Sensory Input? | ADHD Information

My son who is six has been on 10mg Adderall XR since Sept of 07. He started out at 5mg and moved up to 10 mg after about 3 weeks.  The meds seem to be working fine but I wonder if any other parents experience sensory issues.  Maybe I am not coining the phrase right.  Let me explain.  My son freaks out (literally) if his clothes dont fit just right.  His sleeves inside his coat have to be just right or he is freaking.  he will not wear hooded sweatshirts because of the collar.  i have to cut all the tags out of his clotes.  His socks have to be lined up perfectly with the seem.  He has always loved different "feelings"....i.e. velor blankets, very soft or silky materials.  It's becoming difficult to buy clothing for him because he literally freaks out...anyone else experience this? 

Very common and very frustrating. It is a Sensory disorder, or issue. Has it been ongoing, or just began with the meds?

I do understand though, my DD hasn't worn socks since she was 2 or so.

He has done this since he was a baby.  When I would hold him...he would with one finger, rub in circles, while sucking his other thumb.  He still does BOTH at the age of SIX.  The dressing him lately has become VERY frustrating.  I just recently bought him a lot of nice clothes and he won't wear any of them....after trying them on and me cutting the tags out  so now I can't return them!

I buy clothes with no tags and dd wears no underwear, this is my undiagnosed child! Love her to pieces, but boy those sensory issues will be the death of me!!!

For a LONG time, we rubbed her feet with a dry towel just to get her to wear shoes........he has outgrown SO much of this stuff, I keep hoping there's an end in sight!

HA!  I completely forgot to mention underwear.  My daughter only wears them when she is forced to, i.e. if wearing a skirt.  Otherwise she refuses.  I cut the tags out of her pants too.  Her preferences will change too - sometimes it is only blue jeans, but they can't be "crunchy" - hehehe.  This means they cannot be dried on a laundry line, they must be dried in the dryer.  But then she insists they be stretched out because they are too tight.    I compromise by drying them on the line and then tossing them in the dryer right before she wears them.  And she insists the pants be low-riders.  No pants above the belly button.

And up until last year she slept in the nude - hated pajamas.  Now she wears boxer shorts from Old Navy and the same darn brown t-shirt.  Oh and as I say that it occurs to me that she is fussy about colors too.  Nearly half her wardrobe is brown. 

Heheheh.  Weird.

My daughter is the same with her clothes too.  I noticed this way before she was ever diagnosed.  I have had the school nurse call me at work to take me to task for the way my daughter is dressed - going without socks in the dead of winter gets noticed. 

I finally decided to quit fighting with her and now search out brands that print the "tags" on the item.  I have also learned not to buy more than 1 or 2 pieces of clothing at a time.  That way when she refuses to wear something because it's too big, too loose, rubs too much, etc. I am not out a billion dollars.  She will settle on a few items and wear them over and over.  I just wash them at night when she has gone to bed so they are clean in the morning.  I do point out to her that the other kids might notice she wears the same things, so she should expect a comment or two.  But at least she's clean

Maybe you can ask for some brand recommendations?  I know I saw someone post a comment about only buying socks from Old Navy because the are the only brand her son will wear.  Maybe we can all give you a good list to draw from and eliminate the issues as much as you can.

I don't know which part of the country you are from but I know stores here in the midwest.  Old Navy has pretty much eliminated tags in their shirts - not sure about pants.  Kohls has started the practice of printing tags inside their shirts too.  Hanes t-shirts don't have tags anymore either.

As for socks - you said he likes different textures like silky or extra soft - what about searching out some fuzzy socks made of chenile type of material?  Maybe if the sock are more interesting because of their texture, you might have more success getting him to wear them?

You may as well just described my son (7yrs) to a T.  He is the same exact way in all aspects.  I didnt know before going on here that there is something called SID or sensory disorder.  I believe that is what he has but has not been dx with it yet (we don't see the psychologist until next month).  He has ADHD and is on Vyvanse.  He really only likes shirts with stripes.  No Jeans or couderoys ever or he will flip out..not worth the trouble.  He does not like pictures on his shirts.  The clothes can not be too big or he will have a meltdown.  He never liked tags on his clothes..we always cut them out.  His seams on his socks also have to be lined up just right..hint works better if they are inside out..more comfy.  He just stated complaining about his underwear.  Oh and he also has to pull his pants up way high..practically up to his chest.  I just have to laugh when I think how peculiar he is with his clothes...I thought I wouldnt have this problem with a boy..but now I see that it is much more than just pick.  Just have to laugh sometimes about it all....

Its called Sensory Integration.   My daughter was diagnosed at 4 then also had ADD type issues.  Went to many doctors, some said sensory issues were caused by ADD others said that Sensory integration caused ADD symptoms.

 The good thing is therapy can help with the sensory issues as well as any other delays that a therapist would be able to see that you may not even be aware of.  With SI, it is like all the little nuero passageways in the brain have a traffic jam and the sensory input is getting all confused.  With clothing alot of times the childs brain is telling them that the tag on their clothing hurts, which seems silly, but that is how the brain is processing the information. 

There is a brushing technique that works very well with the sensitivity to clothing etc.  A therapist can show you or maybe you can find how to do it online. 

Some of the isssues will get better as your child matures but will not entirely go away.  My daughter is 15 and is a wonderful kid who appears normal to others but we still deal with school work issues and some behavoirs we dont like.  Although she is a teenager. 

Hope it helps

mulitaskr39499.505

My son (9) was dx'ed with mild sensory intergration problems when he was in preschool.  He flips out about certain fabrics, buttons and snaps, socks, underwear (hasn't worn it since he was 3), I could go on and on. 

Buying clothes is not too much of a problem anymore.  He only wears track pants and t-shirts.  He does like the Under Armour shirts, but they're a wee bit expensive given that he totally destroys his clothing in what seems like a very short time.  I keep one pair of khaki pants with elastic waist band in the back of his closet for those occasions when he must "dress up"- I bought a pair in every size when I found them at the Children's Place on clearance last year, as they can be hard to find.   

My son has SID and ADHD.  The psych who dx'ed the ADHD said to be careful of the stimulants, because sometimes they can exacerbate the sensory issues.

Oral (and therefore food) issues are the arena where the SID is most severe in his case, and that along with crummy appetite is why I'm trying a bunch of other things before trying a stimulant...

My 5 yo dd had auditory sensitivity before starting meds, but after meds, she also became sensitive about clothing.  She complained if her shoes weren't laced tight enough and refused to wear velcro shoes because they weren't tight enough.  That may be lessening a bit since she asked to wear crocs the last few warm days, but her socks seams must be straight. Since starting meds and losing a few pounds, some of her pants are loose, so she now also insists on wearing a belt daily, cinched tight enough to leave marks on her skin. 

Sharon
Claudia 3/04 30mg Vyvanse (just switched a few weeks ago)
Cami 4/04 ADHHHHHD no meds

I suggest you read a wonderful book, "Sensational Kids", by Dr. Lucy J. Miller. It's the best! You'll love it and will find lots of answers to your questions. It also helps parents determine whether their children have ADHD, SPD or both.

Your son may have sensory problems I would have him screened for sensory processing disorder.  Was your son like that before meds?  Sometimes meds do bring out other things more noticable.

My DS (7) has Sensory Processing Disorder.  He did not like the tags, but got over that at about 5.  Most of his issues are because he craves MORE input.  Whether they are sensory "seekers" or sensory "avoiders", the therapy is usually the same--more sensory input!

I have a website (see below) with more info if you're interested.