Wordy Wednesday – deep proprioceptive input
Ms. Wordy Wednesday is alarmed on arrival.
“Good grief Maddy! Is he o.k.? What did you do to the little chap? What is that huge thing on him? Or was it an accident? Is that a tooth brush in his mouth? Did he choke?”
“Um…where should I start? That big blue thing is a wedge, shaped like a slice of cake and we use it to do some amateur occupational therapy stuff.”
“Oh.”
“You're right, that is a tooth brush, he's cleaning his teeth, he didn't choke and it's not accidental that he's under the big blue wedge, he did it deliberately, himself.”
“Um…..somehow…..that explanation doesn't seem to help very much.”
“Sorry. Let's start at the beginning. That's my youngest one.”
“Ah, the one with all the extra raw exposed nerve endings.”
“Yes and the 'don't touch me above the shoulders' thing.”
“Ah! So cleaning teeth must be a big issue around your house?”
“Yes indeedy. A very loud, screaming issue.”
“Actually, now that I look more closely at his face…….he looks quite happy!”
“He is. He's found a coping mechanism.”
“A coping mechanism?”
“Something to help him cope with the agony of cleaning his teeth.”
“Yes, I know what a coping mechanism is, duh! I just can't quite work out what it might be?”
“Do you notice a huge, five foot by 10 foot, blue wedge?”
“Sarcasm doesn't become you! Yes I see it. How could I miss it, but how does it help?”
“Say you're experiencing something painful, like at the dentist.”
“O.k.”
“Do you grip the arms of the chair or dig your nails into your flesh to distract you?”
“Yes to the former no to the latter.”
“O.k. how about during child birth?”
“How do you mean?”
“Did you grit your teeth, grind your teeth, grip something with a stranglehold?”
“Epidural!”
“Ooo you're not helping today.”
“Sorry.”
“So when was the last time that you were in real pain?”
“Er…..when my son fell off his bike and we rushed him to the ER. I kept talking to him and reassuring him but my mind was racing. I think I must have said every prayer I know a thousand times.”
“Ah. Not quite what I meant but that still works. Your brain was in pain so you distracted it with something else, another activity by praying so you didn't have to think about the other stuff.”
“Yes, I suppose so. Doesn't everybody do that?”
“Yes I think they probably do, but sometimes they do it in other ways. For my son, deep pressure keeps him grounded, literally in this case. By having his whole body squished it helps calm him, so that he's better able to deal with the unpleasant sensation in his mouth.”
“Maybe.”
“You sound a bit doubtful?”
“Well it's not exactly portable is it? I mean how much does that……wedge weigh?”
“I don't know, but it's certainly heavy.”
“Not really a long term solution.”
“True, it's temporary, but it's his personal fix and now we know, we can make other adjustments.”
“Such as?”
“We have a couple of weighted vests that do the same job and a couple of other vests with Velcro that can be adjusted to give you that same feeling of snugness.”
“Snugness?”
“Yes, like you swaddle babies to calm them, or how your mum pulled the sheets tight when she tucked you in at night, or that heavy winter coat that always feels so reassuring.”
“So “proprioceptive input” is just a big word for squishing!”
“In this particular instance, but there’s a lot more too it than that.”
“Another time then?”
“Sure. Oh and don't let an occupational therapist hear you say that! She’d have my guts for garters!”
“?”
March 12th, 2008 at 1:16 am
i used to like being squished as a kid too (can’t think where my son gets his autism from…)
have you read temple grandin’s book about how she invented her own squisher and went on to become the world expert on cattle crushes because of it?
i suppose a portable squisher could be made out of a sort of undersized inflatable suit…
March 12th, 2008 at 4:02 am
Really makes perfect sense Maddy.
It is amazing the way people compensate when things are a little “off” in their system. The perseverance is astounding.
You must feel like these steps and changes are giant leaps.
Love you and your kids.
Suzy
March 12th, 2008 at 4:27 am
*echos back*
“wedge weigh…wedge weigh…wedge weigh…wedge weigh…wedge weigh…”
oh, sorry, got caught up in the moment
March 12th, 2008 at 4:43 am
did he come up with the idea on his own or did you help him with it? either way it’s a great idea if it helps!
March 12th, 2008 at 6:21 am
Lurker here–just saying hello. I’ve read your whole blog over the last couple of weeks–an upside to a job with a lot of downtime and internet access, so naturally now I feel like part of the family
I wanted to leave my thanks for keeping me engaged and entertained. I was diagnosed with Asperger’s at 11–I’m (almost) 30 now–and I can see echoes of myself in your boys. Keep up the great work.
March 12th, 2008 at 6:35 am
Happy Wednesday to you, love!
March 12th, 2008 at 6:53 am
Love it! Squeezing helped Patrick for an opposite type problem. He didn’t feel a lot, would get hurt and not notice, bumped into walls on purpose to feel it….so proud of your boy (and mom) for finding a way to solve his problem.
March 12th, 2008 at 7:09 am
what a creative idea that was. awesome!
March 12th, 2008 at 8:32 am
Mine likes to be sat on, massaged, squished between things, behind the couch, under small tables, in cabinets, the list goes on. Also climbs inside his duvet at night. Loves to be in tunnels and tents. I need to make something weighted, however. The vest ain’t cutting it anymore.
March 12th, 2008 at 10:59 am
I have also found that when my children (both have ADHD & anxiety disorders) are having a difficult time with things, they tend to curl up under heavy blankets & make a little cocoon to comfort themselves. In reading your blog, I find many things your children do, mine do on a much lesser scale. Sometimes I wish those outside our world would just understand that we make it work, just differently.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, it means so much.
March 12th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
That only looks odd if you don’t have a kid on the spectrum. Mine is tucked into a tent (on the floor), with a beanbag as his cover, oh yeah, and a therapy ball on top of that. He’s sleeping, that is all I care about. Oh, and that his little head is popped out so he can breath:)
March 12th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
My guy loves to be beaten with body pillows. Really. Like completely knocked to the ground. And he’ll come right out and ask for it. (He calls it “whack-a-moley”, a combination of “whack-a-mole” and “guacamole”, I guess.)That and bellyflopping from the couch onto a not-all-that-soft air mattress.
I’m dreading the day when I have to explain proprioceptive input to the neighbors behind us, who likely witness this daily ritual through our living room windows. And the cops too: “But, Officer, he LOVES it! Its how he regulates himself!”
March 12th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
I want a giant blue wedge! You Madame are no amateur!
March 12th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
He looks really blissful- just look at how his eyes are closed in contentment! And that’s a great achievement on his part- being able to soothe himself into doing things which are sensory repulsive to him. Kudos to both of you!
I love the big blue wedge! Some days, even I need a squish or two…
March 14th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
I really loved this post!