Hello there,

I'm Lydia, and I was diagnosed with SPD a couple years ago. I just like to think of it as making me sensational.

Okay, so it really can be rough, but I have spent some time in OT, and now my biggest problem is remembering to actually incorporate my sensory tools and diet. Sometimes it is almost easier to be miserable, if that makes sense.

But I'm hoping that this forum will help keep me on the track to wellness, and I also recently created a blog to help me keep on track with that, too.

Merry Christmas!

Hi Lydia, I had a look at your blog re coping tools. My son is 4 with autistic spectrum condition and he is very 'sensational'. He jumps up and down all the time repetitively, I am getting a mini trampoline for him and I notice you said you use yours all the time. Have you had this need to bounce since you were very young? He also chews on his fingers all the time, what pleasure does this bring to him? I wish I knew. I ordered some chewlery for him from USA, I'm hoping he may chew that instead of his fingers and nails but I'm not sure it will work. Interesting to read your blog, thanks! (I just joined here this week too).

Oh, I can answer that chewing question easily

The two quickest ways to calm the nervous system are oral stimulation (chewing everything) and genital stimulation (masturbating). Both of those behaviors are extremely common with SPD.

Chewing things, especially his hands, could be one of two different reasons, or possibly even both.

Quote:Mouthing, especially of the hands tends to occur for one of several reasons. First, they may be very sensory overloaded and trying to organize themself. If you see this behavior incrase when it is noisy or busy that may be the case. Second, they may have very poor oral and/ or hand awareness, what's called decreased tactile discrimination skills. In that case they may be seeking input to try to stimulate themselves. It's kind of like being wrapped in a winter coat and gloves or having novocaine in your mouth, it's hard to feel things. Since the mouth, hands and genitals have the most sensory receptors, those are the most sensitive areas of the body and tend to be the most frequently sought out to provide increased input.

I found that somewhere when I was googling it for myself one day, lost the source x3

(12-19-2010, 05:59 PM)Pearso22 Wrote: Hi Lydia, I had a look at your blog re coping tools. My son is 4 with autistic spectrum condition and he is very 'sensational'. He jumps up and down all the time repetitively, I am getting a mini trampoline for him and I notice you said you use yours all the time. Have you had this need to bounce since you were very young? He also chews on his fingers all the time, what pleasure does this bring to him? I wish I knew. I ordered some chewlery for him from USA, I'm hoping he may chew that instead of his fingers and nails but I'm not sure it will work. Interesting to read your blog, thanks! (I just joined here this week too).

Well, I didn't really start doing a lot of bouncing until a couple years ago. When I was really little, I was more active in other ways -- like swimming/playing in water, running around, riding a bike, and so forth. These activities probably gave me enough input to feel good without actually bouncing.

But as I got older, I wasn't as interested in those things. I got more interested in things that weren't especially active, like reading and doing litttle crafts, and that's when my trouble with SPD really came up. My OT has also said that our needs for input can change; for example, when I was little I craved spinning in circles, but now doing that just makes me sick.

I also have felt the need to chew on my fingers when I do NOT incorporate things like bouncing or using my weighted blanket. For me, it's because I need deep pressure, and chewing my fingers is a way (although unhealthy) to get that pressure. My OT has suggested chewing gum instead, or even chewing on plastic tubing like fridge tubing (?) or the tubing from breathing nebulizers. I hope the chewlery works for your son! Does he feel good from other types of deep pressure too, like bear hugs or using a weighted blanket?