I’m not one to moan (well alright, maybe just a little bit) 🙃BUT Wow these twinnies are hard work lately!! Me and Daddy Maddog are teetering on the brink of insanity….. so close to being pushed over the edge but somehow we survive, day by day!
All 5 of our kids are extremely Sensory Seeking! Whether it be verbal stimming, high pitch screaming, shouting or physical movement to express themselves. It might seem odd to an outsider but this is what they need to feel good. It’s their outlet so we need to let them carry out most of these actions, not try and stop them completely (within sensible reason of course).
With the little ones 🙈🙉🙊 ….. the autistic traits are showing through loud and clear now. The constant repetitive actions and movements are wearing. Almost unbearable at times as both twins won’t take no for an answer. It is is disheartening and so bloody hard but their need to climb is relentless and ritualistic. Bam Bam’s favourite trick is shimmying over the babygate… quicker than a speeding bullet he’s off up the stairs or into the kitchen. We have to lock the front door as he tries to bolt and escape at every opportunity. He’s a clever little thing and grabs chairs or slides furniture to help him get to where he wants. He gets a leg up on the washing machine and next he’s walking along the kitchen counter emptying the cupboards or climbing inside the fridge. Pebble’s loves stomping around on the kitchen table (with one welly on) and even gets on top of the bureau!! Her favourite lately is climbing up to the tv (on the wall) using a shelf. Then standing up there trying to immerse herself into the picture.
All 3 little ones walk along the backs of the sofa along the window sills, radiators…balancing dangerously on the edge. Our kids have no sense of danger and just crave this constant motion.
We take them down from the high surfaces a million times a day (no word of a lie)!! Repeat the same thing NO but alas they are still non-verbal with no understanding or comprehension of how they could hurt themselves. Their need for sensory input from climbing or being on their head upside down is obsessional …. they need these movements to feel good and comfortable within themselves. From dusk til dawn (literally) 😴
Tornado 🌪 has many meltdowns a day as He understandably likes his own space, away from the twins. He does interact and run about with them occasionally but only on his terms. He too likes to climb and move constantly from room to room and scaling the furniture etc but he’s not quite as intense as the twins right now.
For Christmas we are getting some equipment to kit out a sensory gym and Snoezelen/Multi sensory Room with lights chill out area.
Snoezelen or controlled multisensory environment (MSE) is a therapy for people with autism and other developmental disabilities, dementia or brain injury. It consists of placing the person in a soothing and stimulating environment, called the “Snoezelen room”. These rooms are specially designed to deliver stimuli to various senses, using lighting effects, color, sounds, music, scents, etc. The combination of different materials on a wall may be explored using tactile senses, and the floor may be adjusted to stimulate the sense of balance.
We are hopefully setting this up in our garage eventually. It’s gonna take some doing cause the garage is full to the brim with crap but will be my project for 2020.
We’d love to kit out a proper therapy room to benefit all 5 kids. I’m talking crash mats, soft play, climbing equipment, indoor trampoline, ball pit, balance beams, spinning/rocking toys and climbing walls, lights, mirrors, fibre optics etc. The works! They deserve it!
This room will help improve our stress levels and help the all of the kids development and sensory needs, even the bigger ones. It will help us manage the behaviours and give them somewhere to focus this energy on and let them climb, balance, hang upside down, spin SAFELY to their hearts content!
However this equipment does not come cheap, especially the lights and effects stuff. Although we have some items arriving as gifts for Xmas. To make this a perfect sensory environment it’s going to take time and a lot more dosh! But the end result will be so worth it and really beneficial to our kiddies development and wellbeing 😊.
Ok so this might be a little bit cheeky but if you don’t ask you don’t get, right?!…….
We decided we might try some fundraising for our little monkeys to help make this happen. We are thinking of starting up a Mad Madden’s Crowdfunding campaign after Christmas! I’m not gonna beg constantly but would be enormously grateful if anyone could donate to our fund, even a couple of pounds would be amazing! Every little helps as they say. 😉
Thank you for reading and well done if you got through the whole post lol 🤪 You know I love a good rant!
Till next time
Love L 😘 x
Clap, flap, spin and bounce!
The Mad Madden's 