Mini Sensory Experiences - Mess Free!

Lately I have been adding a sensory experience to an unexpected place - the fridge door. 

I wanted to make "squish bags" (or some people call them discovery bags) for the kids to explore, but Rocket Baby has some amazing chompers and I knew I would end up with busted bags. Since you usually put non-edibles in these, that wouldn't be good! 

I made some around Christmas that I didn't get shots of, but I have added some new ones since then. My first bags were slime, water/oil, and paint. The paint bag was taped to the window, and when you run your finger on it you can "write" in the paint. That was a pinterest idea, not mine! The slime bag was just a way to get a little more life out of the slime we made previously - I just stuck it in a bag, and taped it to the fridge door. 

The oil/water bag was the favorite that week - vegetable oil, colored water, and I added some glitter and foam beads too. I taped it to the fridge VERY WELL and covered it in a layer of tape. I did mention Rocket Baby had major biting issues right? It needed protection.

The slime bag and water bag had very different sensory experiences - the slime was hard to push around and was opaque and made no noise. The water/oil bag was super squishy, easy to push, clear, and made noise when you whacked it. You could see the boys comparing them as they walked up several times a day to push and poke. 

This past week I made a new bag in honor of the New Year. Stars and glitter and gems - and I put hair gel in it this time. Squishy but still not water like. And a steal at the dollar store. I stuck the foam star stickers to the inside of the bag before adding the gel and other things - this way the stars stayed still and the rest of the contents moved. I thought that would add something new. The boys loved this one too!

I am working on a new series of posts...all written out right now, but I am having the hardest time getting photos! Have you tried to get your sensory seeker to hold still during their favorite sensory activities for a picture? Yeah, it's working out real well.

Happy Birthday Rocket Boy!

I am planning out some new great posts, but I wanted to sneak in a quick celebration post. 

Rocket Boy turned four just a few days ago. 

Honestly, I can't believe it. It seems like yesterday I held him in my arms for the first time, little 6lb peanut he was. I couldn't help but watch the clock in the night before his birthday and on the day of thinking, "This is when I woke up in labor," or "I was in the birthing tub right about now," and "This was the moment we first held you." I suppose every mother thinks these sort of things as her children grow. 

We had a low key day with Rocket Boy, since his birthday is just a few short days after the craziness of Christmas. We will have a party in a couple of weeks, but we all need some detox from the holidays. He spent the day playing with the million new toys (mainly Duplo sets, which he loves!). He decided on his favorite Mexican restaurant for his birthday dinner and ate like a horse. I can't get him to eat dinner at home, but if we go out for Mexican he eats like a starved man. 

During dinner he spotted another little boy at the table next to us. He was playing with a plane (R.B. loves the movie Planes) and R.B commented on it as we ate. As the family got up to leave the boy lingered near our table waiting for everyone to get on coats and hats. Rocket Boy tried his very best to have a conversation with the boy. He even gave out his full name and followed the normal flow of trying to start a conversation - something we have worked on so hard. I could not have been prouder of that little interaction. 

Of course Rocket Boy wasn't phased by his progress, he just wanted his ice cream. 

It is hard to watch him grow and change, but at the same time it makes my heart just burst with pride and love. This is a bit of a departure from the normal bits on the blog, but sometimes us mothers just have to wax poetic. 

Happy Birthday Rocket Boy! 

The Holiday Rush

I'm sneaking in one more post before Christmas - the holiday season throws me off my normal routine, including blogging.

One of the biggest changes around our house lately has been the instillation of some new sensory items - and they are REALLY helping.

I made a crash pad, though it needs some tweaking. But I found an old sleeping bag, stuffed it with all the spare pillows and blankets, and it sits at the end of the couch. This way Rocket Boy can jump off the couch onto it. It has seriously saved my couches from further abuse. He jumps off one spot instead of jumping up and down all day on the poor couches.

The other addition has been a trampoline. We came by the trampoline through family - for free! My sister-in-law got it as a gift for one of her children but they have a large outdoor trampoline so they never even opened it. I mentioned our SPD diagnosis and things were looking for in conversation, and she offered the trampoline to us.

These two items are only the start of our sensory collection but we have already noticed a huge difference in behavior. His aggression towards Rocket Baby has almost totally disappeared which is a huge stress reliever for the whole family (probably especially for R.Baby!).

 We have started to do "roll-ups" before bed and now he asks for them. Basically we just roll him in a medium sized fleece blanket (with his head out) and then I rock with him - big rocking motions. He starts out rigid but then he starts to relax and is all ready for bed.

Next on our list is a Sensory "sock", which is on its way to us, is going to be a hit I think. Rocket Boy has a major obsession with wrapping up in blankets and this sock will hopefully give him his own little cocoon without messing up my bed. We are also going to look into getting a weighted blanket and a fidget seat.

The holidays are causing some over-stimulation and craziness in our house, like it does for most people. But all in all, I think he is handling things well. Thanksgiving was with a different group and in a new place this year, which made him get a bit anxious and we had to leave early due to the behavior that brought to the surface. We are hosting Christmas dinner this year, which will either be easier (his own space) or way too overwhelming...we shall see.

I will ask you to insert some awesome pictures in your mind of Rocket Boy jumping like crazy on a trampoline and of our Christmas tree...because I don't have time to edit them right now. Happy holidays everyone!

Official Diagnosis, Round 1

After meeting with the psychologist, occupational therapist, and the school district team we have an official diagnosis - Sensory Processing Disorder.

While I don't think this will be our last stop on the road to answers, it does give us a great starting place. They identified that he is a sensory seeker, especially in the vestibular and proprioceptive areas. (Try saying proprioceptive three times fast...)

He has avoidance behaviors in a few areas, mainly with auditory issues. For Rocket Boy, mechanical noises are especially hard - vacuums, the garbage disposal, hairdryer, our clanky car, etc. He also has some tactile avoidance, mainly with sticky/gummy textures or foods.

The school mentioned that he has evidence of some very advanced problem solving skills and is advanced in some other areas as well. They noticed some of his scripting and rote conversations and stimming, which at the very least was affirming to me that I am not imagining things. They noticed attention issues as well, but they were able to bring him back to task pretty easily.

The psychologist says that the testing shows "autism-like behaviors" driven by sensory issues and possible ADHD. While they don't diagnose ADHD in children this young, she sees sure signs of it especially given the strong family history. I'm not sure that she ran the full assessment that should have been done (actually, I am sure she didn't as she said so herself) but for now we are at a point where we can get OT help and see what improvements we see.

We are working on making some simple changes at home to help with his seeking behavior. I made a DIY "crash pad" for him with a sleeping bag and extra pillows and blankets. I plan to make a post soon showing this little project. While it needs a little tweaking, it works as a quick fix for a kiddo who CAN.NOT.STOP.JUMPING. He really seems to love it and our couch is getting a little break.

We changed around our Christmas lists to include a lot of sensory items, and I'm hoping to pick up a mini trampoline on Black Friday. Trying to explain to family that we need things like fidgets and weighted blankets instead of another electronic toy is a bit difficult, but hopefully they will follow the list anyway.

Speaking of Christmas - here is a little peak at taking card photos with my two Rockets:

Slime Time!

 

Last night I decided that Rocket Boy needed some slime. Why? Mainly because slimy/squishy/sticky is a hard tactile challenge for him. And partially because I really wanted to play with some slime too. 

So I started out hoping to make an "edible" slime with fiber powder and water. Well, I missed the note that you have to buy the type with psyllium in it. So after microwaving a bowl of fiberous water for...forever...I realized my issue. 

So I searched and searched for a slime recipe that didn't need borax and that I already had the ingredients for. Luckily I found a recipe from Fun at Home with Kids - using only glue and laundry detergent.

You can use any washable school glue, clear or white. But the detergent you use is specific - for Americans, just look for Seventh Generation Free and Clear (any concentration works). For those overseas, check out the link above from Fun at Home with Kids for the specific detergent you can use. Luckily for me, Seventh Generation Free and Clear is the detergent we use on a regular basis!

The directions are simple - pour the glue in a bowl, then add the detergent a tablespoon at a time, stirring after each. I used 4oz of glue, and about 5 tablespoons of detergent. You will know when you have the right amount of detergent - it will stop sticking so much and be the perfect gooey slime texture.

I added a good amount of silver and blue glitter to the slime, and called it "snow slime." It's snowing here already so snow is on Rocket Boy's mind right now. He started with a spoon and only a few pokes with his little finger.

To encourage him to really dig in, I added some marbles to the slime and told him he had to rescue them. That really helped him get his hands into it and explore the texture. He learned how to manipulate this fun material - letting it slowly fall, quickly pulling to snap off small bits, and learning how to get the marbles out cleanly. This slime really is a lot of fun to play with! 

This was a really fun and new experience for Rocket Boy and one I will take out again in the coming days and weeks. I liked the fact that this slime is non-toxic (though NOT "edible") - the glue is non-toxic and the detergent is non-toxic as well. I have played with slime made from borax before and found it really harsh on my hands, so I loved that this slime recipe didn't have that effect. Apparently the chemical reaction that takes place is the same as the borax recipe with the same ions, but I think because the detergent is diluted already, it makes it less harsh. 

I hope that this recipe works well for all of you, and don't forget to Pin this for later!

Sensory Foam!

This day started as a meltdown morning for the whole family. We all woke up on the wrong side of the bed. After a nap/quiet time reset, I decided to make a quick sensory table.

Usually, sensory tables have a way of calming down Rocket Boy, and it keeps him occupied for more than two seconds at a time. Today we tried sensory foam, which I had not made before. Rocket Boy loves bubble baths, but those bubbles are always short lived and we have had more than one instance of him dumping an ENTIRE bottle of bubble bath behind our backs to try to rectify this issue.

You probably already have what you need right at home for this, which makes it easy to whip up when everyone is needing a good reset. I loath sensory stuff that takes a lot of prior planning on my part, so anything I can make from the cupboard is a win for me.

We used:

• Dish Soap (I had a Dawn brand "soft on your hands" type under the sink)
• Water
• Cornstarch
• Optional - food coloring or washable liquid watercolors
• Optional - small toys, pirate treasure, etc.

We didn't color ours today. It is snowing out, so I just called it fluffy snow. Actually...I didn't want to test how badly colors would soak into Rocket Baby's adorable cloth diaper. Ya just never know! The cornstarch could also be optional, but it does give the bubbles more staying power, without it they dissolve faster.

Put about 1/4 cup of water in the stand mixer (or use a hand mixer and large bowl) and add a squirt of soap. I know, I'm technical. Just use about the amount you would for a sink of dirty dishes. Then about 2 tsp of cornstarch. Then just turn on the mixer and let it go!

That small amount quickly ballooned up to fill my entire bowl to the top with bubbles. I made eight batches to fill our sensory table, and it only took about five minutes. Before putting the foam in, I put coins, magnet letters, and other things in the bottom of the table. This encouraged Rocket Boy to dig for treasure! He also was able to practice letter recognition as he pulled out each magnet. For those with babies around like we do, I think this is pretty baby safe. Rocket Baby did try to put some soap in his mouth, but quickly spit it out and didn't do it again. He seems no worse for the quick taste.

If I could change a couple things, next time I would use less scented soap. I quickly remembered why that soap was half-used under the sink - I hated the smell. Rocket Boy didn't seem to care since he rarely notices smells at all. Next time we might also color the foam, maybe with several colors so we can swirl and mix them!

Obviously though, the boys enjoyed this very much! You can even see on the fridge back there where Rocket Baby was trying to put a soapy magnet back on the fridge. The floor is probably a little cleaner now, but I will mop after bedtime to be sure to get any lingering soap film off.

Happy sensory play! (Pin this for later!)

Processing...

Our evaluation with the child psychologist and occupational therapist was last Wednesday.

I thought I would update right away, but honestly it was a lot to process.

And we don't know the results until this Friday.

Honestly, I am still not sure what to think of the experience or what I was told. Currently, autism of any level is "off the table" according to what the psychologist told us at the evaluation. Apparently, he is too talkative. Having met autistic children and adults and parents of autistic kids, I know very well that autistic individuals can be talkative and social. I found it really odd - and frankly wrong - to take autism out of the equation simply based on the fact that he interrupted me hundred times during the evaluation.

And then I get this feeling of guilt that I am "upset" or "confused" about autism not being a possibility - obviously as a mother I would love for a doctor to see and say he is totally normal. Except that is not what she said - she said that we are obviously looking at "something", most likely severe ADHD and SPD (sensory processing disorder). She said that many of the symptoms/behaviors can mimic autism, especially Aspergers/high functioning. Even with her admitting that his behaviors (especially in repetitive behaviors/stimming) appear autistic, she refused to use the autism diagnostic checklist during their playtime.

If she decides this is what he is dealing with (ADHD/SPD mix), the only options we have are occupational therapy (OT) and later on, medication. When I expressed my worry that while he does okay in school now (3 hours, twice a week), that he could be overwhelmed later on when it is 8 hours a day, five days a week her answer was "well, that is when you use medication".

We are already doing the other things suggested, like diet changes (he doesn't have sweets, sugar, junk, and after taking out food colorings we saw no difference though we do avoid them in general anyway). We already are using the parenting techniques she mentioned. I feel as though she heard our cry for help and answered with a generic label.

We will see what Friday holds. What her final conclusion is. If nothing else, we have gotten in touch with an OT that we like through this (who was much more helpful!) and at least she is taking his sensory issues seriously. We also get the "results" of the school testing on Friday, I thought they were helpful as well when I met with them during that evaluation.

In case you can't tell, I am still processing, I am feeling muddled. And I am feeling rather foolish that I hoped the first doctor we met with would listen to me and take his entire history into account, not just the good day he was having that day. I came in to her specifically with questions about "Level 1" Autism - because when I read those criterea, when I look at the books and the examples and the checklists, I see my boy in the pages. I can absolutely accept that it can be something else, but I at least want my concerns taken seriously.

Everyday since the evaluation has been very hard for Rocket Boy - he is in a sensitive period right now, and everything and anything is setting him in tantrums, fear, or crying. I can see the confusion in his eyes when he can't handle the world, and it makes me even more determined to make someone listen. I'm his mom, I know him better than anyone, and I know that I have to work for him to find out what our answer is - no matter what that ends up being.