Hi, reading through this forum is really so helpful. I am mother of a 4 and a half year old boy diagnosed with autistic spectrum condition (6 mts ago). He is very high functioning, intelligent, started mainstream school in England in September, though he needs a one to one assistant at all times. Soren has lots of sensory processing problems which I am hoping an OT will be able to help with (appointment pending). I was wondering what comments you may be able to add.

Soren jumps up and down incessantly. He did not do this when he was younger, I have looked through lots of video footage and he walked very calmly/normally up until the age of around 4. The only physical quirk he displayed was opening and closing his fists when he was excited. This has now developed into something much more intense - jumping up and down pretty much all the time, and when he walks down the road he is also jumping. When he jumps he is also regularly flapping his arms (I know all of this behaviour is typical of autistic kids). What I would like to know more is why did he not display these more intense behaviours before the age of 4? It has just puzzled me recently whilst looking through old footage of him. He appeared so normal with very little sensory issues.

Soren is overloaded by visual stimuli. He finds it hard to focus at school because of everything in his environment. He can see things that a 'normal' person would not even notice. This I believe makes him now continuously jump up and down and hum a monotone humming noise, because he is so overloaded. Sometimes he is doing this because he is anxious (noisy room at school), but he also does this when he is happy (walking to park etc).

He is very affected by noise. He can get upset by loud noises (such as lots of children singing), however this does not seem to have a pattern and sometimes it doesn't bother him. Soren definitely finds peace and tranquility when wearing headphones (listening to audio cds, dvds, playing computer games). Soren when upset by noise can shout out really loud, as if trying to make a louder noise than the one he can hear.

Soren couldn't ride a tricycle or scooter, whereas his peers seemed to pick this skill up from an early age. It wasn't until I learned of his autism that I realised why this was, because his gross motor skills were compromised. Soren doesn't want to climb monkey frames in the park and is very tentative when climbing, but he loves the roundabout, swing and slide. We are attempting to teach him how to ride a bike (only just started, using a bike designed with no pedals) and he is very cautious with it. Does anyone have any ideas about bike riding if you have vestibular and proprioceptive dysfunction?

Soren was always a very aggressive child, very difficult playing with other children, hurting them and so forth. I have made huge leaps with him since learning of his diagnosis 6 months ago, and putting him on GFCF diet, cutting out as many processed foods, additives and so forth as possible. He is on daily probiotics, digestive enzymes and vitamin and mineral supplements, including fish oil. The change in him as been significant. Soren has always had loose bowels up until this new regime. He wants to play with other children, so is not a true 'autistic' in that they don't want to be with other children. Soren does, but he just does not know how (though he can play with a small group of children, no more than 2 or 3). He gets very overloaded by his environment at school so he cannot play in the main school playground with all the other children, as he starts becoming aggressive. Having a one-to-one is a necessity for him in a classroom environment to help him focus. The paediatricians have said they do not believe him to have ADHD as well as autism (which I know is common).

I know this is not an autism forum, and so I don't want to go too much into it, but his sensory processing issues are so interlinked with his autistic traits. I have recently read that an OT will be able to help a small child under the age of 7 dramatically because their nervous system is still so malleable. Will Soren be able to stop jumping up and down and flapping his arms at all times? I know he will still have a need to do this, and its important that he can be allowed to do this, but I just worry so much that he will be picked on....

I know that we need a trampoline for him in the house. At the moment I take the sofa cushions off so he can jump on the sofa springs or cushions, but it does not seem to provide enough 'oompf' for him. I take Soren to a cranial osteopath which has helped massively for his emotional behaviour (made him much more easy to negotiate with, he is far less defiant), but not for his physical sensory behaviours. Has anyone had any benefit from using a weighted belt, or one of those really tight vests which help to provide sensory input? I am sure I will learn more about what to do once our OT appointment is made, but this is on the NHS so prob bit of waiting list. Finally he goes through episodes where he tenses up all his muscles whilst holding out his arms, as if creating controlled spasms, which he seems to enjoy doing. He tends to do this a lot whilst sitting at the table having dinner, and he smiles whilst he does it, so its not an unpleasant thing for him.

This is such a huge post, thank you for your patience reading this and if you have any comments at all, I look forward to hearing what you have to say. Thank you x