck! :D 
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well, the teacher says that a weight vest or a heavy blanket will help with him at school. i dont really have anything like that yet, i may have to make something for him.
he likes just one blanket on him loosely when he sleeps. i am putting a small trampoline on my wish list, i think it would help.. but no swings, i do have a giant excercise ball- but i dont want him to hurt himself. we got him a little ball pit when he was 2, and still have all the balls. A sensory seeker... yeah, that makes sense. :) he prefers lights on, and tv on while he goes to sleep.
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Has he recently dropped his nap? If so he may be more tired that usual and that could make his sensory problems worse at that time. Our OT says that the therapy is nearly the same for all of these kids despite which sense is giving them trouble. The brushing might help him, but it is actually a stimulating exercise, so if you want to calm him you would need to follow that with a calming sensation like joint compressions on the hands. We have a mini trampoline and that has been wonderful for us. Good luck to you. A sensory seeker is the one they describe as a tazmanian devil. My son alternates between sensory-seeking and over-responsiveness. When he is seeking touch input he will even rub the top of his head on things and people. Talk about embarassing!
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