[marykath]

We finally started occupational therapy for sensory issues in our drug-exposed dd. The therapist recommended the brushing protocol. Seven days later - whoa - it's just like having a 1-year-old again. She is into everything, climbing on everything (she climbed up on and into the washing machine this a.m.)...huge, long-lasting tantrums...eating with her hands and not a spoon...t's just like the first six months after she came to our home. She is 4 and has been here two-plus years. And, while we felt she had some minor sensory difficulties, it has not been this bad for some time.

I called the OT, and she said that this is all normal, and things will get better.

Is it really normal? Will it get better? Why the regression?

We are seriously considering discontinuing the brushing. Given the extreme reaction, I am just not sure it is the right thing to do.

Meanwhile, I was reading that some people disagree on the brushing technique. Some say brush up and down, some say just brush one way.

Please, any advice or experiences would help. I am at at the end of my rope.

[angelkisses0102]

My DS had moderate to severe sensory issues...and his OT did show DH how to brush DS...but it was not something that really did anything in our case. I have heard that the reaction your child is getting is normal. Our kids brains and CNS need to be 'rewired' and through the sensory diet this happens...sometimes getting reactions such as your DD's. Seven days is not very long...I personally would follow the protocal a little longer....as long as the OT you are using is one familiar with sensory issues.

My DS has been going to the OT since May and we have seen steady improvement...he recently started feeding therapy for his sensory related eating issues and that is very s l o w going...it's been about two months. My DS is doing so much better...but we have actively been addressing his issues for the past 13 months. He has been in our school districts special needs program since last September (pre-K) and is now in the SN kindy program...the program is sensory intensive and language based.

Good luck...my guy is a sensory seeker so I feel your pain.

[jbee]

can i be nosy and ask what brushing is? why is it important/causing regression in her behavior?
sorry i am ignorant about the subject...

[marykath]

Occupational therapists sometimes recommend using a small surgical brush to brush your child's arms, legs, back, etc. to try to repair the central nervous system. The nervous system can be damaged due to prenatal drug exposure, neglect during infancy, any number of things, and sometimes there is no apparent cause. OT's say brushing, when done correctly, literally reprograms the brain. The purpose is to help children perceive touch/pain/even their position in a chair more accurately.

Our dd has a problem not perceiving stimuli, so she seeks more and more sensations.... She sometimes crashes into you w/ her head to get that smashing feeling, jumps from high places, spins round and round w/out getting dizzy, etc. This is not uncommon w/ drug-exposed kids.

I am sure there is someone out there who can describe the brushing protocol more accurately than I can.

But, someone, please tell me if your child has experienced these kinds of behavior w/ brushing?

[jphollen]

Negative Reaction regression type behavior to the oral pick the OT uses, for dd "oral defensiveness" she is SID/OCD so the situation is a little different, but YIKES...it did not go well!

[ajjhmf]

Yes, we've had regression after OT. It's often a lot for the kids to process so they regress. My advice would be to talk to your OT about this and get her input.

Our OT is very well versed in SPD and has given is lots of really helpful strategies at home. Since both my boys are sensory seakers, I just naturally do deep pressure, rocking and soft humming techniques that work to calm them when they get like this.

[qs mom]

My son is a sensory seeker. He has come a long, long way. He has improved more than I had hoped.

Q was almost 3 when I brought him home from an Eastern European orphanage. I had read that it was 'too late' to re-wire his brain at that age. That he would just need to learn coping techniques.

He's had Ot 3 times a week since he was 4. His OT was not sensory trained. She spent a ton of time on fine motor, getting him to learn spacing in his writing. While he was dancing around the table. Well. DUH?

I took it full on. I've had a mini-trampoline in my dining room for 4 years. I have HUGE stuffed animals that my son can crash into. I wrap him tightly in a blanket for bed time. I alternately squeeze his shoulders, very rhythmically.

My advice - read The Out of Sync Child. Read The Out of Sync Child has Fun. Research. Find out if your OT is sensory trained.

Brushing was not recommended for us. From what I have research, you are going in the right direction. The 're-wiring' is beginning. The regression is a sign of it.

Be sure that the OT you have is SI trained/certified. If you are not comfortable request a new one. I did. I waited to long. Don't make my mistake.