Can Back Scratches Help with Sensory Integration Disorder?

Can scratching the back of a boy with autism help keep him calm?

Long-time readers know that I have an analytical side that likes to examine things I notice that might be affecting my son’s behavior.

In the past, I’ve hypothesized that compression shirts can help Kai have good days at school, while low barometric pressure bring on bad ones.

My latest theory is that giving my son a good back rub in the morning leads to a better day at school.

I started scratching Kai’s back a few weeks ago. As he has been sleeping somewhat better these days, I’m finding that more often I need to wake him up instead of the previous routine of him waking us up early. Rather than yelling for him to wake up as I was doing before, I’ve been trying a more soothing approach.

I had read of a technique called ‘body brushing’ that can help soothe the nervous system in children with sensory integration disorder, which many kids with autism have. The technique involves brushing a child’s arms, back, legs, and soles of the feet with a soft surgical brush, using long, deep strokes. The brushing should be done for three to five minutes.

I didn’t have a surgical brush, but wondered if similar results could be obtained by scratching my son’s back with long, deep strokes of the tips of my fingers. So, most mornings for the past few weeks, I have been waking Kai up with three minutes of back scratching.

As a wakeup technique, I recommend it. Kai really likes it, and always seems much more relaxed immediately afterward.

But does it have longer-term effects?

So far, he’s had a string of really good days at school since I started doing the back scratches. And, interesting enough, on the few days when I did not do it for various reasons (like being rushed for time, or Kai wanting to forego it so that he could use the computer), he did not perform as well in school as on the days that he got the back scratches.

It is definitely too soon to say that there is a causal relationship. And perhaps an OT can confirm or debunk my theory. The body brushing is supposed to be done every two hours, so just one back scratch in the morning may not be sufficient anyway.

But, it is something that has my attention right now.

I’ll be curious to see if the results hold up over time. If any of you have had any similar experiences, please let me know.

Going Four for Four with Under Armour

Kai had another good day at school on Friday. That makes it four good days out of the four days that he has worn an Under Armour shirt.

Our new OT, Becca, had suggested that we look into therapeutic compression shirts for our son. Many kids with autism have sensory issues and desire deep pressure. Kai is no different, as he often seeks out squeezes to his head or body. The idea of having Kai wear compression shirts is that they would fit snugly against his body, giving a squeezing sensation that simulates the feeling of the hugs that he craves. Becca thought that it might help him stay regulated, particularly in school.

We looked into it, but the special shirts we initially found online were much more expensive than we wanted to pay. Plus, they seemed kind of ugly, ensuring that Kai would stand out for wearing therapeutic-looking shirts.

Then, I found a comment that said that Under Armour shirts provide the same effect that we were looking for. For those of you who may not be familiar, Under Armour is the maker of tight-fitting sports shirts that are popular with teens and young adults these days. These shirts are typically worn to help regulate body temperature and dryness during athletic activity. They are made of a lycra-type fabric that fits snug on the body and feels silky.

The advantages for us are that Under Armour apparel is readily available and priced much more reasonably than the special shirts we saw. We also thought that they were more stylishly attractive than the therapeutic-looking shirts.

So, after Kai had one mediocre and two bad days to start the school year, my wife got a couple of Under Armour shirts to try out. On his first day of wearing one, Kai had a great day at school. The next day, he did not wear an Under Armour shirt and he reverted to having a so-so day.

This past week, due to the Labor Day and Rosh Hashanah holidays, he had school on only three days, and he wore his Under Armour on all three days. He put together three really good days, capped off by his best day of the year so far on Friday. He had no major incidents all week, stayed safe every day, and seemed calmer and happier overall.

We really don’t know for sure how much the Under Armour shirts are responsible for the great week he had. It is possible that he would have done well anyway. And, I am certainly not expecting that all of his behavior issues have been resolved forever with $20 pieces of clothing.

But, it’s tough to argue with a four out of four batting average. Like a superstitious baseball player, I don’t think we’ll be changing his clothing until he goes into a prolonged slump.


This is the type of shirt we got: Boy's Shortsleeve Heatgear® T ll Tops by Under Armour