Category Archives: Sensory Processing Disorder

Book Review: This is Gabriel Making Sense of School by Hartley Steiner

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I first heard of this book when I discovered Hartley Steiner’s site, Hartley’s Life with 3 Boys when I started to look for more information on Sensory Processing Disorder. I’ve been waiting until Angel was a little older to buy this book because I wanted to be sure that she’d understand it. This book was one of her birthday gifts and I’m so glad that I finally got it for her.

Angel was having a sensory seeking day, so we sat down together to read it. (Or I sat down and she sat on me, as close as she could get to me, trying to get me to squish her tighter). Earlier in the day, Big Kid had flipped through the book and saw the picture of Gabriel chewing on his sleeve. She said, “Hey, I do that!” I think it goes to show that everyone has some sensory issues.

What I liked about the book:

Angel liked it. She was really interested in Gabriel’s story and loved the pictures.

It was very easy to understand. It’s written from Gabriel’s point of view and he explains what each sense is and what it does. He gives examples of how he reacts to his senses and what can help him so that he can learn at school.

Gabriel even explains vestibular, proprioception, and interoception senses. These are senses I’d heard of, but didn’t really get before. It certainly makes a lot more sense to me now!

Angel didn’t come out and say “That’s me!”, but I could tell that she was really drawn in and the wheels were turning. Angel knows that sometimes she needs a squish to help her to feel better, but we haven’t said, “Hey Kid, you’ve got Sensory Processing Disorder” or anything like that. This book was a very gentle way to help her to understand how her body works. I really think this book would be great for kids who don’t have SPD too. A lot of kids have sensory issues and don’t really know it (heck, a lot of grown ups do too!).

This book is a great introduction to SPD and now I only wish I had bought it sooner! I am already planning on buying a copy for Angel’s teacher next year.

 

Canada Day with Sensory Issues

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Canada Day at U-house 2012

Canada Day is one of my favourite holidays. As a kid, it was the official start of summer vacation. We’d often be up in cottage country at my parents’ trailer on Canada Day and it was usually the start of their vacation too. We’d go into town to take part in the festivities: a huge birthday cake for everyone to have, Canada pins, dance demonstrations, a baseball game, and then the night would be capped off with fireworks. My cousins, my brother and I would be bundled up in sweaters because it was chilly near the lake. We’d lay back on a blanket and snack on chips while we watched the fireworks.

The display was made right over the water and the noise echoed off the cliff faces that surrounded the bay. I think there was music, but the memory is a little fuzzy now. Getting out of town afterward was always a pain. Only 1 stoplight at the time made the exodus seem never-ending.

I’ve always loved watching fireworks, but it isn’t something that I’ve done for many years. Angel doesn’t do well with loud noises, and while she likes the idea of fireworks, I don’t think she could handle the experience too well. We went to my cousin’s wedding last September and it was a sensory overload just from the music. Even before the dance started, Angel had trouble with the speeches and the “dinner” music that was played way too loud. I had to hold my hands over her ears to make it bearable, so we spent a lot of time outside of the hall. Needless to say, we left early. Pictures of the entire family feature Angel wrapped in my shawl because she was wearing her PJs and we were ready to head out the door when my aunt asked us to come back for pictures. It was not a good sensory experience for her. I’ve since found out about wearing noise cancelling headphones to help knock loud sounds down a bit. I will have to remember to have them on hand when we go somewhere that could be loud.

I thought about trying Angel with the fireworks tonight, but she’s been having a rough time with sensory seeking this weekend. I’m not sure if it is because school is finished, or she’s anxious about something else, but it’s been rough. She’s been climbing on me, fighting more with her sister, requesting squishes, and hitting her sister. I took her to the splash pad this afternoon to give her a chance to run around and get some of the sensory input she was craving. It seemed to help and she was a little calmer this evening.

I think the fireworks would have been too much for her tonight, but I feel bad that she’s missing out. I think that she’d like to see them, but all the noise on top of the bright lights would have been too much (especially those “screamers” that one of our neighbours is using!). Big Kid was invited to a friend’s to watch fireworks, so she went with Dad after Angel went to bed. Angel is sleeping away, totally unaware. Maybe next year…and maybe on television…

Canada Day Fireworks Finally [Woodbine Beach]

Spring Brings Meltdowns and Anxiety and the Return of the Killer Butterflies

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Butterfly Consevatory

Butterfly at the Conservatory we went to last summer

Spring is in the air.  The sun is shining, the grass is growing, flowers are blossoming and butterflies have made their appearance again.  You may remember that we had a couple of big meltdowns last summer (Unexpected Sensory Meltdown and Meltdown of Epic Proportions) when Angel had encounters with butterflies and a moth. I was kind of hoping that would be it. Silly me, of course it wasn’t.

Big Kid and Angel were playing in the backyard this afternoon. I was sitting out on the deck enjoying the sunshine. Angel decided she wanted to come back to the deck, but she saw a butterfly in her path. She wanted me to come and scare it away so that she could get to the deck without going near it. I reminded her that butterflies won’t hurt her and that it would fly away. Big Kid tried to coax Angel to come to her and I gently reminded her that her sister did not like butterflies so that she’d stop pressuring her and making her more anxious. Angel took a chance when the butterfly moved and made a beeline for the deck. She stopped and ran the other way when she thought the butterfly was coming for her, but then it turned off and she came running to me for squishes.

I asked her why she was afraid of butterflies and she said that the butterfly was going to bite her. We had a little chat about what butterflies eat. I reminded her that they only like nectar and since she’s a little girl, and not a flower, she was safe. That seemed to help her to calm down a bit and all was well for a little while. Until her sister supposedly told her that butterflies are poisonous (which Big Kid of course denies). Why is it that kids will believe stupid things other kids tell them, but they won’t believe when their parents tell the truth? If I find out that Big Kid did in fact share this information with her sister, there will be a lecture of a lifetime coming to her.

After dinner, the girls went back outside and that’s when it really happened. She was already slightly amped up about the butterfly and then Angel got hurt. She got a splinter in her hand and I knew it was partially anxiety coming out when she started freaking out about blood. She had a tiny scrape that wasn’t bleeding, and she was screaming. Here’s the thing about Angel. This kid has a high pain threshold. She will fall down, and get back up saying “I’m OK” before you realize what happened. This splinter was another matter all together. She freaked out when I tried to look at it. She wouldn’t let me touch her hand, insisting that I was hurting it. I sent her to Daddy because sometimes he can get through to her, but she wouldn’t let him look either. I ended up cradling her on my lap with both of my hands meeting on her back so that she could see that I was not trying to touch her ouchie. Big Kid brought one of her favourite stuffies for Angel to cuddle while she calmed down.

We let her be for a bit, but the splinter had to come out. Daddy had to hold her hand and get the splinter out while Angel was yelling at him to let go and stop it. Her voice was louder and deeper, one of her tells for anxiety. She was pulling on Daddy’s arm with her free hand, so I had to hold her arm back so Daddy could take care of it. Then she insisted on a bandage. Daddy took her up to wash her hand and that freaked her out even more. Once she had the bandage on, she was back to being my sweet little girl. I joke that Big Kid is a drama queen, but tonight, Angel took the crown. It really boggles my mind that she can be so rough and tough most of the time, but a little splinter makes her come undone.

I’m not hoping that there are not many butterflies around this summer because I think it will be her undoing. By the way, did I mention that Angel’s school’s mascot is a Monarch Butterfly? I really hope they don’t decide to hatch butterflies in the classroom this year. I’ll have to mention this to her teacher to prepare her. Angel’s previous teacher new about her issues with butterflies, but she was a temporary teacher while Angel’s teacher was on maternity leave. This really wasn’t something I thought I’d ever have to mention to a teacher.