Sensory problems help! | ADHD Information
We saw the psychologist Monday he told her the same thing I told her and added they need to be loose the shoes for her feet to grow. She agreed and acted bored during our visit and all was fine for the evening.Next day we are back in the Red Zone and chaos she had a dental appointment and played with her shoes but was okay better when we got to school it all began again. I took her inside kicking and screaming and when we got to the office held it together when we went to the nurses office is when it hit again. She threw herself on to the floor in the hallway where other kids can hear her and melted down. I tried to reason with her and told her what we discussed and nothing worked. The nurse came out and helped and is good with her I like her nurse. The nurse told me she understands for she herself has an ADHD teen at home. Every time it is time to put shoes on she is refusing at OT he is saying the Sensory is bothering her but not as much as she is leading on it is more behavior now.
I slept on it and my new plan is to she has to earn TV and Computer time or even extra stay up time and If she melts down for 30 minutes then she loses 30 minutes of her enjoyment time. I am re-enforcing the get over it and the feet need room to grow however drastic measures are needed. We cannot go anywhere with her or do anything for she will melt down the whole time.
Any suggestions welcome besides me jumping off a bridge.
I am not looking forward to school tomorrow and the battles ahead. I basically told her she has to just get over it and used to it and I am not going to listen to any more complaints since we got her another pair and tried to get her yet another. I will see what happens. My daughter has the same problem with her shoes, but she is OK with her velcro ones. I can't wait for the summer... she can live in bare feet or flip flops. The problem with my girl is they have to feel tight and not move on her feet absolute no moving room or it is not good enough. So still every time we have her put shoes on the meltdown begins and she screams "too Loose". Today we tried again and went to Walmart but nothing there was good enough and she screamed and melted down in the store and I dragged her out kicking and screaming heaven forbid I tried tie shoes with her. The problem the heel moved and the too loose thing again. Thanks for the ideas and keep them coming please I am at my wits end.
Maybe next week OT may have another idea or something I can get for this is getting worse by day and there are major problems at school now too. I am praying for our psychologist Monday for a solution I really think this is mental for sure. We even tried regular shoes not sneakers. Argggg!!!!!
My son LOVES his snow boots, even when there is no snow, like now! they are heavy, which he loves due to sensory reasons. I have a trick. My daughter used to be AWFUL about her shoes. Our OT and PT suggested rubbing her feet (hard) with a dry towel before putting her shoes on. It worked. We did this for about a year. Every day I spent 5-10 minutes rubbing her feet with a dry towel before shoes. She kept them on. When you first start rubbing they jump out of their skin giggling because it tickles so much, but the more you rub the more you "desensitize", then the shoes dont bug them as much. We dont have to do it anymore as this is my younger daughter and she outgrew this, but I did it for over a year and it saved us! Good lcuk, those sensory issues are brutal.................I feel for you - I was awful with shoes as a kid. That was before anyone
coined Sensory Integration as far as I know, but shoes were always a
bugaboo for me. I know I put my mom through the wringer and we didn't
have enough money to spend on my fickle feet.
Anyway I wonder if you might be able to just shoot for an entirely
different kind of shoe as a quick fix. Like to bridge over to the time when
you have this sensitization sorted out, because I know waiting even a
month at this point will be misery for all involved.
Luckily for girls there are so many choices of kinds of shoes - if it
absolutely has to be sneakers, like for gym, could you go to a Mary Jane
style (Keds has some) which won't feel "sneakerish" to the foot or Keen
brand which have a different kind of toe box or something with a high top
if she'll feel more secure to have her ankles wrapped. Or if it's only for a
gym requirement maybe you could ask the teacher if a water shoe would
work just for the gym session - the ones that are snug mesh all over but
grippy on the bottom. Those might feel enough different to not twig her
out.
And then during the non gym period go with something utterly
unsneakerish - whatever captures her fancy - princess flats or ballet
slippers or crocs or snowboots or whatever does the trick.
I wonder if a heavier shoe would help? My kids have Heely's and I was shocked at how much heavier they are than a regular sneaker. Maybe you could find something like that and see if it would give her enough sensory input.
My other thought was, have you tried a skater style shoe like Vans? They tend to have very cushy insides so if she pulls the laces tight she'll be able to feel it all over, not just around the arch of the foot.
It seems as if our children all go through a lot of the same issues at different times. My 8 y/o son ADHD ODD has a lot of trouble with shoes. I never thought it had anything to do with sensory issues although i bought a soft futon and a weighted blanket for him which really help with his sleep. Jon has been wearing a sneaker on one foot and a shoe on the other for the past week. The sneaker is done up very tight and the shoe is too small. I asked him where his other shoes were the first day he did this and he ranted on and on about his shoes not fitting and being stupid (the shoes) so I just left him alone. He will probably wear correct shoes for church, I am not pushing the issue as he has a lot of new rules to get used to right now. My daughter along with Moderate to Severe ADHD and ODD also has Sensory Processing Disorder. Anyways we are having a shoe problem and having meltdowns daily 2 x per day. She is on Ritalin LA and is 8 years old now I covered all basis.Here is the problem when she puts her sneakers on she has to pull them so tight she cuts of circulation tight and it is Never Good Enough. She will only wear velcro shoes and like i said pulls them tighter than tight. She began last week having a meltdown over "too loose too loose" solution I tried was double sox. The double sox lasted 1 1/2 weeks with no meltdowns then it all began again with a vengeance. So again I tried and took her to a shoe store and bought another pair of shoes 1/2 smaller meaning her toes touch the end so will not last long but it was snugger for her senses. After one day it began again the meldowns being late for school over not tight enough issues and now this time complaining it is digging into her foot. I pay for private OT (good insurance is the how) and he checked out the shoes and feet no problems found so he made a chart telling her she cannot complain for 7 days for the new shoe 7 day rule he told her. Also he told me it is sensory for sure and part behavior. That lasted 1 day and we are back to square one and I feel beaten
. I do not know what else to do and she has been overly defiant as well miserable to be around. Also I had two notes home from school for yesterday and today she obsessed over her shoes and complained all day getting no work done and being defiant. I am also thinking she needs a med adjustment however more med may bring out the sensory even more. Any ideas?I am comforted by one thing she has a psychologist appointment Monday if we make it that long.
Jillette39521.7374189815well i have no real help for you but i know what you are going through, have you looked into ot therapy that helps sensory issues, my son was put on a "sensory diet" and he is funny about things and they have a soft brush that they "brush" his arms to get used to it, he also hates any chewy foods so a sensory exercise is give him licorice and play a game with it, have some hang out and try to pull on it while he chews some. my son is miserable with life which is sad for an 8 yr old, if his shirt is too hard,he hates it, if its too soft he hates it,etc. he has a reversable coat and he has a fit if it change it from the color/side he's used to. [QUOTE=Kates3]
This sounds crazy, but what about partially wrapping her foot in an Ace bandage or pressure stocking (like those used for varicose veins or post-surgery) under her sock?
Just another thought for the sensory input (from the mom of an ADHD + SID kid!)
[/QUOTE]*I never heard of that but worth a shot. I called the Pediatrician for their opinion to rule out the medical and they feel it is all behavioral. I just need my husband to follow the plan we have already argued due to him taking computer and TV completely away. the problem is he did not follow the rules he did not count how long she fussed for that is the time she loses not all of it.
This sounds crazy, but what about partially wrapping her foot in an Ace bandage or pressure stocking (like those used for varicose veins or post-surgery) under her sock?
Just another thought for the sensory input (from the mom of an ADHD + SID kid!)
Yes, my daughter is having the exact same fit over shoes!!! I cannot buy her another pair, this is ridiculous. She freaks out if the shoe is not pulled so tight that it leaves marks, and if the velcro comes undone, lord help us. This happened in the last few months; she's been on stimulant meds for 7 months now. With two adhd kids and one adhd mom, we are already always late for everything, no way can I spend 10 minutes rubbing her feet before we tear out the door...
Sharon in MD
Claudia 3/03
Cami 4/04