Environmental Contributions...

As everyone is starting to learn... I have 2 beautiful kids who have some sensory issues. I would not classify them as ridiculously bad or anything. My older son has problems with sound (which is a problem I have too... ). He is terrified of sounds above and beyond what is normal. This does not pose any significant issues most of the time but it can be a little hard to deal with. We avoid some activities because I would rather not have a field trip end in him being terrified of something instead of learning about it and enjoying it. He hates fireworks (me too!). Sirens, toilets flushing, vacuum cleaners, hand dryers, people screaming or yelling (although, the kid himself... can be down right loud!). Slobber Rocket has more severe sensory issues. He doesn't eat much. Textures are very difficult for him to get used to and accept. And he just really most of the time doesn't seem to enjoy eating. He doesn't know how to chew many foods because he forgets they are in his mouth. He doesn't like to be washed off and he is starting to beg to have his clothing taken off of him or throwing a fit when he wants his clothes off. And he has some various other things going on too but I am just really setting the stage...

These are hurdles for my family to get over. I am not trying to garner sympathy or anything like that. My children are healthy even though they face a few challenges with interpreting the world around them. They are things that make my children unique and things that contribute to the people they are becoming and will become. They add depth to their personality. And my children are cognitively doing very well. Socially they are great too (okay so one of them is a little socially quirky but I think he gets that from his dad. ha). It just seems that for some reason, they don't really seem to interpret some data that they receive from their environment as they should. And the thing is... this is becoming VERY common. I spoke with a teacher today who said that she has seen it rise exponentially in her school. I know more and more parents who are dealing with it. One of my very good friends deals with this on a much wider spectrum than I do with my boys. Another women I met has a daughter that is a huge sensory seeker. The child can not slow down. She has to be jumping or swinging or running all. the. time. She doesn't sleep well at all and she has lots of anxieties about the world. Sure, there will always be the thought that maybe we are just diagnosing everything under the sun these days. But if you honestly evaluate children, I think you will see that even if we are over-diagnosing by 50% or more... there are still a LOT more kids with these issues.

So... I am wondering what environmental factors might be contributing to the rise in Sensory Processing Disorders and various sensory related issues. The increase in Autism also could be related to this idea. I am starting to believe that we are doing things to our bodies and our children's bodies that are actually changing some of our brain chemistry. Antibiotics in meat? Growth hormones in milk and animal products? Pesticides? Water pollution (I read once some of the things that is carried into our rivers, streams and other water sources... ew)? Processed foods? Artificial Sweeteners? Artificial coloring? Vaccines?

And with this idea, I am wondering what it is going to take for us to realize some of the things we do in this country are changing so much more than we want to admit.

So what do you guys think? Do you think there are environmental causes? If so what do you think contributes most directly to the increase in SPD and Autism or ADHD or various other disorders we have seen a rapid increase in over the last 50 years.

Slobber Rocket Update

My little Slobber Rocket has been going to speech therapy for... 6? weeks now I think. He is doing okay. It is very slow going and his food choices are really limited still. He also takes forever to eat one meal because of various sensory issues he has with eating. Yesterday at speech we spent an hour and got 10 noodles (maybe), a bite of shredded chicken, a few bits of cheese, and a graham cracker with strawberry cream cheese on it down him. It took him 20 minutes to chew and swallow a bite of noodles with chicken. But we did get him to swallow it. The other foods I had he refused to eat but he touched them and even put the green beans into his mouth. He has overcome a major hurdle in kids with eating problems. He will touch food and he will sometimes put new foods into his mouth. So those are good things. He definitely has texture issues with food but we are discovering more and more that he has quite a few additional sensory problems that also affect eating. He over stuffs his mouth like crazy with things he can tolerate keeping in his mouth. He just doesn't register that there is anything in his mouth for some reason. He forgets to chew (again, he has no clue there is something in his mouth). He slobbers if he is overstimulated by a taste, smell or texture. So it takes me a crazy long time to feed him daily. I offer him a few bits of food at a time to make sure he doesn't over stuff his mouth and we practice chewing. I also often times have to give him something crunchy while food is still in his mouth to remind him to chew. He has improved greatly with the cup though! He is keeping most liquid in his mouth now unless he really dislikes it or is just playing with the cup.

He is likely going to be referred to an OT because of the sensory issues his speech therapist has noticed along with the fact that we can no longer bathe him without major major problems. He screams bloody murder through the whole torturous event. And honestly I can not figure out the best strategy to help. Our pediatrician suggested sponge baths for a while (which he doesn't mind being wiped with a cloth most of the time) but I am not sure if removing the submersion totally will help or hurt. I do try to encourage him to put his feet into the water and sometimes he will try and other days he screams and claws for me. He DID let our friend, T, put water on him at the pool the other day though. We already go 2-3 days between baths because it is such an ordeal and I wipe him down in between. He also has similar issues to sound that his big brother has but at 17 mos. it is hard to tell if it will be a long term problem like it has been for Super Muscles.

We are also trying to work with Early Intervention to get him into a nutritionist as well. His last doctors appointment went well. He has gained almost a lb in 2 mos and an inch in the same course of time. Which is great for him. He had all but flat lined, gaining maybe an oz or 2 between visits before I started infusing all of his food with healthy fats. At any rate, ped would like to see him gain another lb in the next 6 weeks. He is still only in the .5% for weight and 3% for height which is still small enough to be concerning. So the nutritionist can tell us how many additional calories he would need daily to gain a lb in 6 weeks. The problem: my insurance will not cover the consult and it is $300 for one. So L (speech therapist), is going to talk with some people she knows and see if they will take the early intervention waiver just for my sweet boy. Then we will have to get enrolled into the program. He already has a speech eval and documented feeding problems so we would need one more evaluation but it should be no problem to get him into the program. If this happens, any OT he would need would be done at our house which is a definite bonus.

Additional things we are working on is saving foods he likes until the end of his meal when he has decided he is full. It takes very little to make him full because he has learned that he hates most food so he is very easily satisfied. So we save some of his favorites for the end and try to make him "over eat" so we can stretch his tummy out a bit at each meal. Hopefully this will increase his appetite. And he is getting much better about more frequently drinking water between meals which also helps to stretch that tummy out before meal times.

So there you have it... my life right now is consumed with feeding my 1 year old. ha! But we are seeing some progress. I wish it would come faster so he could grow a bit more and we could have "normal" meals with him. Spending hours a day feeding a child is quite exhausting. Sometimes (or frequently actually) I let it go when we travel or are out or something and just let him eat what he will eat so I don't have to inconvenience everyone else or deal with "angry baby" having a mega meltdown because he doesn't want to touch or eat anything. But he is delicious and smart and playful and beautiful so I try not to focus on all the work we have to put into eating. I want to enjoy him and his sweet personality. Part of what makes his life a bit difficult (and mine by extension) is also something that makes him unique and special. I am just so thankful that it is something I have been tenacious about so that would get him help for this early and before he could develop even firmer habits and preferences. I sure do love this tiny blond haired, green eyed child of mine.