"You wanna fight?" is one of Davids favorite phrases. It usually involves a lot of crashing, throwing, spinning, jumping, and "squishes". It is a GREAT technique used to ward of meltdowns. When I sense a melt down coming on, or David getting frustrated, I start squeezing him tightly and initiate a fight. Sounds kinda crazy, right? A lot of people think that autistic children are sensitive to touch, and they're right! David has HUGE tactile sensitivities but in the opposite sense of what you would imagine. He loves hard, hard touch and can't stand it for someone to lightly touch him. He often shies away from kissing and cuddling (except with me) and hates for people to casually touch him in passing. He will give you a hug, but you better get ready because it is a "take a step back and run full force and jump in your arms" kind of a hug! He loves being spun around in a circle and slammed on the couch. Flipping and jumping goes great after a crash into the bean bag!
Tactile dysfunction can be overly sensitive, under sensitive, or a combination of both to touch. David is considered a sensory seeker which means he is constantly touching, crashing, and feeling objects to gain his knowledge about them. Sensory seekers are constantly getting into trouble for touching things they shouldn't, crashing into people, and generally being rough with objects. The important thing to remember is that they are not trying to get in trouble, but rather trying to get the right sensory input that their body needs.
Davids biggest sensory need time seems to be right when he gets home from school. After I observed this for about a week, I came up with a plan to counteract that meltdown time. I scheduled wrestlers to come over and wrestle with David! I called on the amazing men in my family to dedicate an hour a week to come over and wrestle with David for me. He loves the special attention he gets and the physical touch he craves. It is hard work and very tiring because he is non-stop for a full hour. He doesn't feel pain as much as other children and can dish it out as much as he takes it! Monday and Saturday night is Daddy fighting time. Tuesday is "Uncle Brian" wrestling time. Wednesday is "Uncle Cliff". I pick up the slack three nights a week. It fills my heart with warmth and love to see these guys enriching David's life. Its a small gesture that will have a big impact on his behavior. He is forging bonds with them (and that is something that takes him a llloooonnnggg time) and whether they realize it or not, they're making a friend for life.
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| Squishes with Uncle Cliff |
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"He got me!"
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Watching the road for Uncle Brian's car
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"he's here!"
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