Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is a somewhat controversial topic in the medical community. Some physicians, including my children’s primary physician, either do not believe that it is a real condition or they feel that it is simply a symptom of another issue.
For a while, I tended to agree with these “experts”. I had noticed a few unusual quirks in some of my kids, such as constant chewing, intentionally crashing into the floor, and seeking out upside down positions, but I felt that these were effects of their ADHD.
Because I didn’t look at SPD as a real, standalone condition, I wasn’t sensitive to the special needs of children who have it, including my own. Over the past few weeks, though, I’ve come to think differently about SPD. I’m slowly accepting the reality of sensory processing disorder and what it means for our family.
What is Sensory Processing Disorder?
SPD is a complex condition. It generally manifests itself in either underresponsiveness (child feels too little) or overresponsiveness (child feels too much).
Kids who are underresponsive may seek out sensory input through rough play, touching everything in sight, shouting, and chewing on inedible objects. My kids fall into this category.
Kids who are overresponsive may avoid or run away from regular activities because the sound, feel, or taste of something is too strong for them to handle.
Interestingly, SPD is not a straight-line condition. Kids may be overresponsive in some areas and underresponsive in others. You can have a child who shouts at the top of his lungs all day just to get some auditory stimulation, but cries after tasting a pretzel because the texture is too hard for his mouth.
How I Knew Something Was Wrong
Now that I’m back at home with the kids on a full-time basis, some of their behaviors seem a bit more blatant than they did before. Tigger, for example, chews ALL DAY LONG. She’s chewed her fingers quite a lot over the years.
When we started helping her take care of her nails, she switched to chewing on her hair. She was even sucking her locks. I’d never seen anything like that before. We worked with her on that habit and we thought things had improved.
Then, one day after naptime, we noticed these large circular bruises on both of her arms. We were horrified. “What did you do???!!” She had been sucking on her arms before falling asleep. It seemed like when we helped her stop using one object for oral sensory input, she’d simply switch to another and another. That was when I realized we were dealing with more than just a bad habit.
I’ve read quite a few books on SPD recently and I’ll share my insights from those in an upcoming post. But, noticing that my kids were not “getting better” made me realize that SPD wasn’t going anywhere and that we’d have to deal with it in order to help our kids thrive.
Other Sensory Processing Disorder Resources
- Sensory Processing Disorder – SPD Foundation
- What is SPD? – Sensory Smarts
- How Does SPD Affect Learning? – The Out-of-Sync Child
- Kids Who Feel Too Much – Parents
- Sensory Processing Myths – The Inspired Treehouse
Books about Sensory Processing Disorder
- The Out-of-Sync Child by Carol Kranowitz
- Raising a Sensory Smart Child by Lindsey Biel
- Understanding Your Child’s Sensory Signals by Angie Voss
- The Sensory Child Gets Organized by Carolyn Dalgliesh
Are any of you dealing with sensory processing disorder with your kids? What challenges have you faced so far? Have you had any trouble getting support from your physician or your family? We’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments.
Selena, I wish you the best on this journey. Although we don’t (yet) have SPD in our home, our very best friends have a child with a severe case. I will tell you that, without a doubt, therapy works for him and since beginning, he has shown remarkable progress.
Keep us up to date on your journey and know that your open, honest (and emotional) writing helps to inspire us on ours.
Hi! We’re definitely considering occupational therapy. First on our list is finding a pediatrician who is familiar with SPD and will refer us to a good OT in the area. Surprisingly, it’s hard to find a pediatrician in our area like that.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi! I just found your blog, and I think I’m gonna keep following it! I’m studying to be a teacher, so I LOVE anything that can help me understand my students better – and the information here for ADHD, etc will be especially beneficial, I think.
I can totally relate to this post on SPD. Not because I have kids that are SPD, but because I myself have SPD, and I show cases of both the sensory underresponsive and the sensory overresponsive. You summarized both sides very well. And I often questioned myself as to whether or not there was something more going on than just SPD. But I’ve come to the conclusion that I really am just SPD, and that’s OK 🙂 It can be super hard to find a medical practicioner who’s familiar with SPD because of how debated the diagnosis is in the medical community, but the diagnosis is so worth it. Although there’s no medication for it, the accommodations in the classroom can be so helpful, especially with teachers who actually train the kids so they don’t need the accommodations anymore once the year’s over. Keep pressing! You’ll find someone soon! 🙂
Hi Treble,
I’ve never heard of an adult with SPD, of course kids grow up…I would love to hear more about how you dealt with your challenges. I sometimes think my daughter is growing out of it, but she still has setbacks. Maybe other things are at work there too. I don’t know how to do this blog stuff – can you write back to me? How do I give you my contact information?
Thanks so much Selena, I just discovered your blog and plan to spend lots of time catching up with it.
I am familiar with sensory processing disorder. While I worked in child care I encountered a few children who were in the spectrum of SPD. It’s particularly challenging to manage in child care… as there is a lot of sensory stimulation which can make it hard to regulate.
Very interesting post and lovely to hear a parent’s perspective.
Thanks for sharing (and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop).
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
Yes, when we’re in large groups of people, my SPD kids get extremely overwhelmed. They don’t shy away from people, but they tend to get even more excitable than usual. It’s as if they are getting a high out of all the stimulation. It’s frustrating, but I’m glad to be beginning to understand so I can adjust how I parent.
Thanks for stopping by!
Great educational post. So many are unfamiliar with the SPD diagnosis. I am one of them but thankfully we’ve got bloggers sharing their personal experiences with all of us so that we can learn. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you!
My son has sensory processing disorder. He is not on the autism spectrum and does not have ADHD. Sounds are too loud for him, food textures make him gag if they change in his mouth and visual input causes him to obsess over objects until he can better process them.
He has improved vastly over the last year. Touch doesn’t bother him as much as it used to, but his threshold for sound is still low- so we carry headphones around with us.
His first pediatrician was not at all supportive- so we switched and our new pediatrician listens and understands his needs. He goes to OT once a week with a therapist who understands SPD as it’s own disorder and is working wonderfully with us.
Patience is key and being prepared is the most important tool to helping your child.
Yep, we’re switching to a new pediatrician too. As soon as I can find a good one in our area that is at least familiar with SPD. Since I’ve read so many great books about it, I just assumed that most doctors would be aware of it. Wrong!
I’m so glad your son is coping well. It’s wonderful that you’re willing to make adjustments so that he can feel comfortable wherever he is. <3
Our son has only recently been diagnosed with a sensory disorder, along with apraxia and autistic traits – all of which were a longtime coming. He was diagnosed with a myopathy a few years back and his symptoms were put down to that, until someone started to listen to us. He is 17 and has always been ‘different’.
Our son has always been a stroker, he used to be worse, but we managed to teach him that he can’t go around stroking peoples arms or hair!…But the dogs love him! He has always choked easily and certain smells will have him heaving and retching, sometimes we can’t even notice a smell.
Greg’s doesn’t really feel hunger or thirst either, which is a major problem, but at least now we have got some of the support we have needed for so long and people are starting to understand why Greg’s is like Greg’s is.
Sadly I must say that for a longtime there were family members on both sides thinking it was down to me that Greg’s is like he is, even though we have a daughter who is ‘normal’…I don’t like that word after all define ‘normal’! I am just glad now that they know that isn’t the case.
I hope you are getting the help you need for your children whilst they are still young.
Popped over from the #SHINEBlogHop.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. It’s such a relief to finally get some answers, so you can prepare yourself and your child. And I agree about the word “normal”. There is no “normal”. It’s just about what’s best for each child. 🙂
Thanks for visiting!
I’m glad you are helping your child… and learning … and loving. May God bless you and your family.
Thank you for visiting! 🙂
Our daughter has SPD and was actually MIS-diagnosed with ADHD as part of it.
At 14, she has a lot of strategies she’s developed on her own at this point, but when she was younger, it was really, really rough.
Interestingly when you talk about underresponsiveness and overresponsiveness, the one thing that I thought was amazing when my daughter was a baby – she slept ALL the time; like, straight through the night at a week old, and always at least 8 hours straight her whole life – we later found out is a common trait in kids with SPD, as it’s a sensory defense; babies don’t have another way to avoid stimuli, so they learn to sleep it away. It’s just amazing all the things that turned out to be related.
We didn’t have good experiences with OT, but we also started when Sarah was older, and that made it harder. Younger is easier, I keep hearing! I just hope you and your family develop a set of strategies that work for YOU – don’t let anyone, professional or otherwise, convince you they know better for you and your kids than you guys know about yourselves 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Joan. I’ve wondered if our daughter’s ADHD is actually SPD, or if she truly has both. Since our pediatrician doesn’t “believe in” SPD, it’s very possible that he mis-diagnosed her. We’re still searching for a good doc, so I’m hopeful we’ll get a little more clarity.
I didn’t know that about sleeping through the night. Our daughter started sleeping straight through the night around 2 months too. Hmmmm….
One of my boys has sensory issues. Not sure if it’s a function of one of his other diagnosis or if it’s stand alone(and honestly, I really don’t care either way- I just know it’s something he deals with). Loud noises used to be the worst. He’s gotten more adjusted, though. He still doesn’t like really loud, but he can deal with normal classroom loud when he couldn’t before. He likes deep pressure but hates any sort of tag on clothing. We’re figuring out what works! ^Shell
Thanks for sharing your experience! It’s such a strange dynamic, isn’t it? It really defies logic, since their sensitivities can vary so greatly. We’re in the “figuring out what works” stage here too. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
Selena, my oldest has some sensory issues. He was diagnosed with Asperger’s, OCD, and SPD about 4 years ago. The diagnosis was nice to finally have after years of trying to get to the bottom of some of his issues. He’s extremely sensitive to light and sound. Now that he’s older (15) he manages so much better than he used to.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Adrienne. I’ve often wondered if there are other issues that are going on that we’re unaware of, but it’s so hard to get a good, straightforward diagnosis. A lot of times doctors will just take your word for it and use that as a guide. But that’s not necessarily all there is to the situation, kwim?
It’s so good to hear that your son is managing better. That really gives me hope. 🙂
My almost 11 year old is easily overstimulated, and gets overwhelmed by being with people too much, even a couple of days of one-on-one friend dates can leave him burnt out and overwhelmed. I am finding that it helps to find a quiet place that he can go to when he needs to calm down. I let those in charge know we have set this up and then rehearse with him before hand. I also have been teaching him to politely tell his friend that he needs a bit of time to himself and then leave for a while. This is helping, although it doesn’t solve all our social problems.
Alone time is sooo important for sensory-sensitive kids. Shucks, I need it myself pretty often! Sometimes I have to tell the kids “Okay, Mommy needs everyone to be quiet for two minutes.” 🙂
My son has SPD. I knew that something was a miss and fought hard to figure out what it was. He has been seeing a PT and starts OT next week. His PT actually pushed for a sensory evaluation and for his official diagnosis. I think the acceptance process is different for each parent and child. What helped me was everyone seemed to be very open and excepting. I know that doesn’t happen for everyone. I’m sorry it’s been such a difficult road for you! Good luck!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your story! It definitely takes time to find out exactly what is going on, but it’s worth the effort.
3 of my 4 kids have SPD. Working with an OT who specializes in sensory can be a huge help! There are also catalogs that cater to sensory issues – Therapro- is one. They have great ideas in them. For your daughter’s chewing/sucking needs, many OT’s suggest a product called Chewelry which is jewelry that is designed to be chewed on and sucked on for sensory input. Since it looks like fun jewelry, your child doesn’t stick out wearing it and it is designed to be safe. Your child will need something to fulfill that sucking need. It won’t just go away (down the road it may, but that could be way down the road!)
I have a 17 year old who had very strong sensory issues, Because we did OT and really structured our lives to be responsive to his needs, he has turned out great! He is a straight A student in an IB high school program, has plenty of friends, and seems like every other nice, polite teen. His sensory is still there some, but he has learned how to cope with it and even thrive. No one has a clue the sensory is there. So if you handle it right, it is just part of who they are. It was not an easy road – and I am really reliving it with my 8 year old- but the payoff is immense. I think sensory kids turn out to be incredibly compassionate and understanding when their needs are met in a sensitive, appropriate way! My 16 year old also had sensory issues in addition to ADD and he also has turned out beautifully – straight A’s, class VP, and socially doing great! If you ever want more info on what worked & didn’t for us, feel free to contact me! Our OT jokes I know enough on sensory to be an OT- I just don’t have the degree! definitely get to a pediatrician who accepts the sensory diagnosis. You need someone on your team who “gets it. Also be vary careful consulting psychologists to be sure they agree with a sensory diagnosis. Many sensory kids can get labeled as having oppositional defiant disorder when in fact their SPD is what is causing the “defiant” behavior. Enjoying your blog.
It is such a relief to hear from fellow moms of SPD kids! And it’s so great to hear that your son is doing so well! Really gives me hope that our kids can excel. We just got a chewable necklace for Tigger last week. She really likes to use it when we’re doing math, which is not her best subject. Interestingly, her grades are much, much better since using it. 😉
We have a 4 year old with SPD. I “always knew” something was different. I had even convinced myself he had a degree of autism. We questioned the pediatrician who assured us he was nowhere near the autism spectrum. However, he wasn’t the most supportive of our pursuit of getting him evaluated. He did eventually give us our order for evaluation. Once evaluated, it was like a light went off! EVERYTHING started making sense. We learned about different therapies, why he’s always been so sensitive to sounds, why he throws temper tantrums, etc. We decided to use OT and ST in conjunction with ILS therapy, and we’re seeing vast improvement. He’s transitioning well, he’s able to verbalize whenthings are too loud or he’s over stimulated, and he’s making friends. I encourage you to pursue therapy (ours specializes in sensory issues), and keep researching and understanding!