AP's Sense of Touch

Most people associate Sensory kids with this sense and the stereotypical idea that they all can't stand tags in their clothes. There are times this is true for AP but isn't it the case for all of us? We all have those sweaters with the tag that will itch like crazy! When the touch of a tag bothers him, AP will rip it out or ask for scissors. Mainly he just feels the need to touch everything. If he is reading a book, he needs to touch all the animals on the page. He likes his coats to be zipped up to the very top, not open a little; shirts with buttons can have one button undone. He likes to pat people, like running his hand on my side or my legs (even when they don't feel 100% smooth, too).

Another issue with AP's sense of touch is his need to feel closed in. He likes to sleep with a body pillow on one side, a huge elephant stuffed animal on the other with a book pillow on top of him. When he sits on the couch, he needs to sit on one side, never in the middle. He also like to have pillows near his feet so they are touching something.

AP's Sense of Sight

When in new situations, AP has trouble taking in too much visual information. When we took him to see The Wiggles the first time, he told me "I see too much." All the scenery, different people, stage props, movie screens, signs etcetera were too much for him to process. The second time we took him to see The Wiggles, we started at one end of the arena pointing out new things and made our way around the arena. It gave him a sort of "plan of attack," a way to organize all of the new input. The first time we went he stayed on our laps, mainly facing us but peeking at what was happening on the stage. The second time was another story. He was up dancing the whole time!

Just like many 5 year olds, he gets overstimulated when in a fun new place, like an indoor playground place. We just need to give him the tools to deal with the over stimulation.