[Barksum]

I laughed out loud when I read what Cherrymom said about friends saying it is just a phase and the kids will get over it. We were actually told that we 'just didn't know what a 4 year old little boy was like'. Um, yeah. We're such air heads that we adopted a child not knowing what 'kids were like'. We actually did have experience with kids in a variety of settings, as well as having a bio child who is several years older than our oldest adopted child. Anyway, trying to explain to people about SI was a real treat at times. (NOT!) Additionally we believe that our son with dysfunction of sensory integration also likely has FASD, so it's been a hoot listening to people sincerely tell us that if we were 'just better disciplinarians', or 'knew what kids were really like', or 'weren't looking for labels and just loved our kids', that our kids would be 'just fine.'

Actually, we're doing pretty well. The kids still have their ups and downs, and some days are more insane than others, but overall they've made phenominal progress and are continuing to do well. But for awhile there I was so very, very tired of well intentioned comments.

[mrsred]

Yeah, it is frustrating enough when family members say things like "He just needs to learn to sit still" or,l "He likes to dish it out (tickling) but he needs to learn how to take it better" (he loves to be tickled, but it has to be a certain way).... but when I had a psychiatrist sit there and tell me I just needed to give him more time to adjust about blew. Instead I just fired him.

[Barksum]

LOL Good for you, Mrsred. BTDT!

[joskimo]

oh we get lots of advise too. OUr daughter is 2 and 4 months and still on the binky - which of course meets with dispproval from every one. I'd like to ask if they'd rather just be bit by her since she needs oral input throughout the day.

[angelkisses0102]

Originally Posted by joskimo

oh we get lots of advise too. OUr daughter is 2 and 4 months and still on the binky - which of course meets with dispproval from every one. I'd like to ask if they'd rather just be bit by her since she needs oral input throughout the day.

LOL! My son will be 4 in two weeks and still has his binky...talk about odd looks. We do try to limit it but he if he gets dysregulated and doesn't have it...he gnaws on the neck of his shirt.

BTW, Hi! I am the mom of a SID kid as well....here is the long version intro. He was adopted from Russia at 8 months old and had some pretty severe attachment issues. Once he started healing from that we realized there was still something going on. Last fall we finally got a referral to an OT...still waiting for that...isn't that just special. However, I researched the heck out of this and found out that our school district has a great program for 3-5 year olds. Called them in April, got our initial eval. in May and he will get his full eval, IEP and his OT sessions starting in August. He may even get to go to the 'exceptional kids' preschool program thru the district for free. woohoo!!!

Here are some of his 'quirks'...he is both a seeker and defensive...nothing but the best of both worlds for him. LOL! This is from the list I gave to school district evaluators...he was in before they even saw him.

Tactile Defensiveness- as an infant diaper changes were a nightmare, he hates circle time at school/needs his personal space much larger than typical, hates having his hair brushed, socks are an issue, shoes must be loose, his pajamas must be loose, his food choices are very limited and must be served at the perfect temperature or he will refuse to eat it…even once it has been corrected. And forget about tags…he HATES tags, on anything.
Hyposensitivity to touch – Mouths objects…still has a pacifier which he gnaws on, chews on his shirt constantly, and loves to touch soft things.
Hyposensitivity to Movement – in constant motion at times, loves to run, loves to be thrown in the air, he is a jumper and a climber with no fears, loves to swing, and loves to ride his tricycle into things.
Proprioceptive Sensory Seeking – seeks out jumping, bumping, and crashing activities, kicks his feet when sitting, loves to bang his toys, loves roughhousing, jumps on his mini trampoline and just about anything else, frequently hits, bumps, pushes, hugs too tightly other children, chews as noted above.

Auditory Defensiveness – Distressed/distracted by day to day sounds, hates public toilets, hates thunderstorms, tells people they are too loud, cries, runs away and covers his ears with loud unexpected sounds, and hates loud entertainment like the shows at Disney.
Social, Emotional, Play and Self-Regulation Dysfunction – prefers to play alone or in a small group, hates ANY change in routine, gets easily frustrated and still tantrums, loves repetitive play, he was an extremely fussy baby (may have been attachment related as well,) has a hard time self soothing, did not sleep through the night until age 30 months.

We have him on a pretty good sensory diet we figured out ourselves. He sees a chiropractor for craniosacral therapy which has really helped. Plus we just started him on Omega 3 supplements and have seen a huge, HUGE improvement...and he has not even been on them one month.

Anyway, glad to have found this thread.

[Barksum]

Angelkisses, I got tired just reading your list! Our oldest has overcome much of what used to be HUGE issues, and I think that's why I got tired reading your description...flashbacks to what each day used to be like! LOL

I am so glad you posted about the Omega 3's. Our two oldest Ds's show a marked improvement when we have them on Omegas, too.

Additionally, after researching fetal alcohol and diet issues, we have limited dairy (casein) for the oldest and see some improvement in his ability to self-regulate and concentration. Don't know about gluten...we weren't able to eliminate it for long enough to tell. I'm going to have to get that lined up again. It was too-too much at the time we were doing it. It takes alot of mental energy for me to figure out a casein-gluten free diet.

[angelkisses0102]

Barksum...
LOL! Ya he is a bit tiring...and that is just a partial list...but as you know, you just get used to it. We too looked at the GF/CF diet and have implemented a few things...but with the oral issues...I am just not ready for that battle. At his 4 year check up next month I am going to push very hard to get the pedi to do the intolorence/allergy testing...so insurance covers it. We did take him off cow's milk and switched to rice milk...and saw some positives. But it will be a huge battle and since he is a skinny guy (30 pounds) he can't afford to lose any weight.

Oh if you have a Whole Foods near you...they are supposed to have someone who will walk you through the store and show you exactly what is OK for the GF/CF diet. Wal-Mart also carries a few GF/CF foods. If you are interested, I have a great listing of acceptable foods...

[joskimo]

I"m surious aobut the Omega 3 - I've never seen a dose for young children, what do you give?

I'm also interested in the dairy issues you guys are sighting. Hannah takes in probably 20 ounces a day still.

Her symptoms are pretty similar to those AngelKisses sited for her son - except the tactile defensiveness, the only clothing issues we've ever had are with footie-pajamas. And no feeding issues other then it's hard to get her to sit long enough. At home we use a disc-o-sit and at daycare we have tennis balls on two of the chair feet. But she just has a hard time sitting still.

As far as follwoing up with her Early Intervention, we're taking her to a pediatric psychologist in July and I'm in contact right now with a neurodevelopmental clinic evaluation.

[Barksum]

Joskimo, we went to a naturophathic dr to get directions for the right amounts of omega oils for the kids. There are some brands for kids, but most don't list the amount for toddlers. These have been wonderful for my kids who can't swallow pills. They can take them in oil form, and it tastes good!, or in chewable gel caps, which are also nicely flavored.

HOWEVER, just in the skim of research that I've done, the statements are that there has not been any amount yet known that is 'too much'. Since the initial studies done were with the Inuit people, whose whole diet was primarily the fats themselves, from whale and seal, and they did not have adverse effects from eating that amount. So the current thought is that you can't OVER supplement. Of course you should still not take my word for it but do your own research.

Angelkisses, I joined a GF/CF recipe exchange group on Yahoo! They've been helpful, and have TONS AND TONS of recipes. We've also been attempting...hrumph...to do the Feingold Diet. This was pretty tough. If we can get it together we'll probably attempt that one again. We currently have gotten rid of most of the preservatives and some of the artificial additives, but that's pretty difficult at times. Some days it's no big deal, but then I'll get behind and have to do a rush on dinner and ... well, there goes that day! LOL We are about 40% organic, and maybe 30% unrefined. (If you ask some of our friends, though, they'll tell you that we are totally unrefined.) I make my own sauces, we use whole flours not enriched, we try to make things from scratch as much as possible...but I still haven't gotten to the point where I make our bread or that kind of thing. Maybe when the babies are out of diapers?? LOL

[GCS]

[quote=joskimo]I"m surious aobut the Omega 3 - I've never seen a dose for young children, what do you give?


My DS is on Coromega which is a pudding type of substance so it is an alternative to capsules. It is for ages 4 and older. I started him on it at 5 and it has made a huge difference for him. I really think it has improved his memory too.

Christina

[mrsred]

where do you get the Coromega? does super Supplements carry it?

[GCS]

Originally Posted by mrsred

where do you get the Coromega? does super Supplements carry it?

I ordered it off the internet - in bulk - he takes one a day and has been on it for close to a year now. I think I got it at VitaCost because that was the cheapest at that time. If you google it you will find dozens of sites that sell it.