There’s been a great deal of interest in regards to the topic of brushing. I thought it would be helpful for everyone to share their personal experience, as it relates to aiding a child with Autism and/or Sensory Processing Disorder.
What things have you found helpful?
Does your child struggle with wearing clothes? Does brushing help them to better tolerate the sensation of clothes on their skin?
Are there any trucks you’ve picked up along the way that might be able to help someone else out?
We can really make a difference in each other’s live, simply by sharing our personal experience and opening up to each other. We’ve all been there before and if not, you will be at some point in time.
Let talk about helping our children with sensory issues….
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When working at the daycare that I used to work out, several of out kids would have to be brushed throughout the day for various reasons. This was a tremdenous help with so many of the kids . For some it helped them focus, for others it would calm them down if they were getting upset, and for the others it was used before sensory activities. Each kid is different and for some kids it did not work at all, but I would say for a very large majority it help them in some way.
I never tried brushing but I did wonder if it would have helped. We did a lot of accomidating for Soren, no socks, only elastic bands on his pants, loose shirts. We picked our battles and sometimes that meant that he skipped anything that clung. Finding little boy boxers was a lifesaver on the underwear front because before that he refused to wear any. We just went with it.
Brushing or even compressions/massage of my sons legs calms him down. He’s only 2.5 years old but he’s nearly 40 pounds. I can barely change his diaper, as he doesn’t want to lay still (pdd and a toddler!). If I use the brush or the massage he will instantly relax! It also has helped him with transitioning between activities since the brush is used frequently. He seeks out sensory experiences (puts face into trees, rolls in grass, pushes my hand on top of his head…etc) so this gives him that, as well!