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Nancy Peske, co-author of Raising a Sensory-Smart Child:
A Practical Handbook for Helping Your Child with Sensory Integration Issues,
has been so generous in her support of BabyShrink. Last time, Nancy told us
about what it’s like to have a baby with sensory issues. Today, she’ll tell us
about how we can begin to sort out our baby’s sensory preferences.

BabyShrink: Tell
me about the "detective process" that parents must go through in
order to figure out their baby’s sensory issues. It starts out being a vague
sense of something wrong, or just having a "difficult baby". How do
parents start to narrow down the issue to find what’s really going on? What do
they need to observe or record? What can parents do to better understand their
baby?

Nancy Peske: There are different "detective" methods. For me, it was simply
a matter of tuning in to my own senses. I have mild sensory issues, as many
parents of kids with sensory issues do, so when my son would fuss or show signs
of anxiety, I would automatically think about the sensory environment, focusing
on anything that was unusual or perhaps intense: lighting, smells, background
noise, wind, temperature, and so on.

Journaling can be very helpful. Write down what your
child did each day, and at what time, including what he ate, when he was
cooperative and happy and when he was miserable and uncooperative. One mom told
me this helped her realize that she was keeping her child too busy, not giving
him enough quiet, unstructured time. Another told me she realized her daughter
was always cranky if she went more than 3 hours between snacks or meals. If
there’s a sudden change in behavior, look at what might have changed. Always
consider sleep, nutrition and eating, and external stress as well, from
seasonal allergies and the sniffles to a substitute teacher at daycare that the
child isn’t yet comfortable with.

Focus, too, on when your child is unusually comfortable
with a situation that would normally bother him and try to determine what’s
different. A mom told me her toddler suddenly wasn’t agitated about his evening
bath, and she realized the one thing she’d done differently was keeping the
door closed while running the tub. Apparently, the harsh sound of water hitting
porcelain was what had been agitating him, so after that, she always ran it
with the door closed and he was fine with baths.

You can also run down the list of senses as you try to
analyze what’s working or not working in the environment for your child.
Consider sight–is there a lot of visual clutter in the room overstimulating
him? Is the lighting too bright or unusual in some way? Are the colors or
contrasts too intense? Is it an unfamiliar sight-the yogurt container changed its
look and now your toddler won’t eat the yogurt? (Hint: try not to serve kids
foods from the container to prevent this!) Think about sound, from background
noise to volume, to direction of sound (is it behind her? does she think that
the rumbling truck outside might be coming toward her?) and quality of sound
(stringed instrument vs. brass instrument, someone singing on a recording vs.
someone singing live). Touch–this involves textures, temperature, wet vs. dry,
and amount of pressure on the skin. Keep in mind that eating is very tactile,
involving skin in the mouth. Your child may eat only one brand of mac and
cheese and insist that the sauce not be too runny or thick. Taste and smell–children can be exquisitely
sensitive to differences in taste or crave strong smells or tastes. Don’t
forget movement and body awareness. And finally, remember that transitions and
getting used to new sensations are difficult for children. A child who just
came out of a car that was driving on hilly roads may need a good, long stretch
of lying on the ground or sitting quietly to regain her equilibrium after that
vestibular stimulation. Leave extra time when shifting activities, and give
plenty of warnings, so that your child’s atypical nervous system has a chance
to adjust to the change.

If you recognize that your child is processing sensory
information atypically, that doesn’t necessarily mean you need professional
help. Simple accommodations for her differences, and gently encouraging her to
try new activities that will broaden the range of sensations she’ll tolerate
and help her system function more typically, may be enough to make her feel
more comfortable in her world. However, if sensory issues interfere with
learning, socializing, and eating to a degree that’s concerning and
significant, more help is probably needed. A pediatric occupational therapist
trained and experienced in dealing with sensory issues, who has worked with
children your child’s age, can be extremely helpful.

Check with your school district’s occupational therapist
if your child is age 3 or over, and with your state’s early intervention
program if she’s under age 3 (we have links to these programs on our web site).
You can find private therapists through the professionals listings on
spdnetwork.org, through local sensory gyms and therapy centers for children
with developmental delays and disabilities, and through your local autism
community.

Next time, we’ll have the third and final part of my
interview with Nancy. Stay tuned! I’m
also busy responding to your other questions; Sharon from Texas has a doozy, you’ll
want to see how it turns out! I’ll post the whole interesting exchange next week.