SPD Support Forum

I am a mom with a 3 1/2 year old boy who has SPD. I am here to be able to see how other parents and people with SPD manage their disorder. Maybe things that worked or did not work.
A little backstory on my lil punkin:
Reese has been behind on his speech forever. That is what prompted us to get a referral from his ped to get him examined. Little did I know that SPD was the root cause in his speech delay (among other things...we got one heck of a picky eater on our hands). We eventually had him attend a 3 week assessment class through the public school system where he was observed by a speech therapist, psychologist, social worker, and OT. After the three weeks was over we met with them all and discussed their results. I was sad, but glad to know why he was a little different. He tested high on certain parts of the Autism spectrum and was diagnosed with SPD. What is funny to me is they didnt even stress on the SPD part of the outcome. They told us what he needed help with and just threw out that he had proprioceptive input disorder. Of course I had no clue what that was, so I looked it up afterwords and that is where my research on SPD began. Just today I got out "The out of synch child" from the library. I am excited to see what results that the preschool special education classes have on Reese. I am glad to find this board where there are other people like my son and I!
Melissa

Welcome!!! 3 is the age my daughter was diagnosed too. The out of sync child I think is a great book for understanding SPD but it doesn't give you much in terms of what to DO other than "see an occupational therapist" I think OT is great but if I were to make a list of things that helped my daughter, it would probably come in below a lot of other things, such as:
A diet free of gluten, casein, soy and artificial food coloring
Supplements such as cod liver oil, probiotics, b-12 spray, calcium, vitamin D and zinc (zinc helped big time with picky eating)
Taking baths at night with epsom salts in them
Doing daily activities that involve crossing the midline of her body to help organize her nervous system
Buying a Waldorf i.e. nature inspired homeschooling curriculum to to with her at home (we use Oak Meadow)
Participating regularly in a multi age playgroup through our homeschooling organization (emphasis on multi age)

We have also done cranial sacral therapy, but I would rank that just below OT in terms of helpfulness, which is not to say it wasn't helpful, just not as big of a wow factor in the differences it made.

I really do not think any of the things I have done would have helped much if we hadn't of done her special diet. I think observing children's art can be a very useful window into their minds and hearts. Here are two pictures my daughter drew of herself the spring before she turned 4, 1 is right before she started her diet, the other is just 6 weeks later.

One thing I have found is that although possibly an autism diagnosis is not appropriate for our children, many of the things that help children with autism, also help them. I would not be afraid to read and research things relating to Autism, I especially like Dr. Sear's new Autism book.

My SPD son is now 4 (was diagnosed at 2) and has received special ed services in Preschool & this year in Pre-K and I can tell you that it really does make a difference. He is in an inclusion classroom this year and has been doing extremely well. I also implement a sensory diet at home which helps tremendously. The reason the school glossed over the sensory issues is because they do not recognize it as a medical diagnosis. I had to fight to get my son the services he needed because he only has sensory issues. I hope Reese will improve with the help he is receiving. Good luck.

Sharon

(01-31-2011, 04:18 PM)Reesesmom Wrote: [ -> ]I am a mom with a 3 1/2 year old boy who has SPD. I am here to be able to see how other parents and people with SPD manage their disorder. Maybe things that worked or did not work.
A little backstory on my lil punkin:
Reese has been behind on his speech forever. That is what prompted us to get a referral from his ped to get him examined. Little did I know that SPD was the root cause in his speech delay (among other things...we got one heck of a picky eater on our hands). We eventually had him attend a 3 week assessment class through the public school system where he was observed by a speech therapist, psychologist, social worker, and OT. After the three weeks was over we met with them all and discussed their results. I was sad, but glad to know why he was a little different. He tested high on certain parts of the Autism spectrum and was diagnosed with SPD. What is funny to me is they didnt even stress on the SPD part of the outcome. They told us what he needed help with and just threw out that he had proprioceptive input disorder. Of course I had no clue what that was, so I looked it up afterwords and that is where my research on SPD began. Just today I got out "The out of synch child" from the library. I am excited to see what results that the preschool special education classes have on Reese. I am glad to find this board where there are other people like my son and I!
Melissa

Welcome! I am new here too, and new to SPD. My daughter is two and was just diagnosed a week ago. I had to read The Out of Sync Child and figure out what was wrong before anyone would listen to me. SO glad I found that info and looking forward to helping her more. I have done cranial sacral therapy with her when she was an infant, as well as unknowingly provided a sensory diet at home. I have been giving her cod liver oil and avocados since she could have solids, and trying other things that seem to help kids with Autism. I am finding that learning more and trying things so that you can tailor your methods to your child is key. Good luck to us both as we move forward in this journey!