Brenda- weighted vest

[Dakotah]

Hi Brenda! I am assuming you are the same Brenda at the other sight. If you are not- ignore this.

My son uses a weighted vest and really enjoys it. He has SI issues and this and a lap buddie have helped him at school. He tends to wear it for quite a while (hours) but if I remember correctly, in theory, it loses it's effectiveness after half a half an hour of wearing it. His therapist said if he is getting more out of it then let him wear it as long as he wants to. We did. Also- brushing and chew necklaces didn't help. Just wanted to share my experience. ;D

[Brenda]

Thanks Dakota.Yes I am the same Brenda.I really think Step has SID.I am trying to find out how to get her tested.Here are the symptoms that she has:

She is always chewing on her hair or twirling it.She chews on paper,toys,erasers,clothes,etc.I mean all the time.

She also loves to jump on the couch and do flips.She loves swinging and jumping.

She loves to touch things,especially feathers.When we go shopping she has to touch everything.

She gets very excited when we go to visit friends and relatives.If there are alot of people around it seems to make her "wired".

She is real sensitive and gets irritated easily.She hates it when you tell her no.She will have a tantrum everytime.

She has a high tolerance for pain.When she was just 2 she would not even cry when she got a shot.I remember when she had to have blood drawn from a vein when she was 3 and she did not even cry.My SIL told me that that sounded like a sensory problem then.

She also has never slept all night and she is 6 years old now.She wakes up every 2 hours.If we let her sleep with us she will sleep all night.She loves for someone to snuggle with her.

She can spot an airplane in the sky that we can't even see.

One time Brandon started screaming in the car and she covered her ears and started crying.She also covers her ears when you start the lawn mower.

[Mayleng]

Brenda, do you have an Easter Seals near you. They do SI evals. Also checkout these sites:

www.childrensdisabilities.info/sensory_integration/index.html
www.OT4children.com.
www.ateachabout.com.

Also check out Out of Sync Child By Carol Kranowitz

[Dakotah]

Brenda our OT dx our son. The Out of Sync Child is the only book I have read on SI that was any good. Stephanie sounds a lot like my son. I have told this story here before - He had 2nd degree burns on his hands that we have NO IDEA where he got them from. He didn't cry until the age of one. We could have never interacted with him as a baby and he wouldn't have cared. He hates many, many different sounds that you and I would never notice. He sniffs EVERYTHING! Complains about smells all of the time. Chews his thumb raw. Turns wierd when in a crowd. Can't take him to get a hair cut because he FREAKS OUT! Won't eat anything other than breads, plain noodles or any tasteless food.

Now- I am going to give my opinion on SI Researchers, doctors and therapists insist that meds. can't/don't help symptoms of SI. I don't agree. From where I stand I see a connection between SI and Anxiety. I am not sure which one causes the other however. It probably dosen't matter. I will also qualify this with some of his symptoms are always present. When my son is nervous he shows signs of SI. Biting thumb, yelling, or just weird behavior. When he is showing signs of SI anxiety comes with it. I don't know if this makes sense. It is kind of hard for me to explain. They say, whoever they are, that ADHD is sometimes dx incorrectly when it is really SI. The same goes for Anxiety Disorder, NOS. My son has been dx with all three. Anyway here is my point. My son was on strattera and I'll be darned if within a month his SI issues decrease dramaticlly. It was amazing! There were still symptoms but not nearly as many. FYI his stims. have done nothing for it. We have since taken him off Straterra and guess what. They are baaaack! In full force. We are talking about trying Prozac. We will see. I really want to try some of the alternatives Ohmama has been suggesting. My son's doctor doesn't support St. John's Wart for use on a child but will support Omega III. I hate these decisions! We will see- I am still waiting for my "Ohmama Books" to arrive and read before I make any decisions ;D