Talk to me about sensory issues and jumping

DS never was identified as having any sensory issues. However, over the last month he has been jumping a lot. I thought it was his way of dancing. But now it seems to be on overload. He is going for an OT evaluation now. Anyone have experience with jumping in particular and what to do to help with it?

TIA!

Re: Talk to me about sensory issues and jumping

Im not 100% sure its sensory.
My DS gets OT. He just turned 3 and JUST started to jump last week!
His PT is going to be ecstatic tomorrow (she was on vacation)!
It took us Forever to get him to jump.

Re: Talk to me about sensory issues and jumping

yay -- that's great!!!

we haven't had the eval yet but they thought it might be a sensory issue but also told me that he doesn't appear to have many "typical" sensory issues so they're not sure if it is true sensory or if the kid just likes to jump.

I just didn't know how common this was. And he sometimes does it while flapping his hands to his legs so I'm getting a little alarmed at that.

Re: Talk to me about sensory issues and jumping

DS cannot jump. He still doesn't know how or have the strength to do it.

I am going to get him a trampoline. He loves it even if we have to help him.

Maybe you could try to redirect his jumping into an appropriate activity like the trampoline?

Re: Talk to me about sensory issues and jumping

He might be jumping because he is seeking vestibular sensory input. If he was hypo sensitive or under responsive he would be sensory seeking.

A lot of kids who are hypo sensitive also like to crash, get squeezes etc.

Re: Talk to me about sensory issues and jumping

It is normal for kid to be sensory seeking to a degree. DS gets OT still and loves to jump. The OT said it is normal for development. It is when there are other things they look at sensory issues.

Re: Talk to me about sensory issues and jumping

While every situation is different, my DS went through a jumping phase too. He's been getting PT for about a year now, and when he first started, jumping was a much more difficult task for him. Now, he jumps unassisted from the bottom outdoor step, off a playground step, etc. He's so proud of himself when he does it. DS also likes to jump over objects and sometimes shows me his jumping skills while walking. He'll also say, Jump, jump, Mommy!" as he's doing it. In our case, I wouldn't say it's a sensory issue. He's gaining more trunk strength and has a lot more self-confidence as a result.

In your DC case, I'd mention it to the OT and see what they have to say. You may want to request a PT evaluation too, just to rule out any underlying concerns.

Re: Talk to me about sensory issues and jumping

He is receiving PT now...he does have low trunk strength although it has improved.

He does like squeezes and gives such great hugs but now it kind of makes a lot of sense.

Message edited 2/9/2010 11:44:12 AM.