When I first heard of Sensory Integration 14 years ago, I didn’t think much of it. Then I had my son, Samuel, who was severely affected and it put an incredible strain on our family of four. He had severe aversions to food, noises, sand, the sunshine, and general commotion.
A particularly painful memory was when he was just under two. I had brought Samuel (adorned in hat, sunglasses, swim shirt and shorts) and his sister, who was four, to the water fountains with my friend and her four year old for an afternoon of fun. Samuel, as soon as he heard the sound of the water hitting the bricks, started screaming the kind of scream you only hear from a child when they are in serious pain.
Thinking he was just afraid of the water, I tried to show him how fun it was to play in the water but Sam kept resisting. So, he and I went to sit in the car where he calmed down...and I sobbed as I watched my smiling four year old play with my friend in the water instead of me! This continued to happen everywhere we went and our family was continually separated.
This summer Samuel is four and a half, and with the help of Sensory Integration that therapist Margot Baker provides, our FAMILY has been able to enjoy parks, the beach, the fountains, parades, birthday parties, etc. We are not completely "out of the woods" yet...some days we still struggle a LITTLE...but we sure can see greener pastures ahead!!
Written by Samuel’s Mom