Sensory Sensitivity

Wow…this working full time and dealing with a family is NO joke. I think it would be a little easier to keep up the pace if Owen and I both didn’t have bronchitis. Yes…Poor Owen has had a cough since mid-July and passed it on the Mama. We have seen the doc a good few times…started with a liquid steroid for Owen, I’m currently on pill steroids, then cough meds and antibiotics for both of us. Ugh…Kaiser has made a buck off us the past month! lol And the whole time I’m cautiously keeping Ella as healthy as I possibly can.

A few weeks ago I had my first ‘2 kids at one doctor appt’ experience…little hectic but thankfully Nana was there to help. Ella went in for her 6 month check-up while Owen was in to see the doc about this horrible cough.

She got shots and Owen had chest xrays to make sure he didn’t have pneumonia. Thankfully he’s like the best little patient ever!

So we have lots of meds and Owen has now become a pro with his inhaler…and even able to take it himself with NO help! Pretty crazy. I feel bad…he’s totally a little asthma geek already…just like his Mama and Daddy!

Working, Cleaning, Cooking and Sleeping are what we do. Ella still isn’t sleeping through the night…GOD FREAKING LOVE HER! hah. But we’re surviving…even though I feel like a zombie 95% of the time. I fantasize while driving to work most mornings….dropping the kids off at Martha’s to call in sick and just go home to SLEEP…oh how glamorous that would be! haha My life has changed huh! haha

But yesterday we had a new experience with Kaiser. Occupational Therapy! I have chatted about Owen and his ear covering and anxiety issues a good few times on this blog. And all our friends are well aware of it too…kinda hard to NOT notice it!

Well yesterday was the day that we had this little ear covering issue evaluated by a pediatric occupational therapist (with the recommendation of his pediatrician). I was nervous because they sent a packet full of questions that I had to fill out. Most of the questions did NOT pertain to us…Does your child eat non-food items in new settings? Does your child clap hands when uncomfortable? etc. thankfully Owen just had a few things on that list, all relating to Sensory Disorder/Sensitivity.

Few things about Owen…he's a VERY VERY picky eater. Most things he doesn’t like are due to texture and appearance…he’ll call it before he even touches, nevermind tastes it. He also doesn’t like loud noises…ESPECIALLY people talking on microphones. He covers his ears, heart starts pumping, gets extremely sweaty all over (hands/palms too), cries, shakes with fear, etc. when put in environments like that (example, The Blue Horizon Dolphin show at Sea World). Our Owen has been like this forever…well since as long as I can remember and I think it MIGHT be getting a bit better but definitely still an issue. 

Since we know he’s sensitive to noisewe don’t bring him to basketball games at school or anything in the gym that’s loud, we don’t bring him to shows, parades, movies, sporting events, etc but there will come a time when he will be in those loud situations (ie, emergency drill in school, or elementary school assemblies) and I won’t be there to comfort him.  So I knew I needed to see what “a professional” had to say about it…to nip these possible future issues in the butt now!

The therapist was very nice…and basically didn’t tell me much that I didn’t already know. Yes he's sensitive to noise (Thank you for the $20 co-pay to confirm that!), but after our appointment she wasn’t to concerned about him. He has a sensory sensitivity…not exactly a “disorder”…and I’m not even sure if there is a difference between the two!

She explained to me that he exhibits the Fight or Flight response with his emotional reactions (crying, sweating, heart racing, shakey, etc) when put in these situations.  Something I found pretty interesting was she said he does this Fight or Flight response PROBABLY because when he was a baby, before he was able to communicate we brought him into a situation like this (loud) and his emotions took over since he wasn’t able to communicate to us that he wasn’t happy. So now his body’s natural reaction is to freak out. Yep…we’re the best parents ever!! (insert sad face!) 
I did ask her if this was my fault…since Owen’s whole infancy he was practically always in a calm, quiet environment with me going through chemo the first year of his life…did we “make him this way”….and she said possibly but she also said that kids usually get this directly from a parent…yep I feel like I have seriously passed down some bad genes to my lil dude. But at least since I have some of the same anxiety, noise sensitivity issues myself so I can understand how the little man feels.  I asked lots of questions…and she gave me some tips to help…

* Before he starts kindergarten (NEXT year) I will go into the school and meet with the principal and possibly get him on a 504 plan…that way his teacher will be aware of this behavior IN case he ever freaks at school (If it were to happen it would be during fire drills and at assemblies).

* I’ll also ask to possibly record the drill alarm on my phone so we can have Owen hear it before he gets into school.

* The therapist also recommended a Therapressure Brushing Exercise. Where we basically brush his skin (with a soft baby brush), 10 strokes per limb, followed with joint jolting (little pressure of pushing and pulling his joints, fingers, wrist, elbow, shoulder, legs) 5 times a day for 14 days. This be a bit tough with him being at daycare…I find it kinda hard to ask Martha to “brush” my kid while she has all her other kiddos there too. But its an option. She said this “brushing” technique helps stimulate the larges sensatory part of our bodies…and can help ease him reactions in time.

* And a “Food Chaining” class was offered to me as well to try and get him trying more foods. She didn’t think this was totally essential since he has more than 20 items on his menu that he eats regularly. But would love to find a way to get Owen eating food with “slimy textures”.

* Noise canceling headphones for loud events. Tell him that he can wear them until he’s ready to take them off. Something I need to look in to…that way he can wear them for a bit and then hopefully relax in the situation and take them off and be ok!

So…thankfully we don’t have to go back unless this issue gets worse or as he grows more “issues” arise. I feel good after this appointment. I needed to know how to parent a child like this…do you force him into situations so he’ll just get over it…or do you allow him to withdraw and NOT do things because of his fear? I think we have it figured out. Have him attempt things…knowing that he’s safe and we are there. But never FORCING him…that will only make things worse (example…The Avengers Movie…yeah I think my child will be TRAUMATIZED from the Hulk forever!!!)  Never a dull moment in this house! lol