This is for the people out there who think they know what is best for my Chloe and don’t really understand her challenges. You see, Chloe has several sensory processing issues going on all at the same time, that cause her as a mere “almost three year old” to melt down much more often than other kids and cause her to have what looks like really bad behavior, but is really her inability to cope with the input to her body and brain.
She has:
- Motor planning issues. This causes her to fall much more often than other kids her age, even all the special needs kids in her classroom. The occupational therapist on staff at her school said she falls 5-10 times in a 20-30 minute playground session. This is not the usual tripping over stuff because you were not paying attention to where you were going or the going too fast. She is moving through space, walking or running, and suddenly, her brain just shorts out and she falls straight to the ground. It’s like she looses her bearing of where she is in space. Motor planning also causes her to have difficulty coordinating her movements with objects moving in space, like catching a ball or giving a “high-five”. And, it affects her speech. She speaks in long sentences, but can’t coördinate the muscles so she only says a part of each word. She sounds like a Teletubby. It must be very frustrating when you have lots to say and no one can understand you.
- Chloe has tactile issues. It drives her totally crazy to have a tag in her clothing, a small wet spot on the fabric, or clothing that does not feel, look, smell and fit just right. But when you hit on a winning outfit, she will dance her joy.
- Sound can be totally overwhelming to Chloe, especially when she is already in sensory overload.
For Chloe, it is as if the volume is turned up on all of her senses and she can’t find her bearings in space. So when you tell me I should spank her or give her other harsh discipline for her difficult behavior, I say to you, please have a little compassion. She is doing the best she can. If she could do better, she would.
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