Hein-Chris was born early in January 2013 and quickly exhibited signs of being different - more sensitive, more unsettled, generally more unhappy - than his peers. I remember saying to my mother that Hein-Chris is never going to learn to smile, because it felt like he literally would have nothing to smile about. He would cry for hours on end, have a quick, unsettled sleep, and then continue crying. This was our routine for at least the first four months of his life.
Taking him out of the house was a huge production. I needed two fully packed bags of clothes and wet wipes. He would scream to the point that he’d vomit all over himself, multiple times, during every outing.
However, I did not let this stop me from taking him to BabyGym, TopTots and Clamber Club. I instinctively knew that keeping him safely ensconced in a darkened room might provide short-term relief, but this in the long-run, would be detrimental to his development. I sensed I’d always have to push his boundaries, very gently. I typically spent the first 20 minutes of every class outside, calming Hein-Chris until he was settled enough to join the rest of his friends…every week for 2 years. I did pretty much the same at every class or event we attended: (1) arrived with him screaming; (2) spent a long time settling him; and (3) joined in at the last minute for a few seconds of fun.
It is only once Hein-Chris was diagnosed with SPD (specifically sensory defensiveness) after his second birthday that it clicked why he was behaving the way he was. And I was grateful that I never waivered in exposing him to the outside world. He’s been getting used to the big, big world since he’s been eight weeks old, and that’s certainly given him a solid start to learning how to cope with SPD.
After his diagnosis, Hein-Chris started attending weekly Occupational Therapy (OT) sessions, and joined a local play group (mornings only) at the same time. To this day he sees his neurodevelopmental paediatrian (who diagnosed him) every 6 months, and benefits from all the inputs him and I receive from his team of experts.
Today Hein-Chris lives happily with his 2 younger siblings, Ruben (born in 2014) and Ben-Louie (born in 2016), and his doting parents in Ballito, South Africa. He is able to attend a mainstream school and is considered a polite, well-adjusted pre-schooler. He still loves his weekly OT sessions, sees an educational kinesiologist weekly too, and loves attending weekly LEGO Club, which is a group social skills training programme facilitated by two clinical psychologists.
Hein-Chris has journeyed a world away from his infant self. He has worked very hard, every day, every week to be able to engage with a world that is filled with sight, sound, smell, touch, taste and movement. He is a warrior against SPD, and my role is to provide him with whatsoever reinforcement he needs.
Taking him out of the house was a huge production. I needed two fully packed bags of clothes and wet wipes. He would scream to the point that he’d vomit all over himself, multiple times, during every outing.
However, I did not let this stop me from taking him to BabyGym, TopTots and Clamber Club. I instinctively knew that keeping him safely ensconced in a darkened room might provide short-term relief, but this in the long-run, would be detrimental to his development. I sensed I’d always have to push his boundaries, very gently. I typically spent the first 20 minutes of every class outside, calming Hein-Chris until he was settled enough to join the rest of his friends…every week for 2 years. I did pretty much the same at every class or event we attended: (1) arrived with him screaming; (2) spent a long time settling him; and (3) joined in at the last minute for a few seconds of fun.
It is only once Hein-Chris was diagnosed with SPD (specifically sensory defensiveness) after his second birthday that it clicked why he was behaving the way he was. And I was grateful that I never waivered in exposing him to the outside world. He’s been getting used to the big, big world since he’s been eight weeks old, and that’s certainly given him a solid start to learning how to cope with SPD.
After his diagnosis, Hein-Chris started attending weekly Occupational Therapy (OT) sessions, and joined a local play group (mornings only) at the same time. To this day he sees his neurodevelopmental paediatrian (who diagnosed him) every 6 months, and benefits from all the inputs him and I receive from his team of experts.
Today Hein-Chris lives happily with his 2 younger siblings, Ruben (born in 2014) and Ben-Louie (born in 2016), and his doting parents in Ballito, South Africa. He is able to attend a mainstream school and is considered a polite, well-adjusted pre-schooler. He still loves his weekly OT sessions, sees an educational kinesiologist weekly too, and loves attending weekly LEGO Club, which is a group social skills training programme facilitated by two clinical psychologists.
Hein-Chris has journeyed a world away from his infant self. He has worked very hard, every day, every week to be able to engage with a world that is filled with sight, sound, smell, touch, taste and movement. He is a warrior against SPD, and my role is to provide him with whatsoever reinforcement he needs.
