well, after leaving a bad marriage situation where one of my main problems was husband's rejection of our son and refusal to believe he has any problems I have been able to get my son started in an evaluation process. Yesterday I was told he has a severe sensory integration disorder, and he needs alot of intensive specialized therapies. He will also be evaluated for physical therapy needs and I am told he has probable disorders in this area as well. on one hand it is good in a way to hear that these problems are real, after my husband and my whole family in general continuosly told me that i was imagining things/worrying too much/ making him act weird because I was concerned, etc. on the other hand earlier interventions may have helped him more and it will be hard for him now...
essentially it's difficulty in integrating sensory information, in my son's case some of his symptoms include freaking out because of certain types of sounds, some of them low frequency sounds other people don't even notice. He has trouble with balance, he gets upset by lights and wants to wear sunglasses most of the time, he doesn't like being touched by people he doesn't know and he never likes being touched on his head. he's not able to dress himself or use the toilet (he's 4 1/2) Noises, busy places can overwhelm him and lead to him either really losing it and having a tantrum or just shutting down completely and standing there looking blank and not reacting. in my son's case it's probably a component of an autistic spectrum disorder called Asperger's syndrome, he has yet to get a diagnosis of Aspergers but that seems to be where all of these evaluations are leading. the therapies for Sensory Integration disorder (which they abbreviate as DIS to avoid confusion with sudden infant death syndrome) seem to involve combining pleasant sensations that calm the child (swinging or spinning are common ones, it depends on the individual) with sensations they have trouble with like certain sounds to help them develop tolerences... I think. I'm just starting to research the therapies. They recommended he goes to a center with a "sensory gym" to do therapy.
I have worked with children who have these types of "issues" at our therapeutic riding classes and I have seen the horses do some GREAT things for them that transferred to their everyday life....its worth a shot....if you are interested PM me and I can find a stable in your area that specializes in therapeutic riding.
First, look at your son's diagnoses as a gift. I know extremely intelligent people who have sensory disorders. There is a process of acceptance when a child is diagnosed with any type of disorder, so maybe his daddy and your family is going through the same thing. My nephew has PDD (pervasive developmental disorder) and it took years for his parents to come to terms with it. Just remember, every child is a gift, regardless of any modifications she/he needs. Enroll your son in early intervention since he has a diagnoses. Once he goes through early intervention, then he maybe able to be mainstreamed once he gets school aged. Good luck!
