My son shows no inhibitory (calming) stims whatsoever, only excitatory (stimulating) stims. He constantly screams and squeaks and shrieks as loud as he possibly can all day long and while in public, and runs back in forth through the house and jumps up and down while screaming! When he is at other people's houses though he rarely does it! Has GFCF diet or medication helped? My son will be 4 years old next month.
GFCF has definitely helped my daughter. I was COMPLETELY against it. I thought people that did it were a bunch of quacks and I sat around waiting for it NOT to work, and it did. She calmed down so much, no more loud screams, shrieks or "diddle diddle" song jargon going on. She is able to focus now, and she still has some hyperactive moments when she is tired or scared but GFCF diet made a tremedous difference. I am no longer completely exhausted by 10:00am!
Hi Jaxmom,
Great question.
I would agree with the above about finding an OT that knows sensory issues.
One thing that might help in the now:
Think: WHY is he doing this? What sensory information is he seeking.
- running, jumping= replace this with something more functional (and maybe something you two can do together and connect with)
- He needs this sensory input right now, so just saying no and taking it away is not an option. But replacing it is GREAT!
- A tire swing, a trampoline, crashing onto a mattress from the coach, maybe smooshes form pillows for deep pressure input.
- Screaming is tougher. I'll try to think on that one.
In support,
Laura
I also got rid of sugar, lots of preservatives, MSG etc. and started doing lots and lots of raw fruits and veggies. Sorry for so many posts, things keep coming to me. Lol
Btw, we put our son on Zoloft a little over a year ago, but that was for anxiety, not stimming/perseverating. It was our last resort and has surprised us it is working so well for the anxiety. And we've also had him recently on risperdone for behavior issues/impulsivity and it too is working for him. So it's not that I think drugs are not the way to go, I just think OT is such an important thing for our kiddos on the spectrum and can really have a humongous impact on them.
Have you used an OT? It sounds like he's sensory seeking. My son paces like a madman sometimes, so I have him use the treadmill, swing or hammocks (compression) to help get the input his body needs. Then he calms down. An experienced OT would be able to help your son find what it is that his body needs for regulation. My son was also on GFCF diet for more than 2 years and it did help his gut and skin inflammation, not to mention his overall health. His perseveration is the pacing and over the years he's been on the diet he has learned to self-regulate (redirect himself by recognizing his need for movement breaks) and he's gotten much more verbal and independent. Is it all due to gf? Not sure as he's had OT, speech therapy, naturopathic treatments (detox) and remedies... But I do believe if not all gf, it's been the combination of all. He just recently went off gf diet bc an 'oops' moment showed us his system was handling the gluten with no diarrhea or vomiting. But recent bright red bum rash with blisters is making me think we need to go on it again, at least for a while to see if it clears up. In your case, is try OT first, then GFCF (doing one 1st then the other may be better than whole hog. Diets are hard not only on the child but the whole family, even if the rest if u don't do the diet, believe me!!! But if u get through 1st 3 months you've got it!) then try drugs later down the line if you still see problems, but as far as stimmy activity, I really think the majority if that can be lessened with OT.