7 year old daughter seems miserable in car travel

Hello, my 7 year old daughter seems to be in true distress when she sits in the back seat by her brother. This may sound strange but she complains about the way he is sitting when he seems to me to be doing nothing wrong. She does not like to hear any body make a "grunting" noise, this is making it really hard to travel any where, she socializes normally, I could just use some input, what could i do for her? Thank you



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Jan 27, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Car Seat/Clothes
by: Anonymous

My granddaughter, age three, cries every time she gets buckled into her car seat. She says that the strap is "bugging" her. Her mother has loosened the strap a bit just to keep her in the car seat and not screaming. With the strap loosened she can stick her hand between the strap and her body which seems to help.

The car seat is not the only thing that "bugs" her. Her clothes from panties, to socks and shoes, and jackets drive her to complain and cry.

We are new to SPD. Today is the first time I heard of it. One of the adults commenting said that she used to have SPD. Is this something that decreases with age or that children learn to cope with?
Jan 06, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Thank you
by: Anonymous

Thank you so much for all the input. I have been getting really frustrated with her and I know that is not what she needs. Thanks again
Jan 06, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		I can relate to your daughter's problems
by: Anonymous

The important thing to remember is that as a child with SPD, your daughter will be aware and bothered by things that you wouldn't even notice. I've never been officially diagnosed but have recognised the symptoms of SPD in myself, and I can relate to your daughters problems. I doubt this is just her venting her frustrations on her brother; if she says there are noises that are bothering her, there probably will be.

People make noises all the time without ever really noticing it, but people with SPD do! It's quite possible that noises like swallowing, sniffing, humming, coughing or even heavy breathing may be what bothers her. It doesn't even have to be noise; does her brother sway or fidget while he is sitting in the car? That can also be pretty disturbing and frustrating to a person with SPD.

And it's also possible that her ability to cope with these disruptions is worsened by other sources of overstimulation. She could find the rapidly changing scenery overwhelming, or she might find the sensation of riding in a car unpleasant.

It's very important that you ask your daughter what it is that bothers her, and you take her answer seriously. Some aspect of car journeys is making her suffer, and if you find out the reason you may be able to make things less stressful for her.
Jan 03, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Overstimulated?
by: Kim

Hi there, perhaps she is overstimulated while you are driving around. I had SPD as a child and would have complete meltdowns everytime we drove somewhere. My mom said I would scream if I saw the overhead wires, bridges, the sun was too bright, the noises of other cars as well as our own etc... maybe she is overstimulated and gets irritated and does not know how to verbalize her discomfort so she puts the blame on her brother? You can buy kid size headphones to drown out background noise.

Hope this helps.
kim :)
Dec 28, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		ask
by: Anonymous

Have you asked her ,and said you would truly like to understand what it is that bothers her about it. maybe she knows and maybe she doesn't.

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