Asperger Syndrome and Sensory Overload

When my son had reached the age of 3 he was nearly impossible to handle. He would never go outside, refused to play with toys or go with me into the playground to play with the equipment there. He was scared when he was lifted off the ground and was terrified of swings and other equipment that would move. He was the only kid on the block who would never go on a kiddy-ride. He was unable to take a shower because he could not stand the water in his face, let alone go to the pool and swim! He was unable to get his hands dirty so playing with water and sand was impossible. He refused to put on new clothes due to the tags inside and was not able to eat solid food until the age of 3 and a half. I thought all three year old were this difficult to handle!

Apart from him being inside the house all day I was inside the house all day too. I was not allowed to sing, hum or whistle let along turn on a radio. He could not stand bright light or loud noises so he walked around all day with his ears covered with his hands. Even a simple thing as flushing the toilet was impossible due to the loud sound the water produces. I was unable to go out with him or visit friends with other kids. They were too loud. He would faint when the crowd on a birthday party would burst out in singing Happy Birthday.

For him this noise came out of the blue. A visit to the supermarket was a disaster due to all the loud noises and background music. On top of that he fainted about 6 times a day due to sensory overload. His nails and lips would go blue and he stopped breathing in, just out until his body went into complete shut down. He started this when he was a 3 month old baby. We are not talking about kids with breath holding spell who will faint whenever they don't get their way or want more candy. This was different and it was obvious to us it was related to sensory issues.

For us help started in the form of an ORT who visited us at home. She had specialized in Sensory Integration Therapy and explained me all about it. Since we felt we had noting to loose we started right away. It turned out the best thing that had happened to all of us! Even though the therapy is relatively easy to do and so much fun to participate in with your child, the results I have seen in my son were amazing. His therapy involved brushing, joint compression and sensory stimulation which have led to him calming down, being able to relax, eat solid foods and communicate with us in a much better way. He had so much fun doing it and it was never boring. After an initial 4 months of therapy at home he was able to go over to the practice of the ORT. She had a huge swing set up for him, tunnels to crawl in, lost of soft materials to play with, music and all other fun stuff to keep my active toddler entertained. The results were amazing:

He started using different kinds of words and more words then ever before, we could go out, visit other families and go to the playground. The first time he asked if he could go on a kiddy ride I cried. He took swimming classes and now goes to the pool once a week. But the best reward of all is: he has not fainted anymore from the day the therapy started. I strongly believe all kids with oversensitive senses can benefit from this therapy, specially those with autism.

Author is the mother of two children with Asperger Syndrome and has a degree in Social Sience. She has worked as a pedagogue educator for the past years to educate teachers, social workers and other parents on what children with Asperger Syndrome need in school or at home. For more information on Asperger Syndrome go to http://www.Asperger-Advice.com

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Asperger Syndrome

Asperger syndrome is a neurophysiologic disorder that was accepted in the psychiatric community in 1994. It was identified by Hans Asperger, an Austrian doctor, back in 1944. Asperger syndrome and autism are examples of pervasive developmental disorders, commonly referred to as PDD, or PDD or Autistic Spectrum Disorders.

The DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association) identifies PDD as "characterized by severe deficits and pervasive impairment in multiple areas of development, including impairment in reciprocal social interaction, impairment in communication, and the presence of stereotyped behavior, interests and activities."

Children diagnosed as Asperger's have marked social inadequacies, meaning they have difficulty understanding and reacting to others appropriately. They have difficulty picking up nonverbal social cues such as facial expression and body language. They often have trouble maintaining eye contact. Quite often they have difficulty judging personal space. Asperger's children may also have sensory integration issues, such as only wanting to eat certain foods or wear certain fabrics. They also have difficulty with change or transition. Aspergers children tend to have their own set of rules, which may not be our rules.

Children with Asperger's generally have average and above IQ scores. They want to be socially accepted, however, because they are socially naïve and take things literally, they frequently get teased or bullied in school. It is difficult for them to make or maintain friendships. Their speech is sometimes characterized by repetition or abnormal inflections. Physical awkwardness is also common in Asperger's syndrome.

There is no specific medication to treat Asperger's, however, medication may be used to treat accompanying symptoms, such as anxiety, attention deficit, and obsessive- compulsiveness.

Carol Bottstein

Carol Bottstein is a school psychologist with 25 years of experience in special education.Visit Long Island Educational Corner at http://www.carolbottstein.blogspot.com for interesting and informative articles regarding parenting, mental health, education, self-improvement and other relevant topics.

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