We haven't had Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) formally diagnosed because here it's not considered a separate disorder when kid has already been diagnosed with autism (as in our family). But it has been acknowledged as another aspect of the autism in our kids.
difficult child 1 - always HATED loud voices, would get really upset by anyone shouting. Very clingy as a young kid. But it wasn't an overall fear of loud things because thunder never bothered him. He also likes loud music!
easy child 2/difficult child 2 - not phobic as such, but obsessed with furry textures. She covered it well and would carry her teddy bear around (still sleeps with her teddy bear, as well as her boyfriend - really odd). She made clothes for herself which included a lot of fur fabric - a skirt, cuffs, collar - all out of fur fabric. She bought some cow-print fur fabric and made a special cover for her school folder. Of course, her folder was then too big to fit in her school bag, so she had to carry it everywhere, including to and from school. This meant she had to hug it to her chest. Since a number of other kids also carried their folders everywhere, it didn't seem odd. But hers was the only one covered in fur.
difficult child 3 - loves towelling. From infancy he had to have a towel with him. As a toddler until only a few years ago, he had to have a towel near him as a comforter. If stressed, tired or upset, he would ask for his towel. We still keep one in the car - if he wanted to sleep he would ask for a towel and use it as a pillow or blanket. I even made him a pillow case out of a towel. I made him some long, loose beach shorts to put on after a swim - he will change into his towel shorts after a swim so he has dry clothes on for the short drive (or walk) home. Then he will wear the towel shorts for the rest of the afternoon.
difficult child 3 also hates loud noises especially voices, but also doesn't mind thunder.
With all the kids, Sensory Integration Disorder (SID) also shows up in food preferences. Once again, it's worst in difficult child 3. easy child 2/difficult child 2 doesn't like food with nut pieces because of the texture. I can't make biscuits with nuts, cake with nuts - nothing. difficult child 3 doesn't like anything with a creamy texture. He won't eat cake frosting or cream topping and will only eat the cakey bits. All the kids have strict preferences for certain brands of foods - I'm a good cook but if I can't make my cooking taste exactly like Brand X pasta sauce or mayonnaise, they won't eat it. Mind you, they DO eat my pasta and bread for preference. difficult child 3 insists on a certain variety of a certain brand of frozen fish fillets (which is becoming scarce and he is getting anxious about it) but he will also eat home-prepared fish fillets.
Once again with all the kids - certain clothes never get worn because they feel scratchy. Sometimes it's just the label; other times it's the seam and the way it's sewn. When we're making clothes for difficult child 3 we make them with French seams where possible. Sometimes it's the fabric - easy child 2/difficult child 2 is especially fussy about the feel of clothing. With the boys - getting them to change their clothes is tricky. They like to wear the same clothes day in and day out, I have to remind them to put them in the wash and change them. difficult child 1 has even got upset with me for raiding his room and washing his clothes and bedding, because I've taken the smell away. We're in the height of summer right now, and difficult child 3 is still insisting on wearing his favourite pyjamas - winter flannelette ones. Right now he's only wearing the pants because I have to repair the shirt (it's falling apart, as his clothes tend to do, considering the way he wears them).
Smells can be a problem. easy child 2/difficult child 2 gets upset if I wash her clothes with the boys' clothes. She says there is a faint smell she can detect. I do everything I can to deodorise the boys' clothes but she is incredibly fussy. Increasingly she's doing her own washing.
One positive thing coming out of this extreme fussiness - none of these kids is ever likely to take up smoking. They hate the smell of it so much.
What do we do? We try to keep their sensory experiences as broad as possible but accommodate their fussiness where they insist, because it helps them cope. We encourage them to try new foods and tastes but don't insist on them finishing anything they tried and dislike.
With difficult child 1 we worked on the premise that his sensory input is disordered - he experiences the world as if through a sensory kaleidoscope, fragmenting the experience and jumbling it up. He uses his fussiness as a way of minimising what he has to cope with. If he can cut back on the number and range of simultaneous sensory experiences it's easier for him to understand them.
Everything we do is aimed towards helping the kids learn to cope. Why serve food that t hey will refuse to eat? Why buy clothing that they will complain about wearing? If wearing a certain shirt is likely to upset them, then they're more likely to have behavioural problems as a result of their heightened state. Keeping them calm and happy where it's easy to do so makes our lives and theirs more productive in other areas. And as they're getting older they are getting more adventurous about trying new things. they're learning to cope better.
Marg
