Does anyone ele's child confuse senses?

My son is 3 and he doesn't like to be touched, I am the only one who can touch him freely without a negative reaction. My son will hug others, but he has to initiate it otherwise he gets violent (kicking, screaming, biting, scratching, pulling hair, etc) He is also very vocal so I can carry on conversations with him, (he did an IQ test meant for a seven year old, only stopping because the test ended, not because he couldn't continue). so I asked him why he doesn't like to hug his grandma or his sister (those are the two he hates to hug the most). He said it's because they feel cold to him. They are not cold physically, but I wonder why his body is confusing temperature sensors with tactile sensors. He says I am warm. Does anyone else experience this?

Hi Genie.

It is very common for individuals with autism to dislike being touched, but also common for them to seek deep pressure on their own terms. (Have you read, for example, about Temple Grandin and her "squeeze machine"? She built it because she found deep pressure so calming.)

I have not heard of children with autism confusing one sense with another, but I will be very interested to hear from other readers if they have observed this in individuals with autism (or themselves, if they have autism).

I have heard numerous stories of children with autism not wanting to be touched or hugged. I have been truly blessed as where my son who is 9 will still crawl up in my lap and put his head on my shoulder. he hugs and kisses everyone. But when he was younger he did have other sensory issues. For instance tags in his shirt. I had to cut every one out. He has scratch mark scars on the back of his neck from where it drove him nuts. At no point did I ever try to make him adapt to this discomfort. I as well have used a sensory diet with him every day to deal with his issues. This includes massage therapy, joint pressure and a lot of jumping. These sensory issues are very common in autism. And luckily there are things out there to help you along. I hope things get better. I can tell you though that even though my son goes to just about everyone, he is very funny acting towards my mom. He senses something and i don't know what. But he taunts her and will even go up and slap her and laugh. He doesn't do this with anyone else.

Yea, it was this not liking to be touched that first set off a red flag for me. He was 5 weeks early and in the NICU when I got to really see him for the first time (they held him up to me for about 10 seconds right after deliver and then rushed him away). Before I ever got over to him the nurse was coming to tell me how he was doing, the last thing she said was "Oh, and he doesn't like to be touched, he screams like we are killing him every time someone touches him." So I put my finger near his hand and touched it once to let him know I was there. He latched onto my finger and held it like that every time I visited. When I brought him home, he didn't cry to be held, but he didn't cry when I held him either. When someone else held him, however, he would scream his little head off. So I have always been the only one who can touch him freely. I also wondered, how does his body know that it is me touching him. I mean even in his sleep he knows the difference. Sometimes he cries out in his sleep, if I put my hand on his back, he calms down, but if someone else does he screams more, so how does his body know the difference even when he is sleeping?

Hi there. This sounds difficult. As an occupational therapist, I have worked with MANY kids with tactile defensiveness (not wanting to be touched, or wanting touch only on their terms). A good occupational therapist can help your child become less defensive to touch and to develop a plan so that this sensation is interpreted as less threatening by his nervous system. I advise you to look into getting occupational therapy services, if you aren't already.
Best, Rebekah Tolin, OTR/L

he was going to an ot for a little while, but the insurance company only allowed for once a week, and it would take the whole session for him to let her get close enough to him to do anything, and then by the next week it was back at square one again. The ot said it just wasn't doing any good cause it wasn't enough time. so we quit going.