Checking the List twice...

In continuing my reading of "The Out of Sync Child" I have come across some checklists to help me understand where Abbi fits within the sensory integration disorder spectrum. I will list the items that Abbi seems to exhibit here. For more information on the various divisions of SID, i'd reccommend checking out this book, and finding these check lists for yourself on page 14. The first list I am going to go over covers sensory modulation. I will cover the other two at a later time.

Over Responsive:
~Abbi used to be the MOST in this area. She still exhibits a lot of these symptoms but not as bad as it used to be, thank goodness! She doesnt like to put her hands into "Dirty" situations such as mud or other ooey gooey substances. She also reacts negatively to certain textures of clothing such as tulle. She also is very particular about the texture of her food, and often will be so sensitive to it that she has a difficult time swallowing if we are even able to get it into her mouth. Meats particularly bother her. She gest over-excited and aggitated with too much to look at, has poor eye contact, is inattentive to desk work, and overreacts to bright lights (such as the big flourescent lights in walmart). She is ever alert and watchful. She covers her ears to close out sounds and voices. She strongly objects to certain tastes and textures of foods and often gags while eating.

Under Responsive:
~Abbi is like this occassionally... again its not the most noticable in her character but I can definately nod my head in agreement with many of these items. Some examples include being unaware of how messy her face is or how messy her clothes are. She often drops items and is bad about protecting herself when she falls. She has even injured herself as badly as needing stitches and fracturing a wrist as a result of this. Loves to swing for long periods of time and does not get dizzy. She often ignores obstacles in her path, and focuses on small bright lights (such as glow sticks or flashlights). She ignores ordinary sounds and voices but may "turn on" to exaggerated musical beats. She appears to be unaware of smells and can eat very spicy food without much of a reaction.

Sensory-Seeking:
If I were to guess, I would say that this most describes Abbi in this one particular category. She is notorious for chewing on inedible objects... anything she can put in her mouth really though the most common items are her hands, and her shirt. She rubs against walls and furniture when she walks and often bumps into people. She craves fast and spinning movement and does not get dizzy. She moves constantly, fidgets, gets into upside-down positions, is a dare devil and takes bold risks. She craves bear hugs, being squeezed and pressed. She seeks heavy work such as pushing a large 2-foot ball through a tube rather than smaller table work like coloring. She craves big playground activities more than "neuro-typical" children. She seeks visually stimulating scenes and screens for lengthy times. SHe is attracted to shiny spinning objects and bright flickering light. She welcomes loud predictable noises such as television, and speaks in a loud booming voice. She loves to lick and taste inedible objects such as playdoh and toys.


All of this leaves me wondering if Abbi really fits into one section of sensory integration disorder or if she is more of a "floater" as the author described, where she can go in and out of various types of sensory integration problems.