The Lorax- too much stimulation (sucking, girls, daughter, hubby)

[no kudzu]

Today we took our two daughters- 10 and 9.5- to the movie. Big mistake. The 9.5 is sound sensitive but I keep forgetting that. We were all excited to try a movie again but lord the child was miserable. I did think of suspense and told her if it got scary to just close her eyes and not cry so I wouldn't have to take her to the lobby.

Like the trooper she is, she plugged her ears and into the movie I could faintly hear her whimpering. I have a hearing loss and it was even too loud for me.

We managed to stay for the whole movie as I could tell her sister was having a good time. Daddy fell asleep. He can sleep thru anything.

So now I'm beating myself up for thinking this is something she will outgrow. Too much sound, color - we did NOT see it in 3D, action and some suspense.

So I guess I will not have to worry about her wanting to go to rock concerts.

I did praise her for not asking to go to the lobby and sucking it up and I apologized for not thinking about her sound issues. When will I learn? Anybody else have a kid like this? Can a kid outgrow this or is it lifelong?

[Zimbochick]

Do any of the movie theaters in your area offer special shows for younger children? Many do and it may be worth looking into, the house lights are turned up a bit, and the volume is lower. Does she wear ear plugs?

[no kudzu]

thanks Zim. Actually last time we went to a movie-probably a year ago- I swore I would bring ear plugs for her but of course I forgot. We just don't go to movies often. She declines to watch movies at school as well but she does enjoy kiddie shows on TV---and anything on Food Network which can get pretty suspenseful to me.

[Kibbiekat]

We've had mixed reactions to movies. My 8 yo is a sensory seeker, so you'd think he'd love loud movies, but even he can get over stimulated. Hubby just took them to see Star Wars in 3D and both kids loved it.

We've been to sensory friendly movies twice. The first time was great. There were no previews to sit through, and no pressure to sit still. the second time was not as great. The other kids being noisy and getting out of their seats was distracting.

[nana053]

Has she been evaluated for sensory processing disorder? There are many things that you can do to overcome any sensory issues. I think you should read The Out-of-Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz and see if she fits any of the categories. If she does, occupational therapy can be helpful. Sensory stuff is not something you outgrow, but you do learn how to cope.

Also, AMX often offers sensory friendly films here.

[Kibbiekat]

Originally Posted by nana053

Has she been evaluated for sensory processing disorder? There are many things that you can do to overcome any sensory issues. I think you should read The Out-of-Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz and see if she fits any of the categories. If she does, occupational therapy can be helpful. Sensory stuff is not something you outgrow, but you do learn how to cope.

Also, AMX often offers sensory friendly films here.

I second this!

[no kudzu]

Yes I had her evaluated and I was told she does not have that. The out of sync child was the first thing i read when I started seeing her afraid of public toilets, holding her ears at the beach. Maybe I'll read it again. I seemed to me the school people- and we are in supposedly one of the best in our state- were loathe to make a plan for her. I had to become a horse's arse just to get her permission to repeat 2nd grade.

But she does struggle in school and it breaks my heart to see the tears when she is having trouble. She is such a dear little thing. We have her in tutoring now and she goes to Brain Breakfast early about 3 times a week. I'm already looking into tutoring for her this summer.

[DewDropInn]

Originally Posted by no kudzu

holding her ears at the beach.

Does she hold her ears because of the sound of the waves or the noise of the people around her?

[LVKim8]

Originally Posted by no kudzu

Yes I had her evaluated and I was told she does not have that. The out of sync child was the first thing i read when I started seeing her afraid of public toilets, holding her ears at the beach. Maybe I'll read it again. I seemed to me the school people- and we are in supposedly one of the best in our state- were loathe to make a plan for her. I had to become a horse's arse just to get her permission to repeat 2nd grade.

But she does struggle in school and it breaks my heart to see the tears when she is having trouble. She is such a dear little thing. We have her in tutoring now and she goes to Brain Breakfast early about 3 times a week. I'm already looking into tutoring for her this summer.

Just curious, how was your daughter evaluated? She definitely shows signs of SPD and that could be interfering with her performance at school. Do you find she does better at home, for example, with her homework in a quiet area? Perhaps look for an OT that specializes in Sensory Processing. If there accommodations that could be made you can always ask the OT to recommend them to the school. They may not entail anything extraordinary. For example, she might need a quieter area for test-taking, sitting closer to the teacher during instruction, being excused from assemblies, etc.

[no kudzu]

It was definitely the sound of the waves but last year when we went to the beach she did just fine. Chuck E Cheese is definitely a no no and quite frankly I avoid large groups and crowds anyway so I've never noticed anything with her and other people.

Doesn't everybody do better with homework in a quiet place? The girls get home from school, walk the dogs, have a snack -usually with half hour TV and then get down to homework. House is quiet with no music or TV all the time.

She's a very social little girl with lots of energy and great spirit.
she adores her sister and they usually do everything together.
She was evaluated with all the specialists at school. It took a long time and we had a meeting with 5 or 6 different teachers/specialists giving detailed reports but in the end everybody said she was OK.

Should I ask for a new evaluation from the school or just try to find somebody outside the school?

How would I go about finding the right kind of OT in the community. I'm sure somebody is available as we live near Duke and UNC.