Our little flapper

I met with the Physical Therapist that Colton had for about 6 months when he wouldn't move (roll over, crawl or walk) to ask her about his hand flapping that he does when he's excited, when he flushes the toilet, watches the garage door shut, watching balls bounce or spin etc. We as a family don't mind it. It is his little quirk and since we are all a little quirky he fits right in. However, school kids can be cruel and it would break my heart if he was a target. We were around a group of kids that don't know him very well and they were trying to "make him do it again". When he was a baby he would do what we called his "riding the motorcycle" movement with his hands and as he's gotten older it's turned into to hand flapping. If you've spent any time around him you know what I'm talking about. Anyway, the P.T. said he has sensory issues/problems. Some people are hypo- or hyper-sensitive to external stimuli. Some people can't go to the mall without ear plugs because the noise and lights wear them out. The ear plugs are a way of shutting out to much stimuli. Some people need loud music and bright lights to wake them up. The P.T. said that the flapping and toe walking are Colton's way of dealing with external stimuli (sensory). He may need to do more gross motor things like jump on tramp more or use a therapy ball or brushing. Being a teacher of children with Autism I saw this a lot and of course Autism was what I thought of from the start when I saw Colton's behaviors. However, he's very social and has great language skills which rule out Autism. This P.T. actually referred me to another P.T. that specializes in children with sensory issues/disorders that will be able to help us. For now she said to ignore it and of course don't draw more attention to it. Often times I will just gently touch one of his hands and he stops. Sounds like behavior modification might be part of his treatment too, to replace the flapping with more socially acceptable behaviors like clapping. Not sure if clapping all the time would be considered appropriate either. The P.T. told me to read "The Out of Sync Child" regarding the characteristics of a child with sensory probs. I looked up sensory integration problems on line and he doesn't seem to fit the typical type. He just flaps. Not all day long and it doesn't get in the way of his daily functioning. However, he's only 2 1/2. He's very happy and a fast learner. His favorite things to do are read books, play preschool computer games (he can run the mouse just fine including click and drag) play ball and do puzzles. Always puzzles. I cut his sandwich in 4 pieces and he said "Look, a puzzle mom" and put it back together. It doesn't take him long to put a 25 piece puzzle together especially ones that he's familiar with. If I help him initially with a new puzzle he's got it the next time. The P.T. did say that children with sensory problems are usually smart cookies. He may look funny but at least he's intelligent. He definitely got that from his dad. I feel dumber with each kid I've had. Most of the time my thoughts are a jumbled mess and I can't even get my kids' names straight. Anyway, just in case you were wondering, "What's the deal with that Colton Clark".