6 month old ~ Not sure what to think!

My son is 6 months old and is what I call a 'high maintenance baby'. My background is in Speech-Language Therapy and so maybe I am more tuned in to issues, but I requested an OT eval with my son due to what I called "quirkiness'.




First off, he was a very fussy baby. I had a colicky daughter but my son was different. I was the ONLY one who was able to soothe him, whether it be through bouncing him a certain way, nursing him, singing, etc.

He refused to take a bottle. It wasn't that he really refused, it was like he couldn't figure out HOW. It was/is very frustrating, because his whole world revolves around me being able to comfort and soothe him.

He won't take a pacifier. Cries anytime we drive more than 2 miles in the car...so essentially I stay home and nurse and we go NO WHERE. It's very isolating and leaves me constantly feeling like I am doing something wrong.

The other thing that was 'quirky' about him was that he startled extremely easily- especially going up or down the stairs. Even very slowly and controlled- he would flail and hold his breath and cry.

He is now nearly 7 months and has been seeing the OT thru our school district. She says she things there are SPD related with his vestibular system. Motor wise he is doing great. Developmentally intellectually on target...and things are 'better' but not great. Some days I feel like things will never be 'normal'.

He is pretty good as long as he is home with ME, but the few times I've tried to take him to daycare a few hours, he screams the entire time and is so upset by the commotion/noise of that environment I have to go pick him up.

I am fortunate in that I work from home- but I am going to go nuts. Can I really continue to be a prisoner in my home and HOW am I/he going to function in the real world??

I'm SO tired of people telling me that he just needs to 'cry it out' or get used to entertaining himself...it just isn't happening.



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Dec 17, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		AN UPDATE from OP
by: Anonymous

I am the original poster- and just thought I'd offer an update.

DS is now 10 months old. He has greatly improved- to the point he has been discharged by OT. He can ride in the car without near the problems as before- even falling asleep pretty regularly! It's like he's turned a little corner.

He still is nursing almost exclusively. And he is not a good sleeper - up every 3-4 hours, BUT even that is an improvement. He has started going to daycare for 3-4 hours and that has offered me a lot of relief. He definitely has sensory issues at daycare, and too much stimulation (crying from other children) makes him agitated- but he is not AS MISERABLE as he would have been before.

SO,he is much more easy to take care of. I still could not leave him for an entire 8 hours, but I'm happy for small improvements.
Dec 17, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		shivers when eating
by: iggy

my granddaughter is no 10months and I know what you are saying. I feel your pain belive me.

I am a little afraid to mention this sensitivity integration condition. I suspected right after birth when my granddaughter cried when I touched her feet.

How do I tell my daughter? She might say I am a nurse with too much information. This isnt easy, however, my granddaughter needs treatment.
go for it I suppose????
Nov 01, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		the more i read the more i believe!!
by: angie

IT IS SO HELPFUL TO BE READING ALL THIS. MY SON HAS BEEN EVALUATED TWICE AND IT BECOMES BROADER EACH TIME. THEY HAVE SAID AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER BUT LIKE U, HE HAS THE EYE CONTACT , HE JUST JUDGES SOMEONE WHEN HE MEETS THEM. HE IS DIFFT' WITH DIFFT' PEOPLE. HE MAY NOTICE ONE PERSON AND BECOME VERY SOCIAL WITH THEM....ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE QUIET AND NOT SO "UP IN HIS SPACE"!! HE DOES NOT ENJOY BEING AROUND MY SISTER BECAUSE SHE IS VERY LOUD AND BOISTEROUS!! SHE IS QUICK TO MOVE AND ANYTHING UNEXPECTED LIKE A SNEEZE , DOG BARK , OR COUGHING HE DOESNT LIKE AT ALL. LOUD NOISES ARE NOT WHAT BOTHER HIM, JUST UNEXPECTED THINGS. HE ALSO IS FUNNY ABOUT SOME TEXTURES, LIKE GRASS, WATER, BUBBLES....BUT HE IS RECEIVING THERAPY AND IS COMING ALONG VERY WELL.

HE IS STILL MY LIL' QUIRKY BOY MOST OF THE TIME, BUT I HAVE DONE IT FOR SO LONG , THAT I UNCONSCIOUSLY GO AHEAD OF HIM AND SMOOTH THE PATH SO TO SPEAK. ALOT OF NOISES AT ONCE OR ACTIVITY AT ONCE DOES NOT GO OVER WELL AT ALL. IT IS A VERY SLOW PROCESS, BUT HE IS COMING ALONG. WITH TIME I AM SURE HIS SPEECH WILL IMPROVE ALSO. IT WAS RITE ON TIME LIKE URS WITH THE MILESTONES, BUT AT ABOUT AGE 2 IT DID NOT PROCEED AT THE RATE IT SHOULD HAVE. HE CAN TALK , BUT STILL IS NOT PUTTING WORDS TOGETHER AT ALL. HE IS 2YRS AND 8 MTHS NOW. HIS THERAPISTS SAY THAT WITH CONTINUED THERAPY , HE WILL DEFINITELY PICK UP ON HIS SPEECH, AND THE OT THERAPY HE WILL BEGIN RECEIVING SOON WILL HELP WITH HIS SENSITIVITIES TO TEXTURES AND SOCIAL SITUATIONS. IN DUE TIME HE WILL LEARN TO DEAL WITH HIS SENSITIVITIES TO ALL THE THINGS THAT "IRK " HIM.
Oct 29, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		3 yr old with possible SPD
by: Anonymous

Ah, I feel like I'm reading about my own life when I read these posts, especially yours. I have a son who just turned three and I have noticed that he was different pretty much from birth. He was severely colicky, cried pretty much whenever he was awake. I breast fed him but he would often pull on and off my breast and never wanted to be put down. He hated baby swings and bouncers. It just seemed like he was very rarely happy. I too work in a field where I know quite a bit about child development and parenting and people would tell me that I just knew too much and was looking for something that wasn't there or that "every child develops differently". I got sick of hearing it actually. My son said a few words and for the most part met his early developmental milestones. However, at age 2 was only saying about 30 words and some of those were not clear. He screamed a lot to get his message across.

My doctor passed off my concerns until at 2 1/2 she began to see what I had been seeing all along. We are currently awaiting an assessment for autism but my son does not seem to have some of the classic autism symptoms. For example, he has imaginary play and good eye contact. His speech is slowly coming through speech therapy. After learning about SPD through this site I truly believe this is what we're dealing with. I just read "The Out of Sync Child" and all the pieces of the puzzle are finally starting to fit. My problem is figuring out where to go next. I can only access the OT at our local hospital if we have a referral through mental health and I would only get this if my son had severe behavioral problems, which he doesn't. Trying to connect with a private OT but even this is difficult as I do not live in a large city and resources are scarce.

I am so thankful this site. It has been very helpful and I feel validated in my experiences with my son after reading everyone's experiences with their SPD children.
Oct 11, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		me too
by: Anonymous

I also work in Paediatric development / education and noticed that my daughter was 'quirky' from about 3 months old. I have always told my mum that something was not quite right. She is extremely bright, clever and outgoing- but anyone who spends extended time with her realises that there is something going on. Many health professional- doctors and educators have told me that she is fine- just 'quirky'- so i pushed my thoughts aside. She is now 4 and will be starting school next year. She is having significant sensory problems- i wish i had followed my instinct and started therapy earlier!
Sep 09, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		QUIRKY!
by: angie

omg...BOY CAN I EVER RELATE!! MY SON IS TWO AND A HALF AND WILL HAVE HIS EVAL. TOMORROW! I FELT THE VERY SAME WAY. LIKE I WAS DOING SOMETHING WRONG OR MY SON WAS JUST QUIRKY! THAT IS THE WORD I USE ALL THE TIME. THE WORST IS PEOPLE AROUND YOU TELLING YOU THAT THEY JUST NEED TO CRY IT OUT, TRUST ME , I TRIED THAT , IT DOESNT WORK. MY SON ONLY RIDES IN OUR VEHICLES, HE'S NOT TALKING ENOUGH FOR US TO FIGURE OUT IF ITS COLOR, OR SOMETHING ABOUT THE INTERIOR HE DOESSNT LIKE,BUT HE WILL SCREAM FOR HOW EVER LONG YOU CAN STAND TO DRIVE!! HE HAS TO HOLD MY FINGER EVEN WHEN IM DRIVING(HE HAS THIS LIL' RUBBING THING HE DOES ON MY FINGERTIPS TO SOOTHE HIMSELF, AND HAS BEEN SINCE ABOUT 6MTHS.) ITS VERY HARD TO DO, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOURE DRIVING!!

HE JUDGES WHO HE LIKES BY THEIR TONE AND IF THEY ARE BOISTEROUS, HE WITHDRAWS FROM THEM. HE HAS NEVER LIKED ANYONE TOUCHING HIS BACK OR HIS HAIR AND HE HAS THIS BEAUTIFUL POOFY PLATINUM HAIR THAT EVERYBODY LOVES. STRANGERS COME UP TO US IN WAL-MART AND SAY , OH HOW CUTE AND HE COVERS HIS EYES AND SCREAMS TILL THEY GO AWAY OR HE CANT SEE THEM LOOKING AT HIM. HE GETS SO OVERSTIMULATED THAT I LITERALLY HAVE TO PRACTICALLY HOLD HIM DOWN TO CALM HIM...OR HE WILL JUST START CRYING AND COME TO ME..DADDY GETS HIM REALLY OVERSTIMULATED WHEN THEY PLAY, AND DOESNT MEAN TOO!! I THOUGHT I WAS CRAZY OR JUST ANAL!!

WE TRIED FOR 18 YRS TO HAVE A BABY, LOST 4 AND HAD MY LIL' ANGEL...IAN. EVERYONE KEPT SAYING THAT I HAD SPOILT HIM. HE IS STILL ONLY USING SINGLE WORDS BUT THAT IS PICKING UP WITH TIPS FROM HIS THERAPIST AND AFTER TOMORROWS EVAL. MAYBE WE WILL GET MORE INPUT TO HELP. HAVE FAITH...IT WILL GET EASIER, AND YOU WONT HAVE TO CONTINUE TO "JUMP THRU HOOPS". THATS HOW I FEEL EVERYDAY. GOOD LUCK
Sep 05, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		I can relate.
by: Rachel

My daughter has always been very reliant on me for comfort as well. Although it has gotten easier she is still that way in many regards and she is almost six! She will call me from her Grandmas house to come pick her up when she had planned on spending the night and has even called me at work before cuz Grandma couldnt calm her down! One thing youve really got going for you is that you are getting help so early. That should really help. I didnt know my daughter had issues until she was four, when she first attended preschool.

Wish I knew what to tell you about going stircrazy but I dont. Perhaps gradual exposure to new places and people will eventually help your child to separate from you some. A program where I live called headstart allows you to stay with your child at the center as much as you want. Of course your work schedule has to allow for that. Hang in there!
Sep 04, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		OT
by: Anonymous

He is currently being seen by an OT. I live in a very rural area and don't have access to more intensive evaluation centers.
Sep 04, 2010
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starstarstarstarstar 		developemntal center
by: Anonymous

find the nearest comprehensive developmental center and have him evaluated. usually it's run by a neurologist and a team of PTs, OTs, STs and it's thorough-you can at least get a baseline at his age despite the fact they can't diagnose anything yet. sounds very OTish/sensory for sure.

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