Can we get our insurance to reimburse for OT to treat SPD or do they have to treat something else like fine motor delays?
My daughter has been having issues and her therapist wants me to see her neurologist to test for this. She is three. What is the process for testing?
As soon as this timer arrived I didn’t think it would last, and I was right. Currently we use a big, old loud bell kcthien timer to limit my son’s TV and computer time. I wanted to try a visual timer as I heard it was great for kids on the Autism spectrum as they don’t really understand the concept of time passing. I chose this one because it also had an audible alarm so he would hear it if he was concentrating on something else. Right out of the box the thing felt so light and cheap I couldn’t imagine letting my 3.5 year old touch it. Basically the red part that shows time passing is a thin piece of plastic you dial around the clock part and the alarm is so quiet it might as well not be there. You certainly can’t hear it from another room-it’s just a tiny beep beep . Still, I’d heard great things so I gave it a try. My son mostly ignored it, but the thing still broke when he wasn’t even playing with it. The flimsly red thing kept coming off line and getting stuck. Within a week it stopped counting down the minutes, but would just beep for no reason. I had it sitting on my dresser and I just gave up on when my son found it and promptly ripped the red part right in half (the plastic was that thin and flimsy that he ripped it like a candy wrapper.) Now I’m sure I can’t return it and it was a huge waste of money. Good concept, but they need to make a stronger product, especially if it’s going to be anywhere near a kid.
I love this article. I want to learn more about SPD and its affect on preschool and younger children.
Great article. My son is a teen now but when he was young he could not stand noise. As a toddler he refused to wear clothes in the house and from the time he was an infant could not stand wearing overall type outfits that are so common with babies and toddlers. I never put the two things together. He has adapted to most sound now and keeps his clothes on but he still hates going to weddings and such because they are just too loud for him. I realize his was mild compared to what some deal with-but this brought about an understanding that i didn’t have before…
My daughter has just been tested for this and I am due the results at the end of the week. This article was helpful in explaining some in answered questions. Thank you so much
Hi April,
You are right this is a great article on SPD.
I just wanted to comment on your comment that loud noises are still physically painful. The Star Center uses Integrated Listening Systems (iLs) to help with sound sensitives. You can buy a home unit from them and they can coach you to use it at home.
I have used iLs both professionally and with my own children. Two of my children had sound sensitives and by using iLs they no longer have that issue or have the need to cover their ears.
Wishing you all the bestm
Rebecca
I am 32 with autism and loud noises are still physically painful and I have to cut my tags out too. I swear sometimes I can see sounds. I smell EVERYTHING. Wonderful article on SPD and how it affects us. Thank you.
Ainsley is now 11 years old with ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder and Asperger’s. I am so very worried, because in 1 week she will start middle school with 6 teachers, 6 classrooms with 6 different seating positions, kids talking, laughing and moving in the hallway, lights flickering, etc. Tell me what the next 4 – 6 years of school will be like?
Thanks,
Such a wonderful article thank you for it!
Autistic children are viausl learners so this device is perfect for them. This timer is great for working with special needs children both at school and at home. It helps with the anxiety and temper tantrums often related to transitioning between activities. I’ve used this timer in working with my own autistic son for homeschooling purposes in past years. He has always liked using it as an aid. Since he is now a young teen but still has difficulty judging time, it is still a great way for him to pace himself. I would think that this could be used for all classrooms as a subtle cue for any timed activity. As far as durability, the face of the timer is open (no protective piece over the face) and the face material appears to be only a thick type of paper. It does not appear to be sealed or laminated so you would want to handle it with some care.
Okan
We have a time timer for our 3 year old son and 18 month old daughter.We use it to help them tsnraition through activities throughout the day and teach them about the passing of time. A great example is nap time which used to be a difficult time of day until we started with the time timer. Here’s how I use it: First, I explain to my son that when the time timer goes beep beep it will be time for bed. I set the timer for around 30 minutes (or whenever nap time is supposed to be) and my son and I settle into an activity. Throughout our play I ask him how much red he has left and if he wants to do more things, he’ll make sure to move on to the next activity before the red disappears. When the red is gone there is a quiet, short tone sounds. I intentionally bought the product with the tone for this very reason its not loud or on-going like an alarm clock so you’ll need to stay close by but its just enough to get your attention. My son shouts out beep beep’ and gets up and heads to his room. He’s getting to the point that he doesn’t need us to remind him to watch the time but instead, he points it out to us as if to say look how much red is left! I have read the previous reviews that say its flimsy. I think the time timer is a tool that we as parents / educators use and then set it up on the shelf for the children to watch. I didn’t want my son to play with it as I was concerned he would want to change the time, drop it, etc.This is a great product for teach toddlers how to tsnraition, maintaining routine (which toddlers thrive with!) and helping them learn about time management.