[forever83085]

Hi everyone. I know this subject isn't new but I have some questions about Sensory Integration that I'm not able to find anywhere else and I was hoping that someone out there could help.

At what age is this most noticeable? Most of what I have read only talks about children in preschool or older. I had posted before about some concerns that I had with B and now he is doing some other things that make me think that he is having sensory issues/problems. We first noticed it when he was around 8 months old and then more things started about 2-3 weeks ago.

Do the symptoms get worse as the child gets older especially if the child hasn't been diagnosed? I have mentioned what we have noticed to our doctor and others that are involved with B and I am not getting any answers. I think it's mostly because people don't really now.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. We want to do whatever is going to be best for B and get him any help that he needs.

[afolc]

Sensory Disorders can appear as early as within a few hours or days of birth, but may not seem truely noticeable until closer to 3-6 months of age. My son didn't really show signs until he was around 3yrs old, but that is because of autism.

You should consider taking him to a neurodevelopmental specialist, behavioral health specialist, or a clinical psychologist with a specialty in sensory integration disorders.

Also if you do a search on the internet for sensory integration disorder treatment or centers in your area, they will be able to evaluate him as well (most of the time this will come out of your pocket for cost though).

The other option is to look for an Easter Seals location near you. They also help to either evaluate or give referrals for evaluations.

Hope this helps. I know how frustrating it can be to feel in your gut that something is going on with your child and nobody knows what it is or they just won't listen.

[westernmom]

I have experience with both the early and late diagnosis.

Our 4 yo as was not diagnosed until he was over 2 yo. (Which was right after we got him.) His sensory problems present as over-reactive - he is the "stereotypical" child with sensory integration dysfunction. "M" over-responds to noise, touch, food textures, & visual stimulation, and has a huge problem with self-regulation. Even after 2 years of OT, he's only made minimal progress. (He also has PTSD, so at times it's difficult to tell if it's a sensory issue or anxiety.)

His biological half brother "G" was diagnosed at 7.5 months old. I first suspected he had a sensory issue when he was 5 months old (we got him at 21 days old). He has made incredible progress in the year since his diagnosis.

We had both boys diagnosed at our Children's Hospital with a referral from their pediatrician. I can tell you that even at Children's, 7.5 months old was very young to get diagnosed. But having an older child with sensory issues (plus knowing that all of the boys' older biological siblings have sensory issues) made me very aware of his "quirks" early on. G's OT had no other children as young as him.

And absolutely the problem gets worse without treatment. In M's case, his nervous system "learned" how to over-respond to certain situations and that response became hardwired into his brain. It is much easier if you can teach a child's brain an alternate way of responding than having to do remediation. It's kind of like you're trying to keep the child from becoming stuck in their ways.

I would suggest you write down all the things that you see that make you suspect a sensory issue. Then take the list to the pediatrician. S/he should know where to go for an evaluation.