Book Review: Sensory Issue Books
If you have a limited number of books you are willing to read before you travel then I think you should focus on the attachment books before the sensory books. But if you want to read everything you can so you can be as prepared as you can, then I think enough of our kids have some sensory issues to make these books worth your time.
I believe that the vast majority of kids who are institutionalized have some sensory stuff going on when they are placed in their parent’s arms. I believe that many of them will quickly sort through everything and be mostly okay with stuff within a few months. But some (like GlitterGirl) will have a lifetime of challenges around their sensory issues.
So, if you don’t read the books then understand that (if your child was in an orphanage) they’ve seen the exact same room (or couple of rooms) for as long as they can remember, and they’ve had the exact same series of sensory input for as long as they can remember. And then they are placed in your arms and all of a sudden they are bombarded with sensory input that they’ve never experienced before. Their brains are likely not wired for this yet.
Some kids can experience visual overload, some auditory overload, some tactile overload. And some experience all of the above.
As an example, some kids can not eat in a restaurant while in China. They cannot deal with the noise of the restaurant and the new textures of foods at the same time. If they are to eat, you may have to take food back to your hotel room.
Or, maybe it isn’t that your child doesn’t want to be touched because she can’t attach to you, maybe it’s that she’s never been touched that much and has never heard these kinds of noises before and can’t handle both at the same time.
One thing to keep in mind - in those first few weeks with your child you are trying to build trust. Until there is a very strong foundation of trust I don’t believe we can help our kids deal with sensory input that they are having trouble with. So, in those first few weeks I think we help them by removing them from these situations when possible. Once trust is there and the attachment process is well underway then we do have to start trying to gently introduce things that are hard for them to process.
Anyway, I’ve strayed from giving a good description of the books. The Out of Sync Child explains what Sensory Integration is but I believe it falls short of helping parents deal with it. Raising a Sensory Smart Child gives great ideas and methods for how to parent a child with sensory issues.
First you have to understand what is going on, and next you have to be able to help them with it. So both books are important.
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:22 am
The out-of-sync child has fun : activities for kids with sensory processing disorder / by Carol Stock Kranowitz
I wanted to add this to the reading list. It is at my local library so might be for others as well. :)
August 22nd, 2007 at 12:22 pm
As a mother of a son with severe sensory issues, I cannot emphasize enough how helpful early intervention can be. These books are very helpful to help you identify if you child has sensory issues. Then get all the help you can. My son had speech, occupational and developmental therapy for four years. He is now a happy, well-adjusted kindergartener. I shudder to think what we would be up against if he had not received early intervention.
August 22nd, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Thank you RQ for recommending these books! It would have been so easy for you to have never come back to this website after getting your 2nd daughter. It is great to see how much you love us AP and especially the kids to give us information on the real things that could happen.
Our agency tends to focus on “Divine Calling” and how rosy adoption is…that crap get’s really old. We just want to be the best parents we can be to a little girl (or boy) who gets placed with us. If someone/something else “called” us to parent, than we probably wouldn’t be the best of parents. We made the decision.
August 22nd, 2007 at 3:38 pm
I too have a son w/ SID (hypo sensitivity) adopted from Ukraine almost 3 yrs ago at 21 months. We go thru phases w/ his input ‘needs” and right now we are in a hi-input-needing phase which means we are constantly throwing ourselves in to people, furniture, anything that is nailed down (or not naled down, including me, my DH and my other DS). I found the out-of-sync child to be informative, but as someone else mentioned, not big on providing “what to do about it”. My DS has been in EI since he came home and has also been involved with our public Integrated Pre-School (he will be starting his 2nd full year, and is going to be attending both the AM and PM classes). Although he is still seeking input, he has grown leaps and bounds because of EI and PS. I strobgly recommend screening as soon as possible. We waitied about 6 weeks after he came home, just so he could acclimate a little bit first.
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:57 pm
Along the lines of the SN/NSN conversation, this is one of those needs that may arise once home with your NSN daughter - and insurance companies and the school system don’t always ‘get it’.
Our little one (NSN adopted at 14 months) has been receiving occupational therapy for her sensory needs for the past 6 months. Of those 6, I have spent 4 dealing with a reluctant insurance company. The school system won’t touch sensory issues once she is in kindergarten as they do not provide OT as a primary need, only in conjunction with a larger special need category.
We will continue her therapy for as long as she shows a need for it, but it can be a long and expensive haul once our kids outgrow the early intervention system.
“The Out of Sync Child Has Fun” has provided a bunch of great ideas for our family, as well as a pat on the head that we are already doing alot of good stuff at our house.
August 22nd, 2007 at 9:50 pm
Well phooey. I typed a big long reply and then I forgot to type in the antispam word so I lost it all…. hwere is a summary
I went to one of Carol Stock Kranowitz’s institutes. She is awesome. She has a few books on sensory disorders that are really good.
The basis of sensory disorders is that most people are able to cope with their sensory needs automatically by doing things like adjusting your position in your chair when sitting for long periods of time, chewing gum or getting a cold drink when you are tired, squeezing a stress ball, taking a hot bath when you are stressed, taking a deep breath to calm yourself, wearing sunglasses when it is too bright outside, covering your ears when a noise is too loud, etc. But people with sensory disorders have not developed these coping skills. Really amazing if you think about it. My husband has a sensory disorder. He has a super sensitive sense of smell. He will get sick over a smell that I cannot smell at all. He can feel the tiniest chunk of dust on the bottom of his bare feet. He drives me nutso actually, but through learning about sensory integration disorders I have learned how to help him cope. He doesn’t walk around the house barefoot anymore! ha.
Anyway, SID is a passion of mine so if any of you have questions in general or questions about your own child pleasee feel free to email me. saramlane@embarqmail.com
I actually started a “sensory room” at our school and it has helped so many kids that before were (incorrectly) diagnosed ADHD! Imagine that!
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:39 pm
Hi,
“The Out of Sync Child” is a fantastic book, but as someone mentioned– it doesn’t really tell you what to do. There is another book, titled “The Out of Sync Child Has Fun” that has practical and fun interventions that are easy for parents to do. I am a school psych at a school w/ a high incidence of sensory integration issues (primarily due to Autism & ADHD)– I rely heavily on these books as do the Occupational Therapists I work with. I recommend them to parents often, and have received excellent feedback. And I totally agree, early identification and intervention cannot be beat. Best, JB
August 23rd, 2007 at 8:11 am
I think all these book reviews are really helpful (thanks RQ). But looking back at what helped me most when we adopted our daughter, it was the more basic childcare books. DH and I were first time parents and knew next to nothing. I learned so much from them–eg about normal stages of development, about dealing with just the ordinary and slightly more exceptional issues that any kid has. It seems like it would be a mistake if new parents adopting might get so hung up on attachment, sensory issues, etc. that they might not think of consulting the more basic.
August 23rd, 2007 at 1:31 pm
RQ, do you think for those, as am I, that are adopting an older child…..that these books are good choices, and/or is there something more we should be looking at? I am thinking that our child is going to have a lot more issues now, as she is already talking, and has made friendships…….
If this has been addressed, excuse me, I’ve been trying to catch up….we have family that has been sick…..