I recently returned from a trip to Texas. And my son, Sam, (diagnosed with A.R.N.D.) has been smelling me several times since I've returned. He told me that I smell like Texas. So I asked what does Texas smell like, and he said: "Yummy!"
It's amazing to think about how different his sensory input is. One of the effects from his fetal alcohol exposure is that his sensory input is so much more enhanced: smelling, hearing, seeing, touching. I don't think I can truly comprehend what that's like and how hard that is for him at times. Our sensory input effects us in so many ways.
I had an experience when I was driving a car with a broken radio. One day the radio randomly turned on and my son and I were excited, enjoying listening to the music, even turned the sound up a bit. But the next day when I got into the car, the radio was stuck, turned up loud. I could not adjust the volume or change the station or turn it off. It remained like this for several days and I really started to go crazy. I hated the sound of the radio that I couldn't turn down, off, or change the station! At times, it was hard for me to think and hard to focus on anything. It was such a frustrating feeling! I finally had my husband remove the radio and it was such a relief to have that constant input of sound gone.
I wonder how many sounds and other senses around us are to my son, like the radio was to me. I hope I can be more understanding and accommodating to my son's sensory input.
One thing we have done is that we have started eating off of plastic plates with plastic utensils at dinner time. The sound of a metal fork clicking against a glass plate is so frustrating for my son to have to hear repeatedly as he eats--that sound must be so much more enhanced to him. So we made that accommodation. I only wish I had realized sooner. I know there are also sound blocking ear phones that are used to accommodate sensory input of sounds. I feel that I take for granted my brain's ability to appropriately input my sensory intake and I'm hoping to be more aware of my son and do what I can to make accommodations to help him.
I wonder how long I will "smell' like Texas :)
What an excellent example of what it must be like to be hypersensitive to sound and great interventions as well.......awesome! It is easy to forget or dismiss how difficult it would be to be overstimulated by noise or other elements of the environment. Thanks for sharing to help others understand.
ReplyDeleteLove this post! I can relate. My daughter once told me the lights in her classroom were too loud. Thanks for helping us remember that we can control some of the stimuli in their lives and turn it down.
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