It has seemed to be that throughout the years, Colin has had certain habits that would provide some relief for some sensory issues that he has had. He seems to be "under sensitized" where he seeks out certain actions that will give him input he is looking for. In the past we have seen things like chewing on his thumbs, rubbing his fingers on eyelashes/strings, rubbing his hands on his socks and tearing them apart and sliding on the floor. Sometimes some of these things on the list reemerge here and there but for the most part, he has moved onto other "sensory seeking" behaviors.
Throughout the course of this school year, the two biggest sensory related behaviors are teeth grinding and picking at his finger/toe nails. For a long time, Chris and I tried our best to ignore these behaviors as many times, he wouldn't even be aware he was doing it. At the end of the summer, I had talked to the dentist about it and he had explained that sensory wise, there is a lot going on in his mouth at this time (loose teeth and growing teeth/shifting/etc.) and it made a whole lot of sense. I am anxious to go back over spring break to ask more questions because he basically seems to be at a point where he is grinding his teeth more than he's not. It is really hard to ignore now as I worry about what his newly forming adult teeth will be like if he keeps this up AND because it is the MOST irritating noise. I think it's really getting to Chris and I now. The rational part of my brain understands that it must be providing some relief to him but the irrational side wants to just scream "stop the grinding!!".
If he's not grinding his teeth, he is also picking at his fingers and toes on the nails. This clicking sound is just as irritating as the teeth grinding but for different reasons. Again, we understand that these behaviors provide some relief to sensory needs that he may have but it is hard when these are sounds we hear nonstop these days!
It's a good thing he's cute!
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