My daughter is a sensory seeker… she is rough and tough. She hugs hard and often head butts me a few times before each snuggle. She has head butted my nose hard enough to bring me to tears; hard enough for me to think it could be broken. She has pinched me, bitten me, cracked me in the cheekbone a dozen times, bruised me, given me a fat lip, popped me in the mouth, in the eyes, and kicked me too many times to count. It seems that not a day goes by that I don’t sustain an injury of sorts. Im not being dramatic here, it happens daily.


She can be snuggling in my lap watching tv and she will dig her toe in my leg, pinch my arm or lean forward and come crashing back unto my chest. She pinches my shoulder when im carrying her or yanks my hair out of the blue. This has been one of the most frustrating aspects of parenting her. I model nice touch, do holding time, time in’s, put her down and say “no” in a firm voice. It is a big issue. Sometimes I don’t think she intends to hurt me. She seems to lead with her head, loves to be always moving, jumping, spinning, has a high pain tolerance and craves touch.All those are signs of a sensory seeker. Its also very typical toddler behavior.



She does not do any of this out of anger; it’s usually when she is being cuddly or affectionate. She seems to crave touch and touches very agressivly. Sometimes while cuddling before bed she will hit herself in the head with her lovey several times and bite her fingers that she is sucking on. I have begun to research sensory processing disorders/sensory integration dysfunction the more I read the more I think that Livi has some form of this.

I spoke to her Pediatrician and he said its hard to know for sure, and we will have to wait to see how it impacts her in social situations. This has been hard to deal with. I feel like I need a helmet to cuddle with her in bed. By reflex I protect my nose now all of the time. I’m also going to call Early Intervention for her 24-month asq screening and see if they have any input. If your child is a sensory seeker how did you get help? How can I end this Mom abuse? I do plan on ordering this book.

Click here to learn more about sensory disorders

Or visit the links below

http://specialchildren.about.com/od/sensoryintegration/

http://www.tsbvi.edu/Outreach/seehear/fall97/sensory.htm

http://www.out-of-sync-child.com/