Joseph's Story

by Heather
(Braintree, MA)

Finally my eyes have been opened! I am so thankful to find this site. Joseph is 5 years old and we have noticed many quirks over the last few years but have always just thought its just a phase and it will pass.

Our biggest challenge has always been clothes, getting him ready each day can take up to 3 hours with many tears and agony and there are many days that we just stay home and he is naked because I just give up. It has a tag, its too tight, too loose, the cuff is touching me here and it should be there, there's a string, a seam, its too rough, too soft, it falls when I jump, its pinching, its rubbing. . . I could go on and on, forget about socks I love the summer months when he can be without them. I have informed family members never to buy him clothes for gifts because they will almost certainly need to be returned.

Some other things I've noticed was he gets very upset with smells, if his younger brother has a dirty diaper or I'm cooking something for dinner there is always the chance that Joseph will cry and want to go outside to get away from the odor. He loves pancakes but has to take a shower after eating them to get the sticky off, loves to play outdoors but will frequently come in to remove sticky tree sap. If we are eating corn or steak we have to frequently leave the table to floss his teeth. He loves loves loves to touch and be touched, especially hair, if my husband or I are out for a few hours when we come home he is just dying to touch our hair.

He is such a dare devil, so much so that I have signed him up for gymnastics so he can climb, jump and flip in a safe environment! If I raise my voice he will cover his ears or if he sees me getting frustrated he will cry hysterically. I am further concerned that my 3 year old also has this disorder, I'm not sure if he is copying some things but he too has some strange quirks of his very own developing. Thank you for the opportunity to share my story with others who really understand.