Friday, May 13, 2011

sensory issues

So today I had an interesting conversation with Maya's preschool teacher.  We started talking about the adaptive chairs that they just got for some of the students (Maya being one of them).  She said the OT ordered them.  And on that subject somehow we go onto the fact that Maya has sensory issues.  Honestly I felt so baffled that no one has addressed this issue with me before.  I mean yes, I know that Maya doesn't like loud noises like children crying or screaming, the vacuum cleaner or when you blow your nose....I chalked it up to the tubes in her ears (that's when it seemed to start).  I didn't realize this effected other parts of her life.  

This is the reason why Maya loves to spin in circles.  This is the reason why she shakes her head back and forth uncontrollably sometimes...this is the reason why she often can't sit still anymore.

One of the aides showed me how she calms Maya down when she gets into circle time.  It was amazing to see the aide sit her down and just by giving pressure to her arms and hands, Maya calmed down and quietly sat in her lap.  She didn't wiggly or shake her head...in fact she held out her arms like she wanted more.  She had a look on her face that was so peaceful.  It was amazing.  The teacher went on to say that the OT is looking into getting Maya a weighted vest so she can wear it when she gets wiggly.

I honestly know nothing about Sensory Processing Disorder (sometimes called "sensory integration" or SI).  But I sure am going to be researching more about this now.  In many ways this fills in the blanks for me and my feelings of Maya not be able to play and interact with her friends appropriately.  It gives me some peace of mind because now I know there is a name to these actions.  I am so grateful that the teacher and aides are able to work with her in the classroom.   If no one ever told me about this then I would probably still be wondering why my sweetie pie is acting this way.


Here are a few sites I found so far that seem to define SPD and it's symptoms.  If any of you out there have any experience with this I would love to hear from you. I have so many questions about this subject now.

The Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation:  http://www.spdfoundation.net/about-sensory-processing-disorder.html

Sensory Processing Disorder Checklist: http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-processing-disorder-checklist.html

Bright Tots http://www.brighttots.com/sensory_integration