Calm a Sensory Seeker With Hosiery

Intro: Calm a Sensory Seeker With Hosiery

Autism is a structural difference in the brain with a strong genetic component.  People on the autism spectrum have brains that don't go through the normal culling of brain cells after birth that neurotypical brains do.  Although autistic brains do go through a culling at a later age, they tend to be denser than normal brains with more brain cells.  

People on the autism spectrum tend to have sensory processing differences.  Some are highly sensitive to loud noises, colors, textures, or other sensory stimuli and are called "sensory avoiders" because they try to get away from stimuli that are too disturbing.  Others on the spectrum are called "sensory seekers" because they pursue high levels of sensory input by, say, eating spicy foods or running around and crashing into things.  Sensory seekers seem to need proprioceptive feedback in order to calm down and re-equilibriate.  

***EDIT:  I should probably post this information here.  Most children with sensory differences have some sensory seeking and some sensory avoiding behavior.  See discussions in the comments for more information.***

There are places that sell compression vests and jackets, sometimes with weights.  Those can run about $50-150.  Compression vests are more for long term wear, say during the school day to help sensory seekers feel secure and able to concentrate.

This is a quick fix that works for us when my 3 year old can't seem to calm himself.  I can't always drop everything and give him deep pressure massage for 20 minutes if he's freaking out, and this is another option.


Note:  if you feel the urge to leave a comment or send me a note about how you heard that autism is caused by vaccines, poor nutrition, gluten intolerance, food additives, or poor parenting... just don't.

STEP 1: Secure the Items

items needed:

nylons or tights
a sensory seeker toddler who is starting to get hyper, possibly running around, dumping things out, throwing things, and/or hollering


This sounds easy but sometimes it's tough to find a pair of tights when there's a 3 year old tornado in your house.  My only advice is to hurry.  When you have your pair of tights, pick up the toddler and hold him tightly.  Don't yell or act angry; he's not trying to be naughty, and your yelling will make his brain freak out even more.

When he's still enough for you to begin, hold one foot of the tights by his right armpit and over his left shoulder.  Pull rather tightly, but not tight enough to bruise.  When the tights are back to his right armpit, simply wrap them over the loose foot end to secure it.  Once you've reached that point, the rest of this should be pretty easy.

STEP 2: Finish Wrapping

Wrap the tights around the front of the toddler's torso, under the left arm, across the back, and over the right shoulder to the front.  Pull securely, but try to be gentle even if you're mad.  This is an assistive device, not a punishment.  If your toddler acts upset at the wrapping, stop.  His brain will tell him very quickly if this is something that will help him reset; pay attention to his cues.

Wrap the tights around the front, under the left arm, and around the back until you come to the end of the tights.

STEP 3: Secure the Ends

Hold onto the loose end of the tights and find the end you started with under the right armpit.  Tie these together.

Wrap the loose middle section of the tights around the stretched bands to keep it from getting snagged on something.

Be careful not to tie the knot too tightly.  You'll want to be able to unfasten it easily.  Your toddler will likely let you know when he wants it off by trying to pull it off or grabbing your hand and putting it on the wrap.  It'l be hard for the toddler to be patient if it takes too long to remove.

Our little guy likes to wear this for about 10-20 minutes when he needs it.

STEP 4: Love Your Little Sensory Seeker

This step is crucial to the whole process.

Hug him and tell him you love him.  Even if he doesn't yet use words or make much eye contact, it does NOT mean he doesn't understand the words you're using.


This is a quick and dirty fix, but it works for us; I'll post another instructable at a later time about a more lasting device with other features.

Thanks for reading!

Comments

[haney2]

You must have device. At the time of feeling in his urine key press. He was in the habit, even at the time it presses the key. You will feel its time to handle the variable. To prevent her from learning progress not

[jkraus1]

I was motivated to read this, because my son has always rubbed my hair to fall asleep - if I am not able to lay down with him, he will rub his own. He has done this since birth and is now 3 1/2. He also tends to prefer sleeping under his covers - sort of wrapped or behind me - between me and the back of the couch. Instinctively, I have always snuggled him as described above when he starts acting out... and now I know why and what it was about him laying behind me that made him calm down so quickly. AND my family has a genetic hearing loss issue - those of us who have it, lose our hearing very slowly over our lifetimes... the nerves in the ears that process different tones die one at a time. The reason I tell you this is because my son has always shocked me, because he will shrink away from loud noises - he looks as though he is in pain. I have made fun by saying he has super-sonic hearing. Not made fun of him, just the situation... but your instructable and the explanations that you have along with it has just made little bells go off all over... you really nailed several aspects of my son's comforts and discomforts. I need to do some research on sensory seeker / avoider. Can your child have aspects of both? As I type this he is upset because he wanted to go to work with Daddy... he is standing beside me rubbing my hair.

[supersoftdrink]

I've noticed many kids with sensory differences (whether my own or the others in our neighborhood) who have aspects of both. I... don't think I've met a child who was ONLY a sensory seeker or ONLY a sensory avoider.

I've come across the belief that "sensory seeking kids are less sensitive to input and therefore seek strong sensory experiences to feed the lack of sensory input" in some literature written by one-time experts on spectrum and sensory kids.

I think (and I'm just a parent, not a therapist or doctor, of course) that sensory kids in general tend to receive excessive input from most (if not all) senses, and that the sensory seeking behavior is a way of overpowering overstimulating experiences, rather than a kid trying to "feel" something because he or she can't feel certain things as strongly.  If a person gets an itch on his arm, what does he often do?  He overpowers the irritating sensation on his arm by providing an even stronger sensory input to that area - he scratches it.  Scratching his arm isn't a sign that it was partly numb, just as sensory seeking behavior isn't a sign that those children who cope that way are less sensitive.  Not all overwhelming senses can be short circuited by increasing stimuli, of course.  If light is too bright for a person, they don't tend to respond by staring directly into the source of light.

I suspect that some therapists have been confused by sensory issues over the years because children respond so differently.  Swaddling can definitely calm one child while inducing a panic attack in another, even if they have almost identical oversensitivity to sensory input.  That's why it's so important to pay extra close attention to each child and let them teach you what works and doesn't work for them; there is no "one size fits all" approach... except love, attention, and respect.

You sound like an amazing parent and very in touch with your little sweetheart.  As you do research and observation, remember that others might be experts on a large population and certain trends of behavior, but you're the expert on your child... and anything they say about what he is, or what will work for him, is just a suggestion, possibly an educated guess.  :)

[Dreamin-Dreamy]

I love your post and this reply is wonderful! Wish you a lot of luck and happiness!

[bothawm]

Hi. Have you tried brushing? As my son has sensory processing disorder and his occupational therapist gave us a special rubber brush which we had to use on him every 2hours. We had to brush arms legs and back as well as his palms and the soles of his feet. Then we had to do compressions on all his joints. Worked well with him. Much more participative at school. Thanks

[picturesofsilver]

great idea!!

[myboyzx4]

Job well done Mom. We have a six year old that finally has been diagnosed ( knew soothing was amiss at 9mo) . Most people don't know or understand what sensory issues or having a sensory seeking child is like. It's hard and wearing but we love him just the way he is and we learn to adapt as well. Great t shirt by the way, have fun with your little one and keep doing what your doing, a great job.

[sirebril]

Interesting article. I usually read about computers and toys on here and this one made me think in a different direction. Thank you for posting and I wish you and your son the very best. Aloha!

[sarahfish]

This is SO SO cool! You are wonderful, and a superhero and brilliant!

[spaceman874]

i am happy that there are people on instructables, who share thier wisdom with others on topic like autism, i have autism (just a part of the spectrum) and find these type very helpfull in understanding my situation and how other see me.

[pyromonkey]

This is a great instructible. It would have worked wonders with my niece when she was in her terrible twos. Too bad I just learned about it :P

[love4pds]

This is different but I have a dog who is autistic and I am going to try this with him because he rhythmically licks on himself a lot and walks in circles and barks at nothing, he loves to be held if sitting facing away from me, wont look me in the eyes, but I cant do that all the time. I am hoping this may help the problem with him? Poor little guy, he is the sweetest dog and I would love to make him feel better. Thanks for the Ible. What makes the wrapping work? Is it the way you wrap or just having pressure? I am thinking of making him a jacket or buying that hug jacket "as seen on TV " for dogs that has popped up recently. Would that potentially work? His name is Winston :). I know my problem with him is nothing compared to having children with autism and i worry I will make someone feel I am minimizing this. I am not. But Winston is the only dog I could find online or anywhere with autism so I have nobody to learn from. God Bless all of your children and I am praying for them all!!! Added a photo of him calmed.

[susanrm]

A Thundershirt might help, yes. Temple Grandin pioneered this field of pressure for calming those with autism (she is autistic herself) and has used it effectively to help calm all kinds of animals. It can't hurt. You might want to try with a t-shirt before you make the investment, though.

[love4pds]

thank you very much,
Conny

[creative_cait]

Your instructable taught me something today about autism. I am really in the dark about it, to be honest, and this helped me understand a lot.

Also, your son is so cute!

[jpinney]

Love the shirt!

[mwebber]

All children are different. My son would have loved this, but he's now at the point where he 'self medicates' with his own creative methods to attenuate his sensory needs. As an infant, swaddling was an intense relief to him; he still wraps himself up in his blankets to sleep as a compression method.

When I tried to swaddle my daughter, she wanted no part of it. It did not calm her; she found the pressure disturbing and was strong enough (and stubborn enough) to get out of my best swaddling job.

BOTH of these children have Autism. Both present at the higher functioning end of the scale, with my daughter much closer to normal than my son. If your child is calmed by deep pressure, this looks like a fantastic method to address it without dropping a packet on the latest craze product. Props to the OP.

[mslaynie]

I said this earlier in a different instructable, but wow, you really, really make me smile. It's clear that you love your kids and that you're working to help them better handle their environment. Thank you for sharing this!

[ludionis]

Nice idea. We have one of those dog/leash backpacks for my 3 yr old autistic son, and he loves wearing it, possibly for this reason. Mine likes to stim vestibularlly, walking past objects while watching out the far corner of his eye as they pass. When needing to break him of sippy cups, his therapists recommended a honey bear cup. I refused to pay $15 for one, so I made my own, and now sell them exclusively on ebay :) Kudos for your ingenuity to meet your child's needs.

[craftyv]

Well done.I did write a comment but it disappeared into the eether. Look up Temple Grandin and you will see how she developed her own sensory management frame. It will help those who don't quite get it yet.