Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Follow Your Gut

For a long time, I knew something was wrong with the way Princess responded to every day things. Her excitement is off the charts. When I picked her up from her field trip last week, her pupils were dilated, she ran screaming down the school hallway, and even banged on classroom windows before I could catch her.

It took two hours to calm her down.

Over the years, I've gotten lots and lot of advice.

She'll grow out of it.

Try a naughty chair.

You let her get away with too much.

Take something away from her.

My kid does the same thing.

She's just really, really happy!

None of that advice sat well. I knew her behavior, as disrupting as it was and is, was out of her control.

That is until today.

Turns out, she has a sensory processing disorder. Her brain does not know how to regulate itself in transitions, especially exciting ones. She has inappropriate responses.

We start OT next week.

This isn't the first time Princess has been in OT. But no one has ever mentioned sensory issues to me. Her last OT was through the school: they taught her how to hold a pencil, cut with scissors, color. All good things.But I cannot tell you how excited I am that we finally know why she is so hyper. We finally have a plan. I am confident we are on the right track.

I cannot wait to watch her change and grow and understand her feelings. Since we met her three years ago, this protective shell that was built up around her has been coming off piece by piece. We have this amazing little girl, who simply needs some guidance as she grows. And I am so thankful I get a front row seat.

9 comments:

  1. I love your post title.. as a parent you know your child the best! I hope the OT helps your baby


    www.studentswife.com

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  2. It's fantastic you now have the answer and can move forward.

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  3. Thanks for stopping by my blog :) I'm following you back.

    -Jackie
    http://thechroniclesofmomnia.blogspot.com

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  4. Hi there! I'm a new follower from the Friendly Friday blog hop!

    There is nothing more scary and frustrating than not knowing what is causing a certain behavior in your kids. I'm really glad that she'll be able to get the guidance she needs now. Having a diagnosis and a plan will make things so much easier!

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  5. Praying that God gives you strength as you begin a new path with your little one. Thank you for sharing and linking up! Blessings!

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  6. I'm glad you got answers! We have dealt with similar issues with Tyson, and at school he really has sort of "grown out of it" but he's been in the same program for two years. We shall see how kinder goes next year.

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  7. So happy that you have some answers and some hope and help for your sweet daughter!

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  8. We also have a "Princess" from China. Her behavior for her first 2 years at home completely overwhelmed us. She overly responded to any changes, she constantly fell down, she screamed for 45 min every time she woke up, etc, etc. Then we heard about sensory issues and a whole new happy world opened up for her and our family. The book "Understanding your Child's Sensory Signals" by Angie Voss was a tremendous help to us. Check out Angie's website too: www.Asensorylife.com Understanding sensory issues and a lot of prayer have changed our daughter completely! Today our princess dances through life (instead of constantly falling down) with a smile on her face and a song about Jesus from her heart!

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