[Tam]

Hi all:
I have a question/concern with my three yr old son.

He seems to be EXTREMELY sensitive to things, especially NOISE. He will cover his ears at the hint of a loud noise. This morning he was freaked out over the sound of a shopping cart being pulled out of the row. You should have seen what happened when I accidentally set the smoke alarm off (yeah, I'm a bad cook). He started SCREAMING at the top of his lungs jumping around, and was hysterical for 10 minutes after I shut it off!

He's also extremely sensitive to bright light. He closes his eyes when the sun shines in the car and says "I no like sun".

I'm not sure if this is something to be worried about. Should I have him checked by the doctor? Has anyone experienced something similar?

Any info is appreciated.

Tam

[Stormy]

Tam,
I am no expert, other than being a mom to two (one with special needs) and having been a foster mom to several children with various special needs. I think you should go to a Dr. and maybe even a psychiatrist to discuss your sons sensitivity to noise. If anything it can help you learn how to help him when he is overwhelmed with noises. And there may well be an issue that he may need help with. But I can tell you from experience, what ever the issue, what ever the treatment, you will do best by finding out ASAP. The more you work with him to overcome his issues the better he will do in the long run. With my older son (the one without the special needs) we were concerned when he was 2 because he wasn't talking. We met with some specialists and had him evaluated. He was a little behind. They gave me a few tips and he was a jabber mouth in months. Good luck and let us know how things go.

A

[Tam]

Stormy
Thanks for your comments. I think I will have my little monkey evaluated by the doc. He also had a tremendous speech delay when he arrived. He could only say maybe 10 words (he turned 3 in August). In the short time he's been here, he's made amazing strides in his speech. I was so excited today because he said "I want apple" and it actually sounded like APPLE instead of aoll!

I guess I'm just hoping that the sensitivity will improve too with a loving environment.

i really appreciate this board so much. I could get addicted to posting!

Take care
Tam

[louise]

Sensory Integration Disorder. You might look for a good Occupational Therapist to evaluate your son. also contact your local school district and check what services they have available for preschoolers. HTH.

[Kopitskid]

Tam:
What you are describing about your son sounds to me like Sensory Integration Disorder (DSI). DSI is where the senses are either over stimulated or under stimulated.
I have problems with DSI as does my 17 yr old brother. It can be managable if treatment is found early in the child's years. Here is a link to a website on DSI that you might find helpful:

http://www.sensoryint.com

I hope it helps you and your family find the help you need for your son.

Meredith

m_rose78@yahoo.com

[Tam]

Thanks Meredith
I'm going to check out that website right away. I'll also talk to my doc about it and see if she can refer me to someone to look into this.

Tam

[dimasmom]

I agree with other posters - definately look into a sensory integration disorder. I would strongly encourage you to have an assessment with an OT certified in sensory integration. Going to a regular OT is like getting brain surgery from a general surgeon. This is a speciality field that most OT's are not trained in. An untrained school OT actually felt my son did not even need services, he tests at the 2nd percentile for most measures of sensory integration.

Another avenue to pursue is a central auditory processing disorder. In addition to sensory integration disorder my son also has CAPD. This is where his sensitivity to noise comes in. My son has great difficulty processing speech if noise is present. He becomes very hyperactive from noisy envirnments. CAPD can be assessed by a speech and language pathologist or an audiologist. Again be aware -they must have the proper training. The school speech therapist, and a local hospital based therapist again have not had the proper training and missed most of the indicators. LIke SI, they are doing the wrong evalutions and misinterpreting the results that they get.

I cannot stress enough the importance of going to a properly trained specialist. These are brain based disabilities. The younger the brain, the easier to remediate these problems. I wasted 2 years of my sons life on the word of untrained therapists.

Good luck, DimasMom