Guest blogger Philip Masterson and his wife are first time parents of an amazing little boy. In this post, Philip describes how they have addressed the sensory sensitivity issues that go along with his diagnosis of autism.<\/em><\/p>\n As new parents, my wife and I were determined to get parenting right the first time. We were very keen on documenting our son\u2019s first milestones and celebrating his tiny achievements. Although every child is different, there were a few behavioral signs that bothered us immensely.<\/p>\n At six months, our son seemed to have trouble making eye contact during playtime. He didn\u2019t follow objects visually, but sometimes got overly distracted by faint sounds. When he turned a year old, he still had trouble responding to his name, and rarely made gestures to communicate.<\/p>\n We read about the early signs of autism, and found that our son was showing possible symptoms. We consulted a professional, and after a series of tests it was confirmed that our son had autism. My wife and I were devastated, but we knew that we had to deal with the situation in a proactive manner.<\/p>\n First, we educated ourselves on how to raise a child with autism, and one thing was apparent; children with autism often struggled with sensory sensitivity<\/a><\/span>. This means that they have difficulty processing basic sensory information such as sights, sounds, and smells. They find it hard to organize, prioritize, and comprehend these information, and it can oftentimes lead to stress, anxiety, and even physical pain. Children can either be hypo (under-sensitive) or hyper (over-sensitive) to sensory information.<\/p>\n Sensory sensitivity, if not dealt with appropriately, can have a profound, damaging effect on a person\u2019s life. We wanted to address our son\u2019s playtime and special needs as early as possible, so we integrated helpful techniques in our day-to-day activities.<\/p>\n We looked closely at the things that created difficulty for our son, and made it a point to alter it to suit his sensory preferences. When we noticed that he was hypersensitive to fluorescent lights, we started to use deep-colored light bulbs instead. He was easily irritated by loud sounds from outside, so we often made him listen to some relaxing piano music.<\/p>\n Some days we bring him to an accessible playground<\/a><\/span> near our home so that he can interact with his peers. This way, he learns to associate certain sensory stimuli with fun and laughter, and it might even help him overcome his hypersensitivity. It\u2019s all trial and error sometimes, but we\u2019ll never get tired of finding ways to make our son\u2019s life easier.<\/p>\n Addressing sensory sensitivity in toddlers is quite challenging, since it\u2019s hard to distinguish normal responses from sensory difficulties. But with a good amount of reading, strict monitoring, regular consultation, and a few creative tweaks in day-to-day activities, nothing is too hard to battle.<\/p>\n Our son is now 18 months, and while he struggles a little more than other children, he still never fails to surprise us with his little feats and triumphs. This gives us hope that one day, he\u2019ll learn to deal with the sensory sensitivity that is part of his autism in such a way that it won\u2019t hinder him from achieving his dreams, but rather, build his character and ability to work towards them.<\/p>\n Do you have a child who’s sensory sensitive? What coping strategies and adaptations have you discovered? Leave a comment in the box so we can learn from one another. Thanks!<\/p>\n Do you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the quarterly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for the first in the pop up box and the second at the bottom of this page.<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][et_pb_row_inner _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″ background_color=”#b4dbc0″ custom_padding=”20px|20px|20px|20px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9hdXRob3IiLCJzZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJiZWZvcmUiOiJCeSAiLCJhZnRlciI6IiIsIm5hbWVfZm9ybWF0IjoiZGlzcGxheV9uYW1lIiwibGluayI6Im9uIiwibGlua19kZXN0aW5hdGlvbiI6ImF1dGhvcl9hcmNoaXZlIn19@” image=”http:\/\/differentdream.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Philip-Masterson-1.jpg” icon_placement=”left” image_max_width=”100px” content_max_width=”800px” _builder_version=”4.10.5″ _dynamic_attributes=”title” header_font=”Rubik|500|||||||” header_text_color=”#44465f” header_font_size=”14px” header_line_height=”32px” body_font=”Rubik||||||||” body_text_color=”rgba(0,6,69,0.6)” body_link_text_color=”#ffffff” custom_css_main_element=”font-weight: 400;” border_radii_image=”on|100px|100px|100px|100px” border_color_all_image=”#ffffff” box_shadow_style_image=”preset1″ box_shadow_vertical_image=”20px” box_shadow_blur_image=”40px” box_shadow_color_image=”rgba(68,70,95,0.27)” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n <\/a>Philip Masterson is a market specialist, researcher, security advocate, and freelance writer. He has written a range of topics including home and community security, technology, environment, world market, and world businesses.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][et_pb_row_inner _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_comments _builder_version=”4.4.2″ custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#42313A” button_bg_color=”#EBDCB2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_comments][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_sidebar _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_sidebar][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.9.2″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_start=”#42313A” background_color_gradient_end=”#EBDCB2″ background_color_gradient_direction=”159deg” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” border_width_all=”3px” border_color_all=”#1c1259″ saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ _builder_version=”4.9.2″ width=”100%” max_width=”100%” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”25px|0px|5px|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ module_class=”horizontal_optin_column_1″ _builder_version=”4.3.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.2″ header_text_align=”right” header_text_color=”#45107a” header_3_font=”Dancing Script|700|||||||” header_3_text_align=”center” header_3_text_color=”#B4DBC0″ header_3_font_size=”45px” custom_margin=”10px||||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.3.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_signup mailchimp_list=”JolenePhilo|89f719a52b” layout=”bottom_top” first_name_fullwidth=”off” last_name_field=”off” email_fullwidth=”off” module_class=”custom_emailoptin” _builder_version=”4.4.2″ form_field_focus_background_color=”#42313A” background_enable_color=”off” custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”16px” button_text_color=”#42313A” button_bg_color=”#B4DBC0″ button_border_width=”2px” button_border_radius=”0px” button_font=”|||on|||||” button_use_icon=”off” button_custom_margin=”5px||||false|false” button_custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” border_width_all_fields=”2px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_signup][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″ custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.2″ header_font=”EB Garamond|600|||||||” header_text_color=”#B6452C” header_font_size=”50px” header_text_shadow_style=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blog fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”3″ include_categories=”current” show_more=”on” _builder_version=”4.4.2″ header_text_color=”#42313A” meta_font=”||on||||||” read_more_font=”|||on|||||” read_more_text_color=”#B6452C” read_more_font_size=”12px” pagination_text_color=”#B6452C” pagination_font_size=”20px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_blog][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sensory sensitivity is a component of an autism spectrum diagnosis. Philip Masterson shares ways he helps his son cope with sensory sensitivity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10738,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"[caption id=\"attachment_10738\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]Sensory Sensitivity & Kids: How Can They Cope?<\/h3>\n
What Is Sensory Sensitivity?<\/h4>\n
Sensory Sensitivity and Playtime<\/h4>\n
Sensory Sensitivity and Toddlers<\/h4>\n
Your Sensory Sensitivity Tips?<\/h3>\n
Subscribe for Updates from Jolene<\/h3>\n
Related Posts<\/h1>\n
![\"Sensory](\"http:\/\/differentdream.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Screen-Shot-2014-09-22-at-4.44.40-PM.png\")
<\/a> Photo courtesy of hepingting<\/a> via Flickr, Creative Commons[\/caption]\n\nGuest blogger Philip Masterson and his wife are first time parents of an amazing little boy. In this post, Philip describes how they have addressed the sensory sensitivity issues that go along with his diagnosis of autism.<\/em>\nSensory Sensitivity & Kids: How Can They Cope?<\/h3>\nAs new parents, my wife and I were determined to get parenting right the first time. We were very keen on documenting our son\u2019s first milestones and celebrating his tiny achievements. Although every child is different, there were a few behavioral signs that bothered us immensely.\n\nAt six months, our son seemed to have trouble making eye contact during playtime. He didn\u2019t follow objects visually, but sometimes got overly distracted by faint sounds. When he turned a year old, he still had trouble responding to his name, and rarely made gestures to communicate.\n\nWe read about the early signs of autism, and found that our son was showing possible symptoms. We consulted a professional, and after a series of tests it was confirmed that our son had autism. My wife and I were devastated, but we knew that we had to deal with the situation in a proactive manner.\n
What Is Sensory Sensitivity?<\/h4>\nFirst, we educated ourselves on how to raise a child with autism, and one thing was apparent; children with autism often struggled with sensory sensitivity<\/a>. This means that they have difficulty processing basic sensory information such as sights, sounds, and smells. They find it hard to organize, prioritize, and comprehend these information, and it can oftentimes lead to stress, anxiety, and even physical pain. Children can either be hypo (under-sensitive) or hyper (over-sensitive) to sensory information.\n
Sensory Sensitivity and Playtime<\/h4>\nSensory sensitivity, if not dealt with appropriately, can have a profound, damaging effect on a person\u2019s life. We wanted to address our son\u2019s playtime and special needs<\/a> as early as possible, so we integrated helpful techniques in our day-to-day activities.\n\nWe looked closely at the things that created difficulty for our son, and made it a point to alter it to suit his sensory preferences. When we noticed that he was hypersensitive to fluorescent lights, we started to use deep-colored light bulbs instead. He was easily irritated by loud sounds from outside, so we often made him listen to some relaxing piano music.\n\nSome days we bring him to an accessible playground<\/a> near our home so that he can interact with his peers. This way, he learns to associate certain sensory stimuli with fun and laughter, and it might even help him overcome his hypersensitivity. It\u2019s all trial and error sometimes, but we\u2019ll never get tired of finding ways to make our son\u2019s life easier.\n
Sensory Sensitivity and Toddlers<\/h4>\nAddressing sensory sensitivity in toddlers is quite challenging, since it\u2019s hard to distinguish normal responses from sensory difficulties. But with a good amount of reading, strict monitoring, regular consultation, and a few creative tweaks in day-to-day activities, nothing is too hard to battle.\n\nOur son is now 18 months, and while he struggles a little more than other children, he still never fails to surprise us with his little feats and triumphs. This gives us hope that one day, he\u2019ll learn to deal with the sensory sensitivity that is part of his autism in such a way that it won\u2019t hinder him from achieving his dreams, but rather, build his character and ability to work towards them.\n
Your Sensory Sensitivity Tips?<\/h3>\nDo you have a child who's sensory sensitive? What coping strategies and adaptations have you discovered? Leave a comment in the box so we can learn from one another. Thanks!\n\n
![\"Philip](\"http:\/\/differentdream.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Philip-Masterson-150x150.jpg\")
<\/a>Philip Masterson is a market specialist, researcher, security advocate, and freelance writer. He has written a range of topics including home and community security, technology, environment, world market, and world businesses. For more updates about Philip, follow him on Twitter<\/a>.<\/em>\n\nDo you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the quarterly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for the first in the pop up box and the second at the bottom of this page.<\/em>","_et_gb_content_width":"2880","footnotes":""},"categories":[3559,3567,3561],"tags":[3926,98,3920],"class_list":["post-10737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-different-dream","category-how-tos","category-special-needs-parenting","tag-accessible-playgrounds","tag-autism","tag-philip-masterson"],"yoast_head":"\n