There is hope...

by SL
(England)

My son was diagnosed with a sensory modulatory disorder when he was about 7 years old. I was given an article on sensory integration problems - the first line of which was 'Some children are more difficult to love than other but those with a sensory integration disorder are can be the most difficult of all'. I cried when I read it because although I loved my son there were many times that I didn't like him very much at all. Over the years we tried many things - all of which had some degree of success. We tried brushing with fine brushes and this seemed to lessen the sensitivity to touch although it cost a lot in time effort and money.

I went on a parenting course which helped take the emotion out of my response to his behaviour - I would recommend this to everyone. We were advised to try him on an anti-oliogenic diet this took years to get through but made the most difference of all. The diet was suggested and supervised by our local hospital. We saw a marked difference in 5 weeks although by that time my son had all but given up eating because he was so bored with the diet. 2 years later we had a good range of foods in his diet with a number of food types clearly identified as exacerbating his difficulties.

I worked with him to help him identify what the bad feelings were, where he felt them and to grade them according to how bad they felt. He was then able [at quite a young age to monitor his behaviour and remove himself from stressful situations before he lost it.

I now have a son, aged 18 years, who goes to work on his motorcycle and has a lovely girlfriend. He still has his moments but on the whole he leads a very normal life and is a pleasure to live with. My advice is not to give up, to love the child you have not the one you feel you should have had and to try a variety of different approaches. Good luck.