Sensory Processing Disorder article - washpost today

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like a prior poster, my son was "diagnosed" with SPD when he was about 3. We were desperate to know the reason for his behaviors and a developmental pediatrician had already ruled out an ASD. OT was mostly a waste of time and definitely a waste of money. Eventually, we went to Kennedy Krieger and he got an ADHD diagnosis, which seems to be right. My view is SPD is a "place holder" diagnosis for when kids are too young to diagnose things like ADHD or an LD.

I could've written the same exact thing. My son had all kinds of trouble in preschool stemming mainly from "sensory issues." He did a few OT sessions when he was 4 but since I had to pay out of pocket, I couldn't afford it long term. Fast forward a few years and he was diagnosed at KK with ADHD. So yes, he did have neurological issues.

How do neurological issues develope?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. I never bought into the SPD thing. My child had sensory stuff going on but I went first to a developmental pediatrician. We do OT after a diagnosis and in combination with other things, but I wouldn't have imagined going to just an OT for therapy first since I guess I just assumed sensory stuff was part and parcel of a bigger picture. In our case, it was ADHD and the diagnosis was not in the least surprising.

I agree with this. WE got a worthless diagnosis of SPD after a well-known "SPD expert" saw our family and DC for only 30 min. asking questions. THen our referring pediatrician had to hound the specialist for 3 months to get the "SPD" report. She was disgusted and threw it away. Another expensive course of testing not compensated by insurance. There are truly too many whackos in this field who want to find a diagnosis everywhere in everyone.

Wondering what background the so called SPD expert had?

[Anonymous]

The thing about SPD or sensory issues or whatever you want to call it is this. It's a set of symptoms, abnormal reactions to normal things (touch, sound, etc.). It's affecting some kids' lives negatively -- and they don't fit into the other diagnostic boxes (yet, maybe).

It seems to me this is pretty much like other DSM diagnoses. Check out this quote and article from when the DSM V came out:

"Psychotherapist Gary Greenberg, of New London, Conn., has written about the DSM for more than a decade and says the DSM disorders are "simply collections of symptoms that some experts agree constitute mental illnesses. There's not a single diagnosis in DSM that lives up to the standards of medical diseases.

"If I as a therapist tell you (that) you have a mental disorder, it's not the same thing as my telling you you have diabetes or cancer because diabetes and cancer are diseases that can be confirmed through biochemical findings. They meet the requirements for a disease in the way we generally think of a disease. There is not a single disorder in DSM-5 or any DSM that does that," says Greenberg, author of The Book of Woe: The DSM and the Unmaking of Psychiatry, out earlier this month.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/12/dsm-psychiatry-mental-disorders/2150819/

So I think SPD is like any other diagnosis in the DSM in that sense - a collection of symptoms. As a PP said, lots of things weren't in the DSM -- until they were.

But what I am NOT sure about is: what's the appropriate treatment...is this stuff in the Out of Sync Child Has Fun worthwhile? What works?? That's important and I just don't know the answer to that.

[Anonymous]

First of all, every disorder is an attempt to collect things that seem alike under a category to try to understand it. Just because there's no "biomedical" test doesn't mean it doesn't exist. There are no blood markers for depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, autism . . . but those things clearly exist. That strikes me as such a stupid thing to say that its not worth even repeating. And this is a psychotherapist (with what kind of degree?) and not a medical doctor.

The problem with SPD isn;t that there's a collection of symptoms, its that the collection of symptoms are often the result of something else entirely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First of all, every disorder is an attempt to collect things that seem alike under a category to try to understand it. Just because there's no "biomedical" test doesn't mean it doesn't exist. There are no blood markers for depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, autism . . . but those things clearly exist. That strikes me as such a stupid thing to say that its not worth even repeating. And this is a psychotherapist (with what kind of degree?) and not a medical doctor.

The problem with SPD isn;t that there's a collection of symptoms, its that the collection of symptoms are often the result of something else entirely.

As the NY Times article confirmed, parents simply don't have time (or don't make time) to implement strong routines during early childhood development.
That task is most offen delegated to uninformed babysitters or daycare workers. Parents prefer not to waste their "intelegence" on such menial labor.

[Anonymous]

Can someone please link the NYT article from the "Toddlers and ADHD Medication" thread?

[Anonymous]

Right every disorder is an attempt to group symptoms that are impairing life functions. Sensory issues are no different in that sense.

Sure some parents aren't implementing routines, discipline etc. but others are yet the kids still have odd sensory issues and don't fit into another diagnostic box. Yet they need help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Right every disorder is an attempt to group symptoms that are impairing life functions. Sensory issues are no different in that sense.

Sure some parents aren't implementing routines, discipline etc. but others are yet the kids still have odd sensory issues and don't fit into another diagnostic box. Yet they need help.

Do you think they got the best possible sensory care beginning at birth? What about in utero? Babies are are certainly sensitive even before they're born, aren't they?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First of all, every disorder is an attempt to collect things that seem alike under a category to try to understand it. Just because there's no "biomedical" test doesn't mean it doesn't exist. There are no blood markers for depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, autism . . . but those things clearly exist. That strikes me as such a stupid thing to say that its not worth even repeating. And this is a psychotherapist (with what kind of degree?) and not a medical doctor.

The problem with SPD isn;t that there's a collection of symptoms, its that the collection of symptoms are often the result of something else entirely.

As the NY Times article confirmed, parents simply don't have time (or don't make time) to implement strong routines during early childhood development.
That task is most offen delegated to uninformed babysitters or daycare workers. Parents prefer not to waste their "intelegence" on such menial labor.

"The New York Times confirmed . . ." The NYT is not a source of science, they can't confirm this sort of thing. Everything else you wrote is absurd. SAHM have kids with developmental disorders. Highly structured homes produce kids with developmental disorders. I mean, duh . . .

[Anonymous]

Why should parents with kids with sensory issues be held to a "best possible" standard, when any other set of symptoms in the DSM like anxiety, cleptomania, ADHD etc don't require that??

[Anonymous]

Double posting. Take hyotonia. Often neurological in origin, sometimes genetic. Can cause pretty severe symptoms. Sometimes parents never find the cause. But they can and so treat the symptoms through OT and PT. Not knowing the cause shouldn't treating the symptoms...or searching for the cause.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why should parents with kids with sensory issues be held to a "best possible" standard, when any other set of symptoms in the DSM like anxiety, cleptomania, ADHD etc don't require that??

I thought every parent (ok, most) tries to do their very best when it comes to parenting their children. No?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First of all, every disorder is an attempt to collect things that seem alike under a category to try to understand it. Just because there's no "biomedical" test doesn't mean it doesn't exist. There are no blood markers for depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, autism . . . but those things clearly exist. That strikes me as such a stupid thing to say that its not worth even repeating. And this is a psychotherapist (with what kind of degree?) and not a medical doctor.

The problem with SPD isn;t that there's a collection of symptoms, its that the collection of symptoms are often the result of something else entirely.

As the NY Times article confirmed, parents simply don't have time (or don't make time) to implement strong routines during early childhood development.
That task is most offen delegated to uninformed babysitters or daycare workers. Parents prefer not to waste their "intelegence" on such menial labor.

"The New York Times confirmed . . ." The NYT is not a source of science, they can't confirm this sort of thing. Everything else you wrote is absurd. SAHM have kids with developmental disorders. Highly structured homes produce kids with developmental disorders. I mean, duh . . .

Are you missing the point on purpose? Read the article. See the research. Early childhood development is hard work.

[Anonymous]

8:36, yes I think so but the question you didn't answer is: why the double standard? Because you can't?

If parents with kids with sensory issues were not doing the best they could, they wouldn't be perusing every possible avenue (taking kids to therapy KKI etc) as they do...yet th kids have issues that do not (yet) fit into another box.

What's your answer other than "do even more!"??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First of all, every disorder is an attempt to collect things that seem alike under a category to try to understand it. Just because there's no "biomedical" test doesn't mean it doesn't exist. There are no blood markers for depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, autism . . . but those things clearly exist. That strikes me as such a stupid thing to say that its not worth even repeating. And this is a psychotherapist (with what kind of degree?) and not a medical doctor.

The problem with SPD isn;t that there's a collection of symptoms, its that the collection of symptoms are often the result of something else entirely.

As the NY Times article confirmed, parents simply don't have time (or don't make time) to implement strong routines during early childhood development.
That task is most offen delegated to uninformed babysitters or daycare workers. Parents prefer not to waste their "intelegence" on such menial labor.

"The New York Times confirmed . . ." The NYT is not a source of science, they can't confirm this sort of thing. Everything else you wrote is absurd. SAHM have kids with developmental disorders. Highly structured homes produce kids with developmental disorders. I mean, duh . . .

Are you missing the point on purpose? Read the article. See the research. Early childhood development is hard work.

I don't need to be lectured about how hard it is. I have two children with SN. I am a SAHM who has invested an enormous amount of time on my children. I doubt you would last a day in my circumstances. You really should consider whom you are judging, you are posting in the SN section.