Beachsick Boy
August 29, 2008 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
Since coming home from the beach on Saturday, Charlie’s seemed more in need of deep pressure, especially on his hands and feet. He’s been twisting his hands into his shirt all summer, and he’s now also burrowing his feet deep within the couch cushions (it’s a soft, blue, quite beat u couch). At night, as ever, he sort of self-swaddles himself all the way down to his feet in his fleece blanket.
He wasn’t doing as much of the hand and feet wrapping while were on vacation and last night it occurred to me that, when we’re at the beach, so many more of Charlie’s sensory needs are readily met. Endless amounts of sand, warm in the sun and squishy lovely wet and what equals the ocean, water in constant motion, cool or warmed, washing up every possible curious delight. Glistening jellyfish; stringy seaweed; sandy foam and waves over your head.
Not easy being beachsick.
It’s our middle son who’s like this. He could stand in the pounding waves (and get knocked down by them) all day. He’s the one who burrows and puts pillows on top of himself and all the other things you describe. Of course, he’s NOT the one with autism, but with ADHD. And, of course, these two things are not unrelated.
Jim, my definitely ADHD husband, recalls being able to spend the entire day as a boy being knocked over by the waves and continually going back for more.
I have been so beachsick at times that it was overwhelming. I hope Charlie doesn’t feel like that. It was more of a “missing the beach so much I couldn’t stand it” feeling. Yes, think the beach is great sensory therapy.