Meet Theo
Theo is a 4-year-old diagnosed with autism who loves to hug, squeeze and spin, but also needs support to manage elopement behaviors at school, and stimming behaviors such as chest pounding and finger biting. His parents have worked tirelessly to find the right supports, transitioning away from ABA therapy and now focusing on OT and speech. Despite having these supports in place, his parents are looking for additional ways to help Theo feel more comfortable, particularly when it comes to transitions, social interactions, and emotional regulation.
Theo’s mother shared some key concerns:
âś… Elopement at School: Running away from teachers at recess
âś… Self-harming Stims: Pounding his chest and ears and biting his fingers
âś… Struggles with Personal Space: Approaching peers with intense hugs and rough play
âś… Emotional Dysregulation: Struggling with some transitions and perfectionism
What's Going On With His Sensory Profile?
Theo’s sensory profile suggests that he has a high threshold for proprioceptive input and vestibular input—meaning he seeks out deep pressure and movement to feel regulated. This explains behaviors like:
👉🏼Chest Pounding and Biting Fingers: Both of these behaviors are forms of proprioceptive seeking- Theo may be seeking out the muscle activation to his chest and his jaw. When he experiences moments of dysregulation, these seem to be his body’s way of seeking comfort or fighting against the discomfort (e.g. fight or flight behaviors).
👉🏼 Hugging & Rough Play: Many kids who have a high threshold for proprioceptive input may struggle with body awareness. In Theo’s case, he may also enjoy the physical closeness between his body and someone else’s. The lack of body awareness combined with the proprioceptive seeking may be contributing to his need to reach out and touch, grab, squeeze or hug peers.
👉🏼 Elopement & Running: These are “flight” behaviors that can be triggered by the sympathetic nervous system. It’s important to zoom into these contexts and behaviors to understand what is triggering his nervous system to get into this state.
👉🏼 Frustration and Aggression with Crafts: Theo’s drive for perfection with drawing and tracing activities lead him to experience big frustration, which are likely paired with big internal sensations, also called interoception. It’s possible that his nervous system is triggering the fight or flight behaviors (like knocking things off the desk and throwing things) because the interoception sensations (heart pounding, increase in temperature) are overwhelming for him.
The goal for Theo is to help his nervous system access cues of safety—we want to reassure his brain that he’s not in danger, but without using words. Instead, we achieve this through sensory strategies that communicate safety through his body.
Next week I’ll dive into the specific sensory strategies I recommended for Theo’s parents to try.
Psst.. if you know someone who might want to read this newsletter and follow along with Theo's journey, feel free to forward this to them!
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