Well first of all...I forgot my camera when we went to Joe and Gina's tonight. SO....this, and my "calling out" has forced her to update her blog. I told her I would steal a few of her pics (the ones above) and then link her blog to this post so you could go over there and check out the pictures.
http://www.gina-ourjourney.blogspot.com/The kids were so funny tonight. It is just so cute to watch the two of them together. Mikayla really tries to run the show but Christian was really standing up to her tonight and putting her in her place! You go Christian! We had a super nice time tonight and the kids had so much fun:-)
Well I said I would let you know all that happened. It all has to do with Mikayla. On Monday, our EI team came out for the first time to evaluate Mikayla. They wanted to watch her eat, play, and communicate. It was a little nerve-wracking, I have to be honest, and we got some news I wasn't really expecting, but that explains a whole lot of things. Along with prevalent speech delays, Mikayla has now been unofficially (for now) diagnosed with Sensory Integration Disorder. I have been researching this to no end since Monday and wow have I ever learned a lot. I wish I would have put it all together sooner rather than just thinking Mikayla was a little different for whatever reason. But, now is better then never, and with her finally getting into the program at our Early Intervention School here in Canton, she will get the help she needs.
What is Sensory Integration Disorder or SID? It's a lot of things. It basically has to do with a child having an issue with stimuli and either needing a lot of stimulation or having problems processing other stimuli. It is a very complex disorder with a lot of different facets. Mikayla has a GREAT deal of the symptoms in each and every category of this disorder. You need to understand first of all that my JOB will be to teach children like Mikayla, and I take these things very seriously where other parents and people may blow them off thinking that EI is just quick to "label" her. At first, I was unsure, but after researching this disorder, she has this. There is no question in my mind at all. Now we are just at the "what do we do about it" stage.
Here is a basic checklist that describes what I am talking about. I will make the category she fits under PINK and then explain what she does that makes her fit under that category.
A Summary Of Sensory Integration Dysfunction Symptoms:
SIGNS OF TACTILE DYSFUNCTION:
Hypersensitive:
Refuses or resists messy play, resists cuddling and light touch, dislikes kisses, rough clothes or seams in socks, resists baths, showers, or going to the beach.
Hyposensitive:
Doesn't realize hands or face are dirty, touches everything and anything constantly, may be self-abusive, plays rough with peers, doesn't seem to feel pain (may even enjoy it!)
This is Mikayla. She could care less about anything on her being dirty and gets very, very upset when we have to clean her off (not in a typical toddler way). She touches everything she can get her hands on and absolutely plays rough (poor Christian sometimes). She has an incredibly high threshold for pain. She will fall and get right back up, even if it has caused a HUGE bruise. She has no sensitivity to temperature either, hot or cold. She seeks constant stimuli and never, ever sits still. This hyperactiveness is caused by her constant search of stimuli, whether a toy, the TV, a pillow, whatever. She has to be touching and feeling things constantly. Another symptom of this (which is not on this specific list) is extreme fascination with water and things like ceiling fans. I won't go into details about it. But it is highly fascinating for her. She craves the touch and feel of water, and this has to do with foods too...we will get to that later.
SIGNS OF VESTIBULAR DYSFUNCTION:
Hypersensitive:
Avoids playground and moving equipment, fearful of heights, dislikes being tipped upside down, often afraid of falling, walking on uneven surfaces, and avoids rapid, sudden or rotating movements.
Hyposensitive:
Craves any possible movement experience, especially fast or spinning, never seems to sit still, is a thrill seeker, shakes leg while sitting, loves being tossed in the air, never seems to get dizzy, full of excessive energy.
I don't have anything to add here. This is Mikayla. Period. Every single thing listed. Those of you that have been around her for a long period of time know that she doesn't sit down. EVER.
SIGNS OF PROPRIOCEPTIVE DYSFUNCTION:
Under-responsive:
Constantly jumping, crashing, and stomping, loves to be squished and bear hugs, prefers tight clothing, loves rough-housing, and may be aggressive with other children.
Why is THIS Mikayla? Oh my...well...it just is. I just asked Kris is he thought Mikayla's energy was inexhaustible and he agreed....this child will and can go on and on forever. And she does and needs all of the above things.
Over-responsive:
Difficulty understanding where body is in relation to other objects, appears clumsy, bumps into things often, moves in a stiff and/or uncoordinated way. Difficulty Regulating Input: Doesn't know how hard to push on an object, misjudges the weight of an object, breaks objects often and rips paper when erasing pencil marks.
SIGNS OF AUDITORY DYSFUNCTION:
Hypersensitive:
Covers ears and startled by loud sounds, distracted by sounds not noticed by others, fearful of toilets flushing, hairdryers and/or vacuums, resists going to loud public places (even cafeteria at school).
Mikalya has never been able to handle loud sounds. They don't even have to be that loud to startle her and cause her to immediately cover her ears. More recently she has started shaking, tensing up, flailing her arms, and clenching her teeth at loud noises. Public places also bother her as do large groups of people at times.
Hyposensitive:
May not respond to verbal cues, loves loud music and making noise, may appear confused about where a sound is coming from, may say "what?" frequently.
SIGNS OF ORAL DYSFUNCTION:
Hypersensitive:
Picky eater with extreme food preferences and limited repertoire, may gag on textured food, difficulty with sucking, chewing, and swallowing, extremely fearful of the dentist, dislikes toothpaste and brushing teeth.
Hyposensitive:
May lick, taste or chew on inedible objects, loves intensely flavored foods, may drool excessively, frequently chews on pens, pencils, or shirt.
Ummm...phone book anyone? I read this and just laughed. I had to! My child needs to chew and eat everything. I used to swear she had Pica. She is very into her food and rather then her teeth being the problem like I thought....it's the STIMULATION she GETS from mutilating the food into ten thousand pieces.
SIGNS OF VISUAL DYSFUNCTION:
Hypersensitive:
Irritated by sunlight or bright lights, easily distracted by visual stimuli, avoids eye contact, may become overaroused in brightly colored rooms.
She doesn't like bright lights but is fascinated with them nonetheless. She has a hard time when it's real sunny out and we are driving in the car. She really gets upset over this and will arch her back and scream in her carseat. She also prefers the blinds to be closed when she is playing in the living room. I never knew why. She also loves to stare at the TV...it puts her in a trance.
Hyposensitive:
Difficulty controlling eye movements and tracking objects, mixes up similar letters, focuses on little details in a picture and misses the whole, loses his place frequently when reading or copying from the blackboard.
OK. I know a lot of people, like I said before, are skeptical. Not me. This all describes my child perfectly. So what do we do now that we know? Well...we have to get some more things to help stimulate her the way she needs. She needs constant input and we will be purchasing things like a ball pit shortly. Right now we need to get IN to her school and talk with the OT more in depth about what we can do to help her with this. It's been a lot to digest, but now that we know why she has her "oddities" we can help her out!
So where did she get this? Well...We don't know. There is a strong connection with children that were UNDER-stimulated as infants, such as those in orphanges, developing this. Which we have no doubt that Mikayla was not stimulated quite enough at her orphange. NOT because they didn't love or care...because they took WONDERFUL care of her, but rather because there are a lot of babies and not a lot of things for them to do. This disorder is one that origintes in a child's Central Nervous System.
Thanks if you even READ this entire post. I know it's a lot of information. And I am still learning about it all myself. But I am a very proactive mom and trust me, I will get Mikayla all the help she needs!
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