Customer Reviews

The Sensory-Sensitive Child: Practical Solutions for Out-of-Bounds Behavior

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a well-researched book that discusses in detail how a child's senses can fall short and "short-circuit", and how this malfunctioning of the senses can be misdiagnosed by clinicians as ADHD or ODD. It gives many helpful tips on how you can help your child thrive at home, in school, with peers, and with your extended family. This is a book that you can keep well into your child's late teens as a reference on how to be your child's best advocate, and how to be the best parent you can be to your child, who has to face unique challenges throughout the rest of his or her life.

I take a star away from my rating because the authors are not clear on whether they endorse occupational therapy as an effective means of dealing with DSI. Granted that this book was born from the personal experiences of both authors, and that both their sons went through occupational therapy, I cannot see clearly their position on the OT treatments needed for DSI.

I understand that both authors are clinical psychologists, i.e., scientists, and that being so, they need to step back and give an objective feedback about certain treatments. So I can appreciate their views on the research that has been done on DSI, its treatments, and the treatments' possible effects on learning.

However, as a parent, I am not looking at rigorous scientific processes, as validating as these are. I want a method or a system of methods that will work with and for my boy, who was diagnosed by a certified OT with DSI.

The authors are right in saying that DSI can be just one of a child's problems, and it would be helpful for both parents and child to consult with a team of professionals, and not just an OT. My son is also working with a therapist who is helping us with behavior modification, such as teaching my son to use words to describe how he feels instead of just lashing out. My son's OT deals with fine-tuning his nervous system, motor skills, and vestibular processing.

The book does give what it promises: practical solutions for meltdowns, tantrums, and unacceptable behavior. What it doesn't give me is the reassurance that the treatment my son is going through is the right one, or that it will work for him. The authors say that their sons improved with OT, but they don't give clear credit to OT as the treatment that helped their sons. In the question-and-answer portion of the book, the only thing I got is the idea that the OT methods used to treat my boy are not related to any study that can demonstrate their effectiveness.

From one mother to another, my question to the authors is: What do YOU think? What is YOUR opinion regarding the effectiveness of OT?

Another issue that boggles me is their statement saying that you can design a sensory diet for your child without consulting an OT. I know that given one stimulus, some children will be hypersensitive to it, others will be hyposensitive, and others, like my son, will erratically go from one reaction to the other. Children will also differ in which sense or senses fail them. I do not regret consulting a professional to guide me in coming up with such a diet for my child. His OT has been incredibly helpful not just in treating his vestibular dysfunction and dyspraxia, but also in helping us understand how this will affect my son's learning (he's in preschool), given his limitations.

All in all, this is a good book. However, it would be better to start off with Carol Kranowitz's book, "The Out-of-Sync Child", which has a clearer stance on the importance and effectiveness of OT.

As for what I think about OT for DSI, I think it has helped my boy considerably. I was fortunate to find a therapist whose son also went to an OT (but for another problem) and is well-versed on DSI. We see his OT more often than his therapist. His OT even helped us find a preschool program with a wonderful, sensory-based curriculum. Four months after he started treatment, my son got into this school and is doing very well academically and socially.

My 'in-a-nutshell' review of this book is this: it's a good overview of sensory issues and ways in which they can be dealt with, but probably goes to far in its diagnosis/recommendations. The book tends to label nearly every imaginable childhood behavior issue as a symptom of sensory dysfunction, despite the fact that little to no research exists to back up these ideas. I'm not saying that sensory issues don't exist and aren't important, but a child who is not thriving may be struggling with any number of difficulties. The book, for example, suggests that children who are not socializing with their peers likely suffer from sensory overstimulation around other children. Maybe, or maybe they have pragmatic language delays, or social anxiety, or insufficient play schemes that would allow them to interact appropriately. In my opinion, the focus on everything automatically being a sensory issue was too narrow, applying to some children but probably wrong for many others.

Another concern I had was the attitude that the sensory-sensitive child should be treated as so different from other children. According to the book, for example, the active sensory child cannot be punished by having recess taken away, because in doing this the parent/teacher is causing their brain to work improperly. In many cases the reader is told it is unreasonable to expect a child with sensory sensitivities to participate in this activity or that activity (some examples: dressing themselves, playing a game with others, sitting down in a group) because they are incapable of such things. Again, I felt that statements like this were a little on the extreme side given that so little is actually known about such problems. I'm sure that for some children with extreme sensory difficulties this holds true, but I feel that you should look very carefully and think very hard before jumping in and removing these kinds of expectations from a child. There's a difference between being unable to do something and needing to work on it.

Another example...the book stated that all children want to be good and that if they are misbehaving, then something (usually a sensory issue) is getting in their way and stopping them from behaving properly. I tend to disagree with this statement. Are there behaviors that are caused by sensory issues? I say, yes, absolutely! Is every single bad behavior caused by a sensory issue, though? Or do kids sometimes misbehave simply to test limits, get what they want, annoy their siblings? Is bad behavior sometimes simply bad behavior, and should be treated as such?

Again, there is some good information in here. However, I wouldn't recommend this as reading for someone new to the idea of sensory issues, given its more extreme point of view. Read The Out of Sync child, talk to an OT, get some perspective first, then later come back and read this book if you need more info.

This is a fantastic book. My second daughter (now aged 7) has global and verbal dyspraxia (motor planning). We have been to many specialists for diagnosis. We have been in speech therapy since she was 2 1/2. We have had some OT, but not as much as is discussed in this book. We have been searching for ideas and answers, reading books, etc for most of her life. This book is the absolute best I have read for describing "What is it like, being a sensory-sensitive child and also a parent of a sensory-sensitive child. A Child whose world is not near as easy as it is for ordinary children." This book offers insight, relief, excellent advice and reasonable hope that you, as a parent, can make a significant improvement in your child's life. It is also very readable (many of these types of books are hard to finish). Thank-you, Thank-you, Thank-you, Karen and Karen. Well Done.

This book is a good primer for parents of kids with sensory processing disorder. Book is organized well and is an easy read. The book describes the characteristics of this disorder in segments which makes it easy to use it as a reference guide. The book does not offer a lot of ideas to help with sensory diet (keeping your kid happy and meeting his/her needs)--for that I recommend, Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun.

My review here is mostly a response to the poster who seemed to think the book doesn't give OT's the recognition they deserve. I disagree. I haven't read the entire book (so far, only just over half), but I got the impression from reading this book that only OT's know anything about this disorder- aside from phsycologists and the like. In fact, in my own experience as a mother of a child with this disorder, only the OT (out of the other therapists & the pediatrician we've been seeing) has given us any information about SPD. Now, she didn't give us the name of the disorder, despite having studied it for 20+ years- I had to get that information myself off the internet after doing some googling. But in any case, nobody else seems to know a heck of a lot about it. And the authors of this book IMO make that quite clear- if you want to know about SPD, if you want your child diagnosed, etc- go see an OT!

Maybe we were just reading different books?

For the record, I have found this book quite helpful. I was going to buy The Out of Sync Child, but opted for this book instead. I might read the other one as well, but this book seems less technical, and more focused on personal experiences. And I appreciate the fact the doctors' two boys both were allowed to share their experiences for the book.

I just hope I can get my husband to read this- or any of the other books on the topic. For now, he's very much against "labeling" our child. And frankly, as this book suggests, how can you not begin to deal with your child's issues if you can't call them for what they are? Or at the very least, learn more about them, so you can be a better parent, and so you can help your child to function as "normally" as possible in his environment?

As an Occupational Therapist who works with children with Sensory Integrative Dysfunction in the schools, I found this book to be very informative with great advice, recommendations and insight. I loved that the authors both have children with the disorder and can offer first-hand advice from their experiences. Additionally, their children (one now a teen and the other a 3rd grader) give insight into their feelings, struggles and successes. This book does not over-promote Occupational Therapy or any other treatment; it is realistic and practical and I will be recommending it to many of the parents of children I work with!

The Sensory Sensitive Child is one of the best books I have read on the subject. It truly helps explain what the child and families may be going through and gives practical solutions for dealing with sensory processing disorder. I recommend it highly.

As I started reading this book, a light bulb went off...either someone absolutely knew my granddaughter, from the inside out, or I wasn't alone anymore!! WOW! This book, is full of information, suggestions, and in general REALLY GOOD help for anyone who lives with a child with Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Key message...YOU'RE NOT ALONE...and HELP IS AVAILABLE!

It is very informative. It explains what is going on through the childs eyes as well as the frustrations that we as parents are going through with such a situation. It has made me better aware of the symtoms and how to deal with them. It also lets me know that my son is not alone in his struggles and it has been identified as a "real" issue, not just what a lot of people like to say is just an excuse as to why your child is misbehaving. I appreciated the input and am making a doctor's appointment next week in order to try and work on my son's sensory issues. I am extremely thankful that I found this book to purchase and read.

This book is so great for researching about sensory sensitive dysfunction. It has explained to me so much and it put it in simple terms. A must have read if you suspect something is wrong with your child's behavior.