Comments on: Sensing Something Different

By: melissa

melissa — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:15:00 +0000

Good post MPJ

It's odd to me how a lot of Owen's sensory sensitivites have traded out recently. He's less averse to textures these days but much more aware and bothered by sounds. He spent the whole time we were at the pumpkin patch covering his ears because he couldn't handle the sound of the corn cannon - a very muffled popping sound hundreds and hundreds of yards away.

By: Mary P Jones (MPJ)

Mary P Jones (MPJ) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:26:00 +0000

Absolutely, Mama Mara. And that's a great idea. I should have something like that for store clerks. The cashiers at the sensory-overload-wonderlands known as Target and the grocery store tend to get the butt end of most of our meltdowns.

By: Mama Mara

Mama Mara — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:19:00 +0000

I carry around an article about sensory overload in my purse. When, say, my 15-year-old gags at the sight of white food and runs screaming from the school picnic, or my 12-year-old tells great-aunt Lucy that she smells like cow poop, I pull out the article to educate the offended. May I print your post to add to my purse knowledge base?

By: Mary

Mary — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 01:15:00 +0000

The J-man's sensory issues seem to be mostly tactile and oral. Right, so eating? Doesn't happen. I know, you have the same issue, but at least you can get some calcium into him! We're now trying that calcium-enriched applesauce, since applesauce is the only non-crispy-crunchy thing he will eat. Also the talking? It doesn't happen either. Plus, the J-man has some serious vestibular things going on, so stairs and heights are a challenge.

I wish everyone could understand SPD, without everyone having to live with it.

By: Sophie in the Moonlight

Sophie in the Moonlight — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:30:00 +0000

You distilled a very complicated disorder into a very simple engineering format. Great job.

My older son is really sensitive about fabrics. He could never wear those cute little boy shirts with the big patches sewn on the front because the stitching around and the weight of the decoration jarred his skin. That's the only way to say it. It was just an unwelcome, highly disruptive sensation to his skin.

He's in Cub scouts now and the only way he will wear his cub scout shirt is over another very soft 100% cotton shirt that's been washed 50 times. Oh, yeah, and fabric softener. I have to use the liquid kind and 3 sheets of the dryer kind for each load so that the clothes have a uniform feel to them. His grandma, my husband's mom, has the same sensitivity. I'm really sensitive to light. I seriously cannot drive during the daytime without sunglasses. My eyes close as soon as bright light hits them. So unsafe. Poor kid got it from both sides.