Any SPD parents out there?

[Anonymous]

I was almost convinced my daughter had SPD - she had severe clothing/shoe issues for years. She also had sensitivity to loud sounds, etc. She seemed to get better with clothing as she got older and has almost no issues, so I thought I was wrong. But her personality is very sensitive. I wonder if it's related. Her teacher has voiced concerns. She's not easily excited - her teacher said she seems sad a lot. She gets very upset if she doesn't get her way. She has trouble getting started with classwork but is very bright and does well once she gets going. She's in 2nd grade. Any thoughts?

[Anonymous]

My 4 yr old has some sensory processing issues and what you're describing sounds like sensory processing issue to me. Having been through this, here's what I would do:

1. Get on Amazon.com and order "The Out of Sync Child" by Carol Stock Kranowitz

2. Get an appointment with your pediatrician and get him/her to write a prescription for an OT evaluation.

3. Get an appointment with a developmental pediatrician.

FWIW, this person can also write a prescription for an OT eval, but since the lead time to get the Dev Ped eval will probably be at least a couple of months and the lead time to get the OT eval will also be at least 2-4 months you might as well get a jump start. NOTHING is as frustrating as the LONG wait it takes to get something going once you finally realize there is a problem.

Once you have an assessment from an outside source, your insurance may or may not pay for services (depending on your policy). Mine does and I highly recommend the outpatient services at Georgetown Hospital. However, even if your insurance won't cover the therapy, it's still worth it to get the evaluation done because you can take it back to your child's school and use it to demand an IEP. The IEP will allow your child to get OT through the school (whether or not you choose to supplement that outside on your own).

Good luck and if you have any f/u questions, feel free to post and I'll try to answer.

[Anonymous]

My son also has SPD. Just know that many public schools will NOT provide OT services since they don't recognize SPD as an actual disorder yet (at least not in the DSM). So, you need to approach the school in another way in order for them to provide OT services to your child. Speak to a private OT about this b/c I am sure there are many other parents in the same boat. Also, if you do manage to get the school to provide OT, know that it will only address your child's academic issues, not social, emotional or anything else.

[Anonymous]

My DD is being evaluated for SPD (I am the one who posted about the long waiting lists). I did not get a referral for the OT evaluation from my ped. When I spoke to him, he referred me to my county's ChildFind. I spoke to them and heard from a few other parents not to bother b/c they won't be able to help. They didn't recognize SPD as something that could benefit from their program although if my DD had a speech, fine or gross motor problem, they would be able to help. So I just called the OT on my own and are on the waiting list. I called my insurance and they said they would only pay for OT if it was a problem caused from a genetic defect or birth injury. So I guess I will be in the same boat as the poster who cannot afford OT (although I will do what I can to pay out of pocket). Sigh.

[Anonymous]

I'm the 10:34 PP. I'm sorry more of you aren't getting OT in the school, that's so unfair. My DC does, but it is justified because her fine motor skills need work (which has academic impact - for example in needing to be able to write).

This may not help everyone, but if it helps someone then it is worth repeating: the importance of an OUTSIDE evaluation (instead of one done by the school) is that they understand the impact that OT has on SPD. Ergo their reports of the evaluation results are often written to justify OT services based on reasons that the school will have to recognize (fine motor, attention, concentration, etc.).

Just a thought. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP. I will make sure to have my DD's evaluation report written in the hopes that the school OT will be able to help her. She would fall into the "attention" category since her hypersensitivity to touch, sound make her unable to concentrate.

[Anonymous]

DS has SPD and your daughter sounds like she does too. DS is very sensitive, not overly emotional except when he doesn't get his way. DS is sensitive to sounds but not to touch. DS is gifted but procrastinates hugely.

I bet she'll get better as she gets older.

[Anonymous]

Would like to add that SPD doesn't necessarily make a child special needs. DS has sensory issues but is not special needs. When it affects learning then it is categorized as special needs. Your daughter is bright and does well with classwork generally. So she may have an issue but not one that classifies her as special need.

[Anonymous]

These are all helpful posts. I keep questioning whether she has SPD or not and whether there is anything I should do about it. I'm going to check out that book (The Out of Snyc Child) - I've heard about it before. I think it would be a good start. Thanks all!

[Anonymous]

Can someone clarify this for me? I know my child has some sensory issues. And I know I read "The Out of Sync Child" and found it both informative and helpful. But, I don't think she has SPD - at least not in any extreme form. I recently joined an online forum for parents with SPD children, but I'm not sure it's really helpful - all these children have symptoms much more extreme than my DC's. So does that mean she'll grow out of it? What does it mean to have a child with "sensory issues" who still doesn't have extreme SPD? Does it make sense to even say this or do I sound like I'm totally in denial? Do I not "get" the "seriousness" of her condition? Help!

[Anonymous]

I think you need to ask yourself if her sensory issues affect her life in a negative way? Do they get in the way of her being able to cope at school, w/ her friends, at home? My son seems fine at home and I didn't notice a problem at all until her got to school where it was loud and full of kids/teachers he didn't know. Then it was pretty apparent that something about him was outside the realm of "normal." Most days, his sensory issues DO get in his way at school (and sometimes in public situations w/ me). I don't think kids grow out of these issues but they might develop ways to cope. I am having him evaluated to see where his issues fall on the continuum. If he can get some help now, I will gladly take it. I can easily see how he might be seen as having ADHD down the road.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to ask yourself if her sensory issues affect her life in a negative way? Do they get in the way of her being able to cope at school, w/ her friends, at home? My son seems fine at home and I didn't notice a problem at all until her got to school where it was loud and full of kids/teachers he didn't know. Then it was pretty apparent that something about him was outside the realm of "normal." Most days, his sensory issues DO get in his way at school (and sometimes in public situations w/ me). I don't think kids grow out of these issues but they might develop ways to cope. I am having him evaluated to see where his issues fall on the continuum. If he can get some help now, I will gladly take it. I can easily see how he might be seen as having ADHD down the road.

Thanks PP, that's a pretty fair description of my DC too. Like, on the playground you might mistake her for a normal child, but in the classroom it's apparent that she has some issues of attention or concentration and I can see these having academic impact down the road.

When she really wants to concentrate and pay attention (i.e., when we're practicing reading or she's watching Wall-E) she can focus as well as anyone. It's clear that she CAN concentrate some of the time, however it really seems to need to be one-on-one for her. The loud nature of her pre-K classroom just doesn't lend itself to her being able to follow along very well. So I can imagine people easily thinking that it's a matter of she's sometimes "choosing" to concentrate and sometimes "choosing" not to - when it may be more fair to say that under certain conditions she CAN concentrate and under certain conditions she CANNOT. So maybe it's those coping skills that I have to help her learn.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer, I really appreciate it. It's helping me to work this out and understand.

[Anonymous]

I read these boards from time to time, and notice everyone talks about OT and ABA and other types of therapy, but no one talks about what their children are eating, or about their environment. We've had huge success getting rid of sensory and other issues just by changing DC's diet. We got rid of sugar and all artificial ingredients in the entire family's food.

Sodium benzoate, which is in most soda and many other processed foods, has been linked to increased hyperactivity and other symptoms in kids.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1661703,00.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I read these boards from time to time, and notice everyone talks about OT and ABA and other types of therapy, but no one talks about what their children are eating, or about their environment. We've had huge success getting rid of sensory and other issues just by changing DC's diet. We got rid of sugar and all artificial ingredients in the entire family's food.

Sodium benzoate, which is in most soda and many other processed foods, has been linked to increased hyperactivity and other symptoms in kids.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1661703,00.html

One of the first things I did when my son was diagnosed w/ SPD was change his diet. No artificial anything really except for rare occasions. He still is who he is though but I did see an improvement in his impulsiveness and occasional moodiness/crankiness. It isn't a miracle cure (for him at least).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone clarify this for me? I know my child has some sensory issues. And I know I read "The Out of Sync Child" and found it both informative and helpful. But, I don't think she has SPD - at least not in any extreme form. I recently joined an online forum for parents with SPD children, but I'm not sure it's really helpful - all these children have symptoms much more extreme than my DC's. So does that mean she'll grow out of it? What does it mean to have a child with "sensory issues" who still doesn't have extreme SPD? Does it make sense to even say this or do I sound like I'm totally in denial? Do I not "get" the "seriousness" of her condition? Help!

My son did not fit the criteira or descriptions in that book either. It turns out he has such amild case of SPD though. Clothing does not bother him. Textures of food does not bother him. He can do fine in a classroom with 20 kids also. But he has attention issues and some motor planning issues. So maybe your daughter is a mild case too.

I do not think a child grows out of it. It's a neurological condition, not a behavioral one, so the neurology of her brain is not likely to magically disappear with time. But if you get her in therapy or do good home therapy you can make significant differences in her life.