Experience is a wonderful thing. Having lived with long hair for all of time would certainly be an assistance in dealing with female daughters who do not like to have their hair brushed. It is not too much fun for a dad who is not too great with that side of the personal grooming side of things. Throw in some sensory issues for the recipient of the brushing and a great big knot then you have most likely got something of a recipe for a disaster of sorts.

Well at least for loud and difficult time at best…

Unless you have the knack, the secret, the special knowledge and skills of how to solve said knot issue….

Thanks to Tricia the imposer of punishing writing posts for this insider knowledge and I am sure that it will go someway in assisting in the hair brushing exploits with my girls. I would add though there are some relevant issues to be consider in the case of my girl Bonnie.

Bonnie like her Dad is autistic. Just like any other two people we have similarities and differences. Things that are the same and things that are very different. One of those things is that for Bonnie hair brushing is a sensory issue for her. It’s a real issue of difficulty for her to cope with. One of those ones though that you do need to work through as there is some level of personal grooming that is pretty isolating if just let go.

Running the brush through Bonnie’s hair was always and remains something of a sensory challenger for Bonnie and a challenging thing to get done for the one taking on the task. However it was made increasingly so after Bonnie experiences and EEG test as a two or three-year old.

Bonnie is an amazing young girl, at this time in her life she would have difficulty when her family members went out, it was as if they were lost for her and she found it very distressing. On an occasion this occurred Bonnie became so upset that she held her breath and passed out, she ended up taking an ambulance ride and spending a few hours in hospital. It was a scary situation. It occurred a couple of other times after this and again was scary.

It was decided by the doctors who saw her that they should do some testing to ascertain if there was anything neurological contributing to this. So off we went to attend an EEG. It was a traumatic experience for all involved. Bonnie, myself, Bonnie’s man-8400_1920mum and the clinicians undertaking the procedure.

Personally I had to sit holding my little girl still, physically restraining her whilst she had texta dots drown on her head, followed by dots of gel, followed by the application of the EEG measuring pads, followed by the wrapping of her head to keep them all in place. Bonnie did not enjoy a single moment of this, she wriggled and squirmed and cried the whole time.

This was followed by the actual measuring of data. Of course this was undertaken with her Dad traumatized already with just the preparation having to hold his writhing baby girl still in the hope that the EEG would give some quality data to be interpreted.

I don’t really know to this day whether they got any information out of this horrible day or not, but what I do know is that Bonnie, who could then tolerate a brush going through her hair, even if with some sensory sensitivity, could no longer.

The upshot of all this was that going near her with a brush caused instant tears and avoidance.

So thanks Tricia, as in this realm every little hint, or tip, or skill, or strategy is something of a Godsend in helping Bonnie with this seemingly basic and ordinary grooming task which for Bonnie is anything but simple and ordinary.