Repeat After Me: Copying Behavior in Sensory Processing

Lately Korey has been copying behavior from everyone he encounters. While this can be used for good, it has been causing so many headaches (RESCUE has been helping!) and lots of time outs.

Stop Choking

This morning went as it usual does, us asking Korey to eat over and over and over. Every time it’s breakfast Korey needs to be told to bite and eat his food at least 30 times. We really don’t understand what it could be other than his lack of focus due to sensory processing disorder.

His brother shoved a bit too much food in his mouth and started to cough. Then Korey starts copying him and then starts making himself choke (yup he made himself choke to make the noise) from one piece of sausage. Of course him doing it caused him to ultimately throw up. Now we had to talk abut whether we were going to send him to school or not, we decided to send him since he wasn’t really sick just making himself get sick.

I am so burnt out on every new obstacle this disorder throws us. It’s times like this that I think, I’m so done I want to just run away I can’t do this. You don’t have to tell me those are horrible thoughts, I know they are. As much as this disorder bothers me I always think in the end, Korey is the one who lives with it. Sure he may not realize much at this age but I know that his body and mind are not working the way he wants them to. He is having a more difficult time than I think I am.

There’s Hope

I keep telling myself that someday things won’t be this rough. That one day we will have this copying problem down, especially after hearing about what a group of kids made a special needs student do. I worry about this behavior affecting him throughout his whole life, but I won’t let the worry take over. I’m keeping up hope.