Shopping: No Guile Style

Without reading can you tell the difference?

One thing everyone in this house can agree on is no one likes shopping which leaves it to me.  We have a bunch of rules we follow mostly unconscionably about what is bought.  I noticed this the other day when I was buying shampoo and conditioner for the kids. I went to pick up the coconut because well the smell is pretty weak, but had to put it back.  The reason the shampoo and conditioner are almost the same exact color.  Shampoo must be brighter than conditioner in this house so they know which to use first.  We tried the write numbers on the bottles but they always wash off. Yes even with a sharpie.  So we found bright shampoo works.  I have been doing this for who knows how long and never really thought about what I was doing until the other day.  It all started because of the executive functioning issues Roger would get in the shower but get all confused on what to do next, so we had to find a solution rather than me standing outside the door giving directions.  Sure they could read the bottle but that would be a added step and the less steps the better. They use bar soap for body wash nothing in a bottle.

Now look. Shampoo is brighter than conditioner no reading required.

Body Wash, This is a NO NO, looks too much like a shampoo bottle and even the colors are close.

Bar soap perfect, no matter the shape or color you know what it is for.

Easy to handle laundry soap.

This got me to thinking what other rules do we follow.  Laundry soap always liquid. I hate powdered it smells and it gets everywhere.  We have recently gone to the single use pod things to help the kids be able to do laundry without using half a bottle.  Fabric softener only Snuggle, the others smell to strong.  The boys will only use axe deodorant. The swear by it.  They will not use the body wash or spray because it smells to strong.  I'm not going to fight that logic.  Mom's stuff only Tampax or Always, why because they are the only ones on the market with zero latex.

Now most teenagers want to shop at Abercrombie and Finch, Aeropostale  Gap, you know all the high end stores not mine.  He says its to noisy and smells bad in the stores.  He also hates the clothes. Says they fit strange and he doesn't like how they feel. Another thing I will not fight Target it is then.  Second hand jeans are the best someone else has already worn them in for you.







There are many others certain things are only bought at certain stores because one store brand is better than another. Some brands are bought over another because of smell, look, taste, or feel.  Seriously there is a such thing as a too cheesy cheese stick.  Even the dog has rules.  He will only eat one brand of dog food and only likes one type of treat.

http://www.migy.com/2010/04/ground-rules.html

I know we are not the only ones what are some of the rules you follow on products you buy? If you think you don't think about I bet you will be as surprised as I was when you really think about your shopping habits.

The OT Dictionary

We received Rogers OT (occupational therapy) results yesterday and man do they use big words. After I got it I decided I would write a blog post just on what these words mean. These are just a few of what we heard not a complete list. That would have to be a book not a blog post. :)

Sensory Processing Disorder: "is a condition that exists when sensory signals don't get organized into appropriate responses. Pioneering occupational therapist and neuroscientist A. Jean Ayres, PhD, likened SPD to a neurological "traffic jam" that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information needed to interpret sensory information correctly. A person with SPD finds it difficult to process and act upon information received through the senses, which creates challenges in performing countless everyday tasks. Motor clumsiness, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, school failure, and other impacts may result if the disorder is not treated effectively.

One study (Ahn, Miller, Milberger, McIntosh, 2004) shows that at least 1 in 20 children’s daily lives is affected by SPD. Another research study by the Sensory Processing Disorder Scientific Work Group (Ben-Sasson, Carter, Briggs-Gowen, 2009) suggests that 1 in every 6 children experiences sensory symptoms that may be significant enough to affect aspects of everyday life functions. Symptoms of Sensory Processing Disorder, like those of most disorders, occur within a broad spectrum of severity. While most of us have occasional difficulties processing sensory information, for children and adults with SPD, these difficulties are chronic, and they disrupt everyday life." (http://www.sinetwork.org/about-sensory-processing-disorder.html)

Auditory Processing Disorder: "Auditory processing disorder (APD), also known as central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), is a complex problem affecting about 5% of school-aged children. These kids can't process the information they hear in the same way as others because their ears and brain don't fully coordinate. Something adversely affects the way the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, most notably the sounds composing speech.

Kids with APD often do not recognize subtle differences between sounds in words, even when the sounds are loud and clear enough to be heard. These kinds of problems usually occur in background noise, which is a natural listening environment. So kids with APD have the basic difficulty of understanding any speech signal presented under less than optimal conditions." (http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/ears/central_auditory.html)

Visual-motor integration: Eye hand coordination

Manual Coordination: Control and coordination of arms and hands

Fine Motor Control: coordination of distal muscles in hands.

Sensory Processing related to endurance/tone: Muscle tone

Modulation Related to body position and Movement: do they turn head to look at you or full body.

Vestibular processing: The vestibular system detects movement and gravitational pull, and it provides information regarding the position of our head in space and acceleration and deceleration of movement. It is the first sensory system to fully develop in utero and is located in the inner ear. The vestibular system has strong neurological connections in the brain and is a major organizer of varied sensory input. This system is considered the most influential sensory system and has tremendous impact on one’s ability to function daily. Directly or indirectly, the vestibular system influences nearly everything we do. It is the unifying system in our brain that modifies and coordinates information received from other systems, and it functions like a traffic cop, telling each sensation where and when it should go or stop. (http://nspt4kids.com/health-topics-conditions/vestibular-processing/) Basically this is why he moves all the time ie rocking.

Sensory Overload

Yes I know I have been MIA here for close to a week but you know people get busy. I did want to share a youtube video about sensory overload. Keep your speakers on and watch this.

If you think about it if this was going on in your head it would scare the crap out of you. Roger watched it and said it was close for him. No wonder mid meltdown it seems as he can't hear us talking. He can't filter us out. We are still working on teaching him to know when it is about to happen so he can leave the area and maybe avoid the meltdown.