spirit of autism sentiochews

Product Review: KidCompanions SentioCHEWS

Back in May of 2011 I had a huge problem. My son came home from school each day with holes in his shirt. He destroyed countless pencils, board game coins, and “reusable” plastic straws. But the worst: the perpetual trips to GameStop to replace the myriad styluses (stylii?) that were nibbled to mere nubs.

When KidCompanions Chewelry came to the rescue, I shared the exciting news on the Blog, especially because Chewelry saved me over $14.99 a month because I no longer had to buy replacement styluses. You can find the original review here.

The images seem to have disappeared with the migration into the new website, so here’s a snapshot of his stylus nubs: soa stylus nubs

If your child chews incessantly, understand that it is not their fault. They can’t help it. Children with Autism especially have difficulty in regulating their sensory experiences. They can have hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity to various sensations. Excessive chewing is an example of sensory hyposensitivity.

It’s been a while since Justin has been a human beaver and destroyed items by chewing. But we have other issues. He spends a lot of time on his computer, playing Minecraft, writing custom video game scripts, Skyping with children all over the world. But he’s still an 11 year-old boy with a LOT of energy!

Although we have a mini-trampoline, Gazelle Edge, yoga ball, and play time outside, he still bursts out of his room in regular intervals looking to spend his overabundance of energy SOMEWHERE.

Many times I can redirect it to one of our exercise or sensory items mentioned above, but many times it’s not enough. His energy release of choice lately is messing with the dogs. It’s not pretty.

We have three giant Alaskan Malamutes and boy does he know how to get under their skin fur. Rest assured, these giant pups are very tolerant and patient; it’s still not a good situation for anyone involved.

Enter KidCompanions’ newest item: SentioCHEWS.
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What are SentioCHEWS?

They are chewy shapes made with FDA compliant thermoplastic elastomers. SentioCHEWS are elastic, bouncy, AND tough! They have a soft, rubber feel and are pliable, NOT a hard chew like the KidCompanions Chewelry.

SentioCHEWS are more durable than competing products that are made of silicone. The chew or bite marks bounce back and do not leave teeth marks easily.

He LOVES it even more!! Now, with the addition of his favorite SentioCHEW in our toolbox, he is learning to overcome new challenges. Instead of just filling a sensory need, SentioCHEWS help him alleviate anxiety, address boredom, and actually provide repetitive, calming movement for him to tame some of that wild energy. What does this mean for our household? Less yelling, more productive activities. Even better?

Less snarling, more tail wagging. 

Does your child chew incessantly? Check out Chewelry and SentioCHEWS today!

autism verbal stim

Some Mornings Feel Like 17 Levels of…

The other morning, before I even had a chance to hit snooze at 4:35, I woke up to this:

Click to hear (speakers DOWN!)

It proceeded for four and a half hours, until I left for work.

Trying to get out of bed, my son was standing over me making these very loud, bizarre noises.

Getting the three malamutes leashed up and ready for their morning walk, my son was trying to ride them and screamed the noises in their faces.

While I was preparing his breakfast, he would sneak up behind me and scream the noises so I jumped and spilled his food.

During my entire workout he would jump on my back, grab my leg, stand on my back while I was doing pushups, and fight with the dogs… all while making non-stop noises.

Whilst in the shower he would constantly open the curtain and scream (it echoes! Oh boy… even louder!) the noises.

Applying my makeup.

Getting dressed.

Making coffee.

Packing lunches.

Preparing the dogs’ treats.

Yes, four and a half hours. Of course, I was in rushing deadline mode, not patient parent mode, so I made the situation worse.

As I was leaving for the office, he immediately sat down and began composing beautiful original music on his DSi XL. Huh? Then he had the temerity to say to me, “Mom, it seems like you have your feathers in a bunch today.”

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!

So what was going on?

I wish I knew. I wish I had a distinct checklist or pattern that would solve for “x” (the noises).

It could have been something he ate or drank before I got up (clearly he was awake before my 4:30 alarm) that caused a reaction.

Maybe this was an extension of sensory-seeking behavior.

Maybe it was verbal stimming due to something was worrying him – a change in a pattern or schedule (he recently had some issues with visitation and his father).

Maybe he was bored.

Maybe he wanted attention.

Maybe he was just having an off day – we all have them. Children with Autism (and puberty!) may not intuitively know how to channel “bad day” energy.

What I do know is this: had I stopped for five minutes and employed one of the tools I normally pull out of my “patient parent toolbox”, I’m sure the morning would have gone differently. I’m not saying the behavior would have stopped completely, but here are some ways I could have redirected him:

  • Invited him to join me on any of the physical activities of the morning, like the dog walk or intervals (jumping jacks, jump rope, running in place, squats)
  • Taken a yoga break
  • Engaged him in a one-on-one activity that he loves (Hangman, Picto-chat, Uno)
  • Played a sensory game
  • Had a protein snack
  • Did an EFT tapping session
  • Designated a “screaming” area of the house where it’s okay to let it all out

These are all quick, simple ways to break the pattern of the morning. I, on the other hand, became stressed, got aggravated, and let the panic of being late overtake me. I got to work feeling like I wanted to carve out my intestines and strangle someone with them. Imagine how he felt, having all this energy in his body and not knowing how to get it out without getting in trouble!

Lesson learned. Sometimes we have to experience 17 levels downward before we can “level up”.

What about you? Have you seen a behavior recently that made you pull your hair out? What did you do about it? What could you have done differently? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments below or on the SOA Facebook page!

Spring Fever – Time to Get the Body Moving!

I am learning from my mistakes. Hey, that’s better than continuing a pattern for an indefinite amount of time, unwilling to look at what may or may not be working, right?

My son, being an unschooler for a little over six months, is very much out of shape. Oh, I know the reason. He spends the better part of his day programming video games (not playing them – WRITING them!). Because of his obsession and brilliance, he currently isn’t interested in joining the rest of the world.

Without turning this into an unschooling article, there is a certain degree of “deschooling” a child will go through when first realizing they are not being forced to memorize things they have no interest in. Picture having been restricted from a certain food group for years and years and suddenly you are told you can eat whatever you want WHENEVER you want – what do you think you would do? Eat all your favorite foods to excess, most likely! Then your body would realize it could have them at any time, and the pendulum would start forming a natural balance – you would find a nice rhythm to your eating. By the way, your body is way smarter than your fad diet, but that’s a post for another day!

The situation

Here’s the missing key in my house right now: my son will spend hours programming games and then get these uncontrollable bursts of energy that have no choice but to be released in the fastest and loudest way possible. He usually shapeshifts into a whirling dervish and runs the length of the house several times, screaming and hitting everything in his path. Not angrily, just energetically :)

Sure, his body is taking care of the regulation of this energy, but not in a productive way. Typically this will result in dogs or sister lashing out at him for inappropriate agitation, followed by the lowering of his self-esteem because he doesn’t understand what everyone’s so upset about.

Having done a successful Fitness 4 Autism program with him in the past, I am kind of ashamed that I let things go this direction for so long. At times I switch into survival mode, when I am balancing a ridiculous amount of things on my oversized, superwoman plate. But that’s okay, all we have is the now and here’s what I’m committing to:

The solution

Short chunks of regular movement breaks. One of my greatest motivation tools for Justin is a timer. Whenever he is resistant to any activity (tooth brushing, taking out the trash) I turn it around and make it a game. I tell him he’s not faster than me, and we have a friendly race doing whatever it is that needs to be done. So we will set a timer and perform animal crawls, star jumps, and similar short bursts of full body movements. Functional exercises for short periods of time are great for everyone, not just children on the Autism Spectrum!

Family field day. Sandbell tossing, hurdles, jumps, even sack races… there is nothing wrong with a little family competition! We’ll even get the dogs involved (Malamutes LOVE to pull things!). I am making the ribbons tomorrow – very excited!

Replace the mini trampoline. It’s been a while since our old one broke. Why have I never replaced it?  This is a good object to always have available to alleviate any short bursts that come unexpectedly.

Weekly yoga. There are so many benefits to practicing yoga, especially for Autism. We both loved doing this in the past – once again it’s funny how bad habits seem to have much easier “sticking” power than things that are good for us!

Exploring new parks. We are very fortunate to live in a county that has over 120 parks and recreation centers. Why are we sitting at home? Time to say no to some of those freelance clients that need things yesterday, turn off Law & Order (love me some Vincent D’Onofrio!), put the iPhone on airplane mode and go PLAY. We can even make a park rating document and map – why not turn it into “research”?

How does regular movement really help?

It’s been proven that children (and adults!) perform better after they’ve moved around. Regular physical activity helps your child:

  • Maintain focus for longer periods
  • Feel better about himself and his abilities
  • Put multiple commands together with cues
  • Confidently participate in new things
  • Get in better shape

Fitness boosts confidence, independence, and self-esteem, plus it teaches goal setting. Speech targets, communication, and behavioral targets can also be incorporated into your daily movement breaks. Remember, no expensive, large equipment is needed!

This is my Spring commitment to my children and myself. I set an example daily with the intense early morning workouts I do at home; however they never see me simply moving for fun, other than walking the dogs.

Join me in this Spring movement… “movement”. Remember, sharing this goal with your child will benefi­t the entire family – it sets everyone up for long-term health and fi­tness. Tell me how you plan to move more with your child by commenting below or sharing it on the SOA Facebook page! I love fresh ideas!

8 Ways for Your Child to Burn off Energy Indoors

Brrr! The weather’s starting to get chilly (I hear it’s actually snowing in places other than Georgia… color me jealous!). The kids are spending more time inside – where does that leave fitness and movement?

Let me tell you what happens in our house if we don’t find a way to burn off that energy: bedtime somehow gets prolonged. A whirling dervish races up and down the hallway whilst screaming in a pitch heard by dogs in the next state. My son repeatedly tries to ride the puppy. Lots of crashing into walls. Frustrated family members grow impatient.

All it takes is a few minutes a day and some creativity to radically change the misdirected energy into focused fun. Here are some ideas for indoor activity:

Invisi-ball. This is a great game for imagination and it saves fragile knickknacks to boot! I start by choosing an imaginary ball – any size – and tossing it to my son. As we catch or volley throughout the game, either of us can change the ball type at any time to keep it interesting. We throw invisible beach balls, softballs, and everything in between. It’s fun to let some hit me in the head and knock me down, miss some. and catch some impossible ones!

Animal relay. This is fun if you have a long stretch of room to travel. Each turn is performed as a different animal: crab walks, frog hops, bear crawls, etc. You can either race your child or tag team the animals and take turns.

Mirror. This is a playful exercise for coordination and motor skills. Remember to keep it simple – the idea is not to stump your child but help them achieve their goals, feel successful, and of course have fun! Stand facing your child and take turns doing different movements while your partner mirrors them. The longer you play, the faster you get! This game has lots of silly potential :)

Runaway bug. If it doesn’t creep out your child (or as I used to say when I lived in New York: “skeeve” him) pretend a giant bug just crawled up his leg. Each body part the bug travels to is the part that gets the wiggles and the only part the child can move. The game ends with free-play movement – shaking the bug off your whole body.

Yoga ball rolls. I bought a giant yoga ball with some exercise infomercial system years ago and it is probably one of the most used items in my house to this day. For me, it’s an intense addition to my bodyweight and interval training. For my daughter, it was a giant dinosaur egg when she was younger. For my son, it’s an awesome sensory experience. There is no wrong way to roll around with this versatile piece of equipment.

Obstacle Course. Indoor obstacle courses do not have to feature running around cones and climbing walls; there are many tame ways to enjoy a friendly competition inside. Stepping over items and crawling under chairs are just two ways a course can be manageable and still fun. If you have any party streamers leftover from a past celebration, be sure to tape it across a doorway for the final destination of the course. Who doesn’t like running through a finish line and tearing the ribbon?

Dyna-Band pulls. These can be used as a tug of war exercise with your child, or draped over a doorway to do some challenging yet fun pulls. My son likes the feeling of things wrapped around his neck, so I always have to be extra present and aware when we bring out the Dyna-Bands. This is not something he can play with unsupervised.

Yoga. Yoga is great for relaxation but also offers much in the way of movement. My son never wants to do yoga with me when I ask him. Yet, every single time, I’ve sat next next to him in his room and just started some poses. I show him pictures of someone doing a yoga pose and ask him how to do it, pretending I simply don’t understand. Before I know it, he not only shows me the pose and joyfully does it with me, he asks for more! Yoga is fun, as long as you adapt it to your child’s abilities.

What kinds of energy burners are popular in your house? I don’t even want to tell you that when I was a child my best friend and I used to take sleeping bags and race down her stairs in them. Shhhh… I don’t want my kids to hear. Because THAT’S got ‘Emergency Room’ written all over it ;)