More On Sensory Integration

If you haven't read the first blog post about Sensory Integration click HERE

Yesterday I watched as Rachel had her second evaluation for Sensory Integration...It was NO SURPRISE, that the results were the same (even if her scores were higher) as they were 2 yrs ago.

I sat through the very familiar testing process...And saw my sweet little girl, struggle with things like watching flashing lights, guessing an object that was placed in her hands (eyes shut), matching rhythms (clapping, tapping feet)

Rachel became very frustrated during certain points of the test...Often refusing to continue.  

"My head hurts..."  "I'm too tired..."

But- Like 2 yrs ago....It was nice to see that someone else could see, the issues my daughter faces.

Sensory Integration won't go away....BUT....There are ways to help parents AND child manage.

Last year, I sunk my head into a book called "The Out of Sync Child" and I was shocked how almost every page, was like it was written about Rachel.

This check list was given to me by our Occupational Therapist

_____ Fear of new tasks and situations	______Overly aggressive/explosive
_____Overly passive	______Easily frustrated
_____Impulsive	______Emotionally labile
_____Can’t follow directions	______Unorganized
_____Can’t get work done on time	______Can’t work independently
_____Distractable/short attention span	______Can’t wait/take turns
_____Doesn't learn new activities easily	______Clumsy
_____Tires easily	______Difficulty hopping, jumping, skipping
_____Slouches, poor posture	______Always something moving(leg, hand, body)
_____Poor pencil grasp	______Poor handwriting
_____Breaks pencil or crayon	______Awkward with pencil/scissors
_____Can’t copy from board/book	______No consistent hand preference
_____Letter or number reversals	______Likes physical contact
_____Avoids being touched	______Dislikes getting hands dirty
_____Oral overflow (tongue out, drooling, hands in mouth)	______Can’t keep hands to self
_____Fearful of activities moving through space	______Poor balance
_____Excessive need for swinging, spinning, rocking	______Delayed speech and language
_____Difficulty screening out visual/auditory stimuli	______Difficulty with dressing skills
_____Difficulty discriminating shapes, colors, letters	______Makes repetitious vocal sounds
_____Responds negativity to loud or unexpected noise	______Positions hands awkwardly
_____Walks on toes	______Rejects textures of food, clothing
_____Smells objects	______Self-stimulation/self-injury

If your child shows signs of any of the above, it is recommended that you get a referral to an Occupational Therapist for further testing.