She is carefree as the wind, singing and dancing one minute then ripping her clothes off kicking and screaming the next! Yes I know typical female!!! but what makes sensory issues a LITTLE different is the uncontrollable and unpredictable outburst that at times are very dangerous and scary.
There are times when I can anticipate a full meltdown is coming and I immediately move into a plan of action, that over time we have tired to perfect. It seems to work well getting everyone and everything out of her way before the tornado of over stimulated eruption happens.
I try to plan the space, activity and time well enough to spare the dramatic scene but there are those times when I can not predict or explain the reasoning. I remember the time when I tried to do too many errands after school. She runs out of Target, into a full parking lot, screaming and flailing arms, it took about 30 min of sitting in my locked car to get her calmed down enough to get her seat belt on and her safe enough to drive. OR....
The time we tried to go to a party with those super fun bounce houses and the noise those air filled play bubbles make is wayyyyy too much for sensitive ears and processing systems. She held tight hands over her ears with eyes bulging out and a painful look across her face followed by the meltdown that caused other parents to look at me with THOSE judging glares. I threw her over my shoulder and ran through the parking lot as she proceeded to kick me in the thighs while punching me at the same time into my mid back simultaneously on beat with the screaming.
The times when I don't know what precipitated a reaction I just have to adapt to her needs at that moments. Quiet space, alone to think and breath, changing clothes, taking off shoes, blankets, soft music or me saying "its ok Sky, it's ok bug, it's ok sweet love".
Today seemed like a normal productive day at school as she ran to me saying "Mommmmmy"
(one of my favorite moments). "What's the plan she says"- she always has to know the plan and if it is going to change she needs to know why.
I give a couple options, she chooses and off we go. She repeats several times that it's loud in the car even though no music is on and windows are up, so my son and I try to hold our breath maybe that will help!!!
I begin to hear her tone change and she sounds raspy and using very short aggressive phrases to speak to us. Normal plan of action in place but as we ALL know even the best managed plan does not always work. I start to talk about animals that seems to snap her out of it and ask her questions about lizards. She is now shouting the answers followed by saying repeatedly "I DONT CARE, I DOONT CARE" I I I DOOONT CARE", not sure what she doesn't care about but I do know whatever it is has pushed her past her limit of coping. Considering we are outside, I rush to get indoors before someone calls the cops. Several doors get slammed, my son gets kicked and I get a timer thrown at me and I think is this Deja vu. This place we are in now has cobwebs and it seems like a foreign place. I remember being here, like driving by the old house you lived in high school but you don't really want to stay long. What happen today, where was she, how did sunshine turn to rain in less than an hour?
The windows in her room are open and violent screaming is radiating across the driveway and I am fearful someone may worry about her well being. I want to go up the stairs but I can feel the anger still too explosive in me to attempt the interaction that could turn to a regret. The minutes turn into hours and she is fading in her fight and when I peek in her room she is curled in a ball with a mound of blankets piled on top and she looks frightened by the angry look on my face. A hand written note lays on the ground: "I am sorry I just can't help myself....."
Sensory sensitivity refers to a pattern of sensory processing that is characterized
by low sensory thresholds and a passive self regulation strategy (Dunn, 1997);
when people have a sensory sensitivity pattern of sensory processing, they
detect more input than others. The Sensory Profile measures cover the life
span, and use informant report to evaluate a person’s sensory sensitivity
tendencies. Children who have sensory sensitivity patterns are distracted,
hyperactive and can be complainers. They notice many more sensory events than
others do, and comment about them with regularity. We hypothesize that they
have low thresholds that enable them to have a high rate of noticing what is
going on around them. These children use passive strategies in that they allow
things to happen and comment rather than removing themselves (as a Sensation Avoid-er is likely to do). Dunn and colleagues have conducted national studies
of infants, children and adults with and without disabilities, and have found
that persons without disabilities of all ages seldom engage in sensory sensitivity
behaviors, and that people with disabilities such as autism, Asperger syndrome
and ADHD are significantly more likely to engage in a high amount of sensory
sensitivity patterns. When a person has sensory sensitivity patterns, interventions
are directed at providing more structured input, so that the person does not
become overwhelmed in everyday life.
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