Can you spot the difference?

Can you spot the difference between this photo...

and this one?

Isaiah could. Pretty cool, uh? I had placed that CD case up there after the kids went to bed the other night. The next morning, Isaiah walked into the living room, and instantly spotted it (from 2x as far away as I was when I took these photos). He had no reason to look up there in the first place- it's just the same junk that's always up there. It actually took me a minute to realize what he was pointing at since I had forgotten, and didn't see anything of significance at first.

He's always been very observant and perceptive. I remember a similar incident when he was no more than 18 months old. I had laid a small bottle of lotion on the super-cluttered dresser after he was asleep. The following morning, mere seconds after his little eyes opened, he was pointing and grunting at it.

He'll point out a tiny bug walking across the ceiling, cows seemingly miles away from the road as we speed past, a rogue balloon in the sky that I can barely make out.

Although, he doesn't always seem that observant. If there is a single toy in the middle of the room, he'll trip over it, multiple times. He constantly runs into the side of doorways, into walls- he might as well be running around the house with his eyes closed. He's very perceptive in the visual sense, but his proprioceptive sense (aka knowing where his body is in space, and in relation to his surroundings) seems to be lacking. I have several more examples, but baby is getting fussy... so I'll have to blog about them later.

Anyhoo, what I'm getting at, is the above issues aren't going away, and I'm starting to see them affecting his/our lives more and more. I'm not exactly sure what to do. We talked with an OT back in October, and have done some of the sensory diet ideas. Although, honestly, we've slacked off a whole lot for various reasons. Since this resurgence of issues, I've decided to start doing the therapeutic brushing and joint compressing religiously, as well as integrate some more high-input activities throughout the day (swinging on the swingset, pillow hugs, etc.) to see if it helps any.

He'll be receiving [home-based] speech therapy via the school starting in the fall (blogged about here). Should I push for occupational therapy as well, (even though Early Intervention didn't see the need for it, apparently)? Should we make an appointment with a developmental pediatrician and try to get an "official" diagnosis of Sensory Processing Disorder, and then pursue services?

I think being perceptive is an excellent trait, and it's one of the many qualities of Isaiah that proves that he's SO intelligent. I just need to figure out how to help him gain control over it, so he's only reaping the benefits, and not constantly stumbling over the drawbacks.

Report from the OT

We got back the report from our occupational therapy evaluation.

"Isaiah demonstrates differences in his sensory registration (low), sensation seeking, sensory sensitivity, and sensation avoiding, more than other children his age. He also has a low threshold for some sensations. He also demonstrates differences in auditory, tactile, vestibular, and oral sensory processing. .... It is highly recommended that Isaiah receive regular, strong sensory input spread throughout his day to help reduce his seeking of some sensations and avoidance of others, as well as to help reduec his rigidity of daily activities."

We've been doing "brushing" every day since the OT showed us how, and he absolutely LOVES it. We do need to work on being more consistant with it, though, since that's a huge factor in its effectiveness. I need to find an online source for a couple more brushes, just so we aren't ever without one. I've found a couple, but they all seem to be come pre-packaged saturated in sugrical scrub solution. Not ideal for the kid who puts everything into his mouth.

There were quite a few other suggestions, both for providing deep sensory input and vestibular input, as well as for oral activities. Speaking of which, I ordered him another ChewyTube a couple weeks ago, and it's already lost. Grr. I guess I'll order another one and tie a ribbon to it.

For those of you who have little ones with SPD, I'd love to hear your ideas and suggestions! What are your favorite activites to do?

I think we may be onto something...

After an awesome session with our speech therapist this morning, we met with an occupational therapist, and I filled out a sensory profile questionnaire for Isaiah. Now, I knew he had little sensory-related quirks, such as not liking to get his hands dirty, constantly mouthing/licking things, lots of spinning in circles, and sleeping under pillows. But after talking to the OT as well as doing a lot of reading these past few days, it seems more and more likely that he has SPD (sensory processing disorder).

We talked quite a while, and she's going to send me a list of things we can do with Isaiah, based on his likes and dislikes. He craves, no, NEEDS lots of sensory-input, especially in the auditory and vestibular areas. He's also sensitive to certain types of sensations, although she said that would probably decrease as his other sensory needs are met.

I'm just excited that we might be onto something here. Not that I want him to have SPD, but that by following the OT's suggestions, maybe we can reduce the tantrums and meltdowns, and lessen the frustrations and tears over everyday tasks. At least... that's what I'm hoping.

Here's a picture of my little guy during his nap yesterday. I made him a weighted blanket since he always pulls pillows on top of him... and yet he still does, even with the blanket. LOL!