Is aggressive behaviour linked to tactile defensiveness?

by Vicky
(uk)

Our daughter is 7 and has always complained about clothing and in particular ,seams in socks. Her tantrums in the mornings to get ready for school have got particularly unbearable and she gets very loud and aggressive with us. It is also upsetting her younger sister and affecting family life terribly.




I had never heard of SPD until i googled "seamless socks" to see if there were any products available that may help with this and was amazed to see how common it is,and wish we had discovered this sooner!

At school she is a model pupil with excellent academic results but her behavior at home is aggressive and getting more out of control....any advice please?



Comments for Is aggressive behaviour linked to tactile defensiveness?

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Aug 31, 2014
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starstarstarstarstar 		daughter with sensory disorder
by: Anonymous

I HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME EXPERIENCE WITH MY 6 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER. IT'S GOOD TO READ THAT THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE HAVING SIMILAR EXPERIENCES AND I DON'T FEEL SO ALONE. WE ARE USING SEAMLESS SOCKS AND THIS HAS HELPED TREMENDOUSLY. TUCKING HER SHIRT INTO HER SCHOOL PANTS HOWEVER IS A TASK. WE ALSO HAVE LOTS OF AGGRESSION ISSUES. SHE IS SEEING A THERAPIST TO HELP HER TO GET THE TOOLS TO REGULATE HER EMOTIONS. WE START THE MORNING PLAYING MUSIC SO THAT THERE IS LESS TENSION AND IT DOES DISTRACT HER FROM THE DRESSING.WE ARE A LONG WAY FROM DEALING WITH EVERYTHING BUT THE OCUP. THERAPIST AND PLAY THERAPIST HAVE BEEN GREAT.
Aug 06, 2012
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starstarstarstarstar 		My daughter
by: Anonymous

Sounds like my 6 year old daughter. Her tanturms become so bad some days I feel like im gonna break, I feel like a failure. Target sells lock cut hans socks that dont have much of seems. With my daughter she can wear the socks or underwear and then one day switch and hate them again. I hate her in ot which did not help much.
Sep 24, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		yes cause problem tactile
by: Anonymous

Hello Wicki, I know the problems you described. I have a girl in my family with similar problems as well as others. In my experience I can tell you that the calm and distraction while wearing clothes helps a little. I noticed that some days are more sensitive than others. I do not know in the UK, but in Italy we did not find a therapy to treat these problems. But I must tell you that with time they can better manage their discomfort. wishes.
Sep 16, 2014
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starstarstar 		avoid the getting dressed stress
by: Anonymous

There are worse things than your kids not wearing socks/underwear. My 6 year old won't wear socks or underwear. She tells me it doesn't feel good. It started with complaining about the socks around age 4/5 and has gotten worse. I have tried several brands of "seamless" socks, which worked for a short time but now she refuses them all. I got $10 fake bob type shoes at walmart so if they start stinking, I will just get her another pair (hopefully about the time she outgrows them anyway). I let her wear leggings (with a shirt/dress that covers her bottom) and skorts without underwear. She would have a meltdown every morning getting dressed if I tried to make her wear socks/underwear. It's not worth the battle and certainly not worth the anxiety it causes her. It helped my own attitude towards this "pain in the neck" behavior to read about SPD and how the special wiring in their brains causes a perception in them that genuinely doesn't feel good. I am looking for some OT type solutions to eventually desensitize her, but for now, I would rather have a sockless/underwearless kid than a stressed out one.

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