TIP of the WEEK: Reasons Behind the Behavior

“He is constantly bumping into things.”
“She never sits still!”
“He would wear shorts in the middle of winter if I let him.”
“She just starts screaming for no reason.”
“He just falls asleep when he doesn’t want to do something.”

These are things that I often hear from parents and teachers about their child with PWS and their frustration comes through clearly. The reality is, many do show signs of being uncoordinated, fatigued, antsy and agitated but there are very good reasons for this. Sensory processing disorders make life so difficult for those living with the inability to make sense of their environment. Imagine living with extreme sensitivity to sound, touch, temperature and sight? Think about how you would respond to constantly feeling itchy, cold or hot, tired or living with external sounds or light that are so distracting that you lose concentration and focus every time you hear or see them? This is what our kids live with every day and the fact that they are able to get through their days as well as they do is a testament to their resilience. If you start to see or start getting reports from school that your child is more easily distracted, beginning to disrupt the classroom with frequent outbursts, layers their clothing or takes it off at inappropriate times- seek out the help of an experienced OT. You may be seeing the results of a sensory processing disorder and there are dozens of activities that can help make your child more comfortable and live with a better quality of life. 

Submitted by:
Patrice Carroll
Manager of PWS Services 

Related Posts:
Sensory Integration 
Self Injurious Behaviors 
Strategies for the Classroom