Posts Tagged ‘Sensory overload’
I Wish I Could Feel Things the Way You Do
I wish I could feel things the way you do, my sweet boy. I want to understand. I didn’t know sound could physically, deeply hurt until you showed me. I see you fold your precious ears in on themselves, an attempt to mute the overwhelming world. That doesn’t usually work though. So, you quietly, nervously, moan. This slowly grows in intensity and frequency until your shrieking blocks out the unwanted sound or it’s removed. Whichever comes first. I want to explain to others how you feel inside during these moments.…
Read MoreCan You Feel My Vibe?
My son, who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), was also diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). As part of his profile, he has a heightened sensitivity to light, sound and the energy of his environment. To navigate loud places, or areas that have unexpected sounds, has been challenging. We found bright lights could be over stimulating, making movie theatres, fairs and arcades unpredictable. He would become so revved up, literally bouncing from one thing to another, and his impulse control was non-existent. He also became disregulated by itchy…
Read More2020 Thanksgiving…An Autism Moms dream
Thanksgiving used to be my favorite holiday. I have lots of cousins (from my mom’s side)and that was the day we all got together when I was younger and even as I became an adult. It was the one day of the year that I knew I could go “home” and be brought back to childhood. In 2012, my grandmother celebrated her last Thanksgiving and it was never the same for me. After my son Caleb was born I wanted to recreate those family holiday memories for him. We moved…
Read MoreFire Drills
Hi. My name is Carrie. I have five kids, and my second son has autism. His name is Jack. I’ve come to think of autism as a kind of symphony, if you will. There are loud cymbals, and a quiet tympani. Sometimes, there is a melody, but more often than not, it sounds like chaos. Jack hates fire drills. He always has. For much of his life, he has lived in fear of them. When he was six, he would come off the bus and say the same phrase over…
Read MoreThe Aftermath of Sensory Overload
Sometimes I forget our lives don’t look like others. It’s probably a survival mechanism, and thinking about it, I’m grateful I have these moments where our lives feel normal to me. But to others? It’s far from typical, or expected, or usual. My son has had a lot of excitement over the past couple weeks. His fourth birthday party went so well, but it came at the cost of the aftermath. He actually handles changes in routine pretty well in moments – we’ve figured out how to help him navigate…
Read MoreHer Spinning
I told her tonight that if she wanted to cuddle she would have to stop her wiggling and squirming. She was hiding underneath the blanket by my toes: giggling. Total sensory overload. She crawled out and laughed and flapped and I told her again. Things need to be structured to go smoothly. She wrapped her arms around me reluctantly avoiding too much touch and squeezed gently. The whole process so uncomfortable for her. “One, two, three, four…” We started together and then her counting became as always rapid and just…
Read MoreThe Difference a Year Makes
On Sunday we brought Cooper to see Thomas the Train. Good old Thomas makes a trip to Duluth once a year and it’s a huge day in Cooper’s world. It’s also the cutest thing ever. It’s held at the depot and kids actually get to go on a 20 minutes train ride. Last August when we went and saw Thomas, Cooper was 2.5 and he has just been (mis)diagnosed with a moderate hearing loss in both ears. He was very nonverbal at this point in his life. His breakthroughs didn’t really happen…
Read MoreEvaluations are Crushing to a Parent
As you may have noticed, I am writing this blog a bit backwards. It took me a long time to gather up the courage to put my feelings into words and I want to make sure that I write the whole story. Around 2 1/2 we really started doing a lot of new things with Cooper’s care. He was in speech therapy twice a week at our local hospital. The school district was also coming into our home one time a week. I have been very honest about my opinion…
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