What senses does Asher seek??? He is mainly looking for touch. He has a love/hate relationship with texture. He can be found at any moment of the day, in any place, in front of anyone:
•spinning
•putting anything from rocks to metal in his mouth
•pinching his knees
•putting his face on anything warm, cold, wet
•looking into the sky and squinting
•looking under doors for the contrast of light and dark
•rubbing my skin under my shirt or putting his hands down the back of my pants for skin😕
Basically, his brain isn't processing stimuli the way it should. It gets overloaded and goes haywire. In Asher's case, he gets so busy with these behaviors, he can't focus on learning or anything else. There are neurotypical children that have sensory processing disorder (SPD). Many Autistic children do too. There is a debate on whether SPD should be listed as a characteristic of Autism or something separate. I'm too new to this game to have a real opinion yet. I just know Asher.
The thing that's driving me crazy these days is Asher's pants. He started pulling his pajama pants over his knees. He will walk holding them above his knees. Now, I roll them up for him or put shorts on him. Today, he started holding his shorts so the edges don't touch his knees. Bless his heart. My mom and I were talking about making him little booty shorts so he will be comfortable😜
This is a major issue being worked on in therapy. He has to be taught ways to regulate himself in order to be calm. Here are some things he does at therapy and home to help him regulate:
•falls/jumps on a "crash pad"
•swings
•receives tight squeezes
•gets "brushed"
•plays in sensory beads, slime, sand
There is so much to learn. There is something new every day. It's a good thing I freaking love this kid!
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