What To Do About A Rocker?

[Lilbutterflie]

I have a daycare boy, almost 2 yrs, that rocks himself. All. The. Time. He'll rock himself against almost anything, a wall, the toy organizing shelves, the couch, and (my reason for concern) against the pack n play mesh before and after going to sleep.

It's become a medical issue because for about 3 months now has open sores on his back where he makes contact with surfaces. The sores won't go away (even though his mom pays close attention to them and puts bandages & ointment on them).

I think the main thing causing the open sores is the pack n play mesh. He rocks himself against the mesh for about 5-15 minutes before going to sleep. He also has the NEED to rock himself for at least 20 minutes after waking up (he screams and cries & absolutely shuts down for the rest of the afternoon if I remove him from the PNP without allowing him to "wake up" with the rocking motion).

There are many many other signs with this child that lead me to believe he might have SPD and I have mentioned my concerns to his mom. For whatever reason, she has not talked to his pediatrician about it- perhaps she is waiting for his 2 yr appt or perhaps she just is not concerned.

Since I can't really do anything about his need to rock himself; I would like to figure out a way to protect his skin from the PNP mesh. But better yet; I'd like to figure out a way to transition him to a nap mat. I just don't think rocking against a wall is going to be any good for his open sores, though. Any ideas or thoughts on this??

[daycarediva]

Is he rocking side to side? My ds has asd and spd and is a rocker. We didn't have sores, we had welts on his head when the rocking would turn into banging his head against the wall...fun times)

How well is his clothing protecting his skin? can you do a onesie and a fuzzy sweater/fleece maybe? We put our ds in a lambswool lined hat. It looked funny in June-September but it helped cushion him somewhat.

[countrymom]

he has open sores now thats odd. Does he sleep in a pnp at home or a crib. What happens if you hold him instead of letting him rock, what does he do. Does he have any other symptoms, I'm wondering if its a habit.

[Lilbutterflie]

Is he rocking side to side? My ds has asd and spd and is a rocker. We didn't have sores, we had welts on his head when the rocking would turn into banging his head against the wall...fun times)

How well is his clothing protecting his skin? can you do a onesie and a fuzzy sweater/fleece maybe? We put our ds in a lambswool lined hat. It looked funny in June-September but it helped cushion him somewhat.

Thanks for your response. He isn't rocking side to side (though if he is standing up sometimes he will). He sits down & leans his back against anything he can and rocks back and forth. Like he is on a rocking chair.

I told DCM this morning that I think I'll purchase a fleece sleeper (since it's getting cold anyway) and change him into it every day for nap. I really want to transition him to a nap mat soon because he is getting too big for the PNP, but even with a fleece sleeper I am concerned about him rocking against the wall for so long!

[cheerfuldom]

so is the mom addressing the sores with instructions from the ped (meaning the ped knows about the issue) or is she just doing her own thing as best as she can?

at this point, it sounds extreme and I would insist on a doctor evaluation. There are several special needs diagnosis that may be a real concern for him with this rocking. I have one special needs girl here and she does a lot of rocking (as much as I will let her) but she does not have sores and her issues as a whole are being addressed.

[MamaBearCanada]

Could you have one of the kid foam chairs with the back against the wall so it won't tip for him to sit in and rock against? Or could he wear a toddler life jacket/ or a padded vest for extra padding at least until the sores are gone? Or sit in a bean bag? Or a tote or kiddie pool with foam in (not during nap)? Just spit balling ideas to protect his back so sorry if this sounds crazy!

[Lilbutterflie]

he has open sores now thats odd. Does he sleep in a pnp at home or a crib. What happens if you hold him instead of letting him rock, what does he do. Does he have any other symptoms, I'm wondering if its a habit.

He sleeps in a wood crib at home; but his mom as an extra wide bumper around it so he mainly rocks against the soft bumper.

If I hold him instead of letting him rock, he rocks against me. During our normal activities, though; I just remind him "No rocking." and he stops for a bit. Then he forgets and rocks again. He usually is okay with this; but if I try to discourage his rocking around nap time, he is an absolute wreck.

He has lots of other symptoms that lead to SPD.

-He is a super picky eater. He often chews food and spits it back out. He is underweight and you can see his rib bones, sternum, and hip bones. He now drinks Pediasure every day for extra calories and is slowly starting to gain some weight.
-He is highly sensitive to touch. He says "Ow" over and over during diaper changes. He resists putting on jackets & especially hates the zippers being zipped up. He does not like other kids to touch him or get close to him during play. Though as long as they aren't in his space, he does make eye contact and play well.
-He covers his eyes and/or puts fingers in his ears when he goes anywhere "new". It takes him quite a while to get used to a new park, a new person, or any new environment.
-He doesn't like to participate in sensory activities like painting or playing in a sensory bin. During lunch he will repeatedly ask for his hands to be wiped off.

[Lilbutterflie]

so is the mom addressing the sores with instructions from the ped (meaning the ped knows about the issue) or is she just doing her own thing as best as she can?

at this point, it sounds extreme and I would insist on a doctor evaluation. There are several special needs diagnosis that may be a real concern for him with this rocking. I have one special needs girl here and she does a lot of rocking (as much as I will let her) but she does not have sores and her issues as a whole are being addressed.

When I mentioned to his mom about my concerns for SPD, she got very nervous and did not say a word. She has not mentioned it again to this day, but I always bring up the symptoms I observe and how I think it is tied to sensory processing.

His dad rocked while he was a baby, and she thinks the rocking is just because his dad did it. Dad seems very normal to me, but I don't know him well because he usually does not do any drop offs or pickups. She has not gone to the doctor about the rocking or about his being underweight due to picky eating. She is treating it all herself. He will be going to his two year check up in a few weeks, so I am planning to bring it all up again to her before the appt, and ask her after the appt what the doctor said. Even if she chooses NOT to say anything; they are going to see how thin he is, and they are going to see his bandage on his back- so I know these issues will come up.

[daycarediva]

ugh. If she hasn't even addressed this with his pediatician, I will be surprised if they don't give her grief for not having brought him in sooner. Kids with SPD's need therapy. So sad that she hasn't pursued that for him.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

I would tell her she needs to get him evaluated. It is becoming a necessity due to open wounds.