Freya keeps busy

After giving Freya's sensory questionnaire to my autism nurse he told me that while I am hypersensitive (over sensitive) to pretty much everything, Freya is generally hyposensitive (under sensitive) to most things. This explains why she never sits still, why she pokes into everything and talks non stop with relentless questions :/ She is constantly seeking stimulation and she does that by licking things, jumping across the furniture, spinning herself round and round and making a mess with whatever she can get her hands on to name but a few habits.

If I'd been sceptical about this it was proved to me when I took her to town the other day and just by chance she had just opened a lolly as we left. She ate it all the way to Morrison's while holding my hand and walking nicer than I've ever seen. While we usually have a fit in the shop about having sweets I said to her "we're not getting sweets Freya as we have so many at home" and to my disbelief she said "OK mummy"!! She then had an ice cream on the way home and was just as lovely as on the way in.
It didn't occur to me until later that it was probably the licking that had kept her so calm.
I intend to try it again just to be sure of course

This morning I met Freya's new key worker at nursery and was explaining about her sensory needs and how she was better at nursery because she has constant stimulation. I had told this to another few people before it dawned on me that if I tried to provide more stimulation for her at home she might behave better!
This may seem to have been very obvious to others but it took me a while!

It is hard for me to contemplate arranging chaos as I need things to be organised, controlled and non messy for my own sanity :/

Therefore, thanks to the little patience my meds have given me in the last few weeks, (it's still very poor) I started slowly trying to get involved with a few games with her and getting her involved in some things that interest me.

She was very interested in the hedgehog house and was delighted to help put some food out in the hope of enticing our regular visitor to use our little home for his hibernation this year.

We bought a jumbo box of jigsaws from the charity shop for a whopping £1.99 :) She loves her puzzles and after you've helped her once she can usually do them from memory very quickly, the only issue being she thinks she has to do all of them every time :/

We played the shopping list game together which she loves, I find the organised set up of it very pleasing and she loves looking for food to put in her trolley, just like at the shops but cheaper!
She was distressed that a few cards were missing meaning we couldn't "buy" everything on our lists so I've ordered her a new one.

I am hoping to take inspiration from my niece once again and be brave and buy some paints and things for more messy play, I just hope my nerves will take it!