“When we have special needs children, it can be a challenge to manage multiple issues at once. If we’re not careful, our child may let us know in a good or bad way.
During a summer vacation, we went for a forest walk, which was one of many outdoor activities we had planned. Stony loves the forest and we brought along lots of his playmobil figurines to play with. After half an hour, Stony started to become frustrated and confused. To help, I started playing with him and the figurines, but then he became very irritated and was shooing off a mosquito. He was horrified and very annoyed, chasing the bug and looking for it all over his body. It was clear that he was experiencing a sensory issue again.
This is likely related to an over-responsive tactile system and difficulty with self-regulation. When the nervous system is on edge, even a light touch can be overwhelming, especially if bugs can unexpectedly bite, tickle, or cause pain.
Here are some tips to help:
1. Acknowledge and respect the fear as real.
2. Encourage deep breathing during a bug encounter.
3.Let the child remove themselves from the environment if needed.
4. Wait until the child feels safe before trying to talk through the situation.
5. When the child is calm, read books about bugs and observe non-threatening insects like ladybugs and butterflies.
6. Encourage tactile play with different textures and full-body play if possible.
7. Put a long-sleeved shirt on the child when going for walks in nature.
8. Have a good insect repellent spray on hand.
Finally please do not forget!
Bugs can cause extreme fear, so it’s important to acknowledge, prevent, and manage it properly.”
