3.5 yr old boy with self-regulation issues

[Anonymous]

Hi. I have a 3.5 yr old boy who has a few problems. First, he is highly anxious in new situations (mostly preschool since he has been at home w/ me since he was born). Instead of crying for me, he tends to act of physically (it doesn't seem intentional but it is like he is full of nervous energy, he doesn't know what to do). He will run knock toys over, run around the classroom in bursts of energy, throw things, etc) When he is like this, I don't even think he can hear the teacher. Once he chills out, he is okay. He is also very sensitive to touch that he doesn't initiate (like if another child tries to hold his hand etc, he will squeeze it). His actions at home are much more calm and he seems able to manage himself better (unless he gets excited by running around, etc). His teacher last year said he had very little self-regulation which is a problem. I am about to contact the county to see if they can evaulate him. Does anyone else have a child w/ similar issues? I am not sure if he is just very anxious and shows it by acting out or if it is something more. TIA.

[Anonymous]

FWIW, I think getting him evaluated is an excellent idea, if for no other reason piece of mind. Children with self-regulation issues tend to exhibit the issue less at home because they are of course more comfortable there (one hopes!) but also because the family can sense when and how to help the child calm down when needed, sometimes without even knowing you are doing it. The outside world is not so accomodating! Still, I would not over-react too much, at least not until you have the results of an evaluation. Most boys of this age have self-regulation issues -- some just a bit more than others. You are likely to see improvement in this area over the next couple of years even if you do absolutely nothing different than you do now. Best wishes.

[Anonymous]

Make that "peace of mind"!!

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for your reply. It is so hard to know the right thing to do. I would assume this is something I should contact an occupational therapist for? Or is this something for a developmental pediatrician issue?

[Anonymous]

occupational therapist. it did wonders for my 3.5 year old. we have an excellent OT, and he is steadily improving.

[Anonymous]

OP here. That's what I thought. Did they do an evaluation w/ your child first and then make a plan to meet his needs? Or do they go by what you tell them the issues are with your child? I no longer live in DC but my neighbor gave me recs for her son's OT. I think the evaluation is free but I am worried my insurance won't pay for any of the sessions. How much are your son's sessions (just to get a ballpark)? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

the sessions are $115/week, which is fairly high (but again, she is awesome)

the key for your insurance will be to find another underlying diagnosis, such as low muscle tone, etc. insurances often do not accept sensory processing disorders as a diagnosis. My son has a wide range of (real, not made up) diagnoses, so the insurance pays as an out of network provider, which unfortunately only covers about 1/3 of the cost.

we had gotten an evaluation from DC early intervention, but the actual referral came from my son's speech therapist, who was in the same office.

[Anonymous]

that's $115/hour not per week.

[Anonymous]

btw while you try to sort this out, you could give me your email address, I'd be more than happy to give you some techniques to do "damage control" we have gotten pretty good at providing a healthy sensory diet.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks. My email address is [e-mail].

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks. My email address is [e-mail].

Ooops. I don't know if capitalization matters but my email is actually [e-mail]. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

It sounds like your son has a regulatory disorder. Read The Challenging Child by Dr. Greenspan. He's over in Bethesda, MD in case you want to see him also. He has been a God-send for my child. My son has a regulatory disorder also and was dx at age 2. Now at nearly 5 he is a whole different child I am happy to say!!

I also took my son off gluten. It helped him alot. The silly goofy behavior stopped. I also take my son swimming several times a week and that has helped enormously because swimming is an excellent OT.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the suggestions as I am still on the waiting list for an OT evaluation! Where can I get more info about a gluten-free diet? My friend recommended looking into the Feingold Diet but other than reading that website, I don't have any personal stories about its effectiveness.