SPD Support Forum

Hello! My name is Rebecca and this is my first time to this site. I have a beautiful 2 year old daughter that was been recently diagnosed with SPD and I am searching out/reading everything I can get my hands on right now. This has been a long time in coming and feels a little frightening and relieving at the same time.

I spent a long time trying to convince doctors and others that something was indeed askew with my daughter, but I got a lot of people who thought I spoiled my daughter, or that I was being hyper sensitive, or making it up. I was told she'd grow out of it. I was told she just had a strong personality. I was told it was her birth order. I knew inside me that it was something more and I continued to push forward until we got answers that made sense. I am glad I did! Being sleep deprived for over 18 months, there were days I thought I might be going crazy! haha! But one day, I read a book called "The Out of Sync Child" and all the alarms in my head went off. Then I created a list of all my daughters "symptoms/behaviors". I sat down with our pediatrician and read him the list. He FINALLY got it! It has been a long journey even from that point, but we are awaiting our packet to get started with OT and a Child Psychologist, and I couldn't be more excited! It's nice to read about all the different therapies that help children with this, and I am finding out that my instincts have been right. I have been doing informal OT with her for a long time now. I just listened to her cues and expanded upon them. Now trying to educate my husband about this.

I am looking forward to meeting and conversing with other parents who know where I'm coming from. There are a lot of my "friends" who still act like this is a made-up disorder and I should not be making "excuses" for my daughter. It will be good to have some support in doing what I know is right for my child. Please feel free to say hello! I am very open to making new friends through this site. :o)

Let's see, in my spare time I just try to move as much as possible. Some of my former activities such as hiking and camping are a bit difficult at the moment, but I love riding bikes (and my little one loves riding in her kangaroo bike seat), and I completed my fist half marathon last fall, doing most of my training with my daughter in a stroller or a front carrier pack on her rough days. I love to sew, although my machine is currently collecting dust. Looking forward to getting back to some of those things as she progresses and grows older!

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Looking forward to meeting you all :o)

Welcome! I understand what you mean about getting a hard time from people. I hope the OT and the psychologist prove to be really helpful. Don't be afraid to keep looking if they are not, I've found there is a lot of trial and error in this process.

Have you tried a weighted blanket yet a lot of people find them helpful for sleep?

I had never heard of a weighted blanket until yesterday. My husband scoffs at me when I talked to him last night about buying one because of the expense. I am researching making her one, since i can sew quilts. Maybe if I buy a few of the supplies at a time, he won't notice..haha!

Just wanted to add to my daughter's history: She has strabismus (crossing of the eyes) and spent 9 months unable to see much of anything. Started wearing glasses and patching at 4 months, has had surgery on both eyes and is currently patching without glasses because her eyes are improving greatly. What a blessing this has been! However, I sometimes wonder if that contributed to her SPD. Just a thought....

I have to say I didn't find our weighted blanket miraculous in terms for helping with sleep, but my daughter does ask for it and seems to find it comforting. For us it was the biomedical stuff that got her sleeping a lot better.

I am not sure what biomedical is. I will Google :o) The thing that finally got my daughter to sleep was a doctor who measured her vibrational "hums" in her body and made personalized flower essence mixes that she took on a schedule. It worked miraculously! She no longer has to take them but the improvements seem permanent.

I just need heavy blankets or multiple layers to sleep soundly. I sleep incredibly well in a sleeping bag. I think the coccoon feeling really helps.

I've found the expense of a weighted blanket to be worth it. It really helped me calm down at night, and helps me stay asleep at night too. I used to toss and turn, trying to cram myself into the corner of the bed up tight against the wall, squeezing in between my walls and pillows. With the weighted blanket I'm finally sleeping somewhat 'normal', and not waking up much anymore.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d166/S...G_1056.jpg This is what mine looks like. It's 42" x 60" and 15 lbs. mine only cost about 120 or so, for a younger child it would end up being quite a bit cheaper.
http://www.saltoftheearthweightedgear.com/ That's where I bought mine from. :3

Thank you, Sila! I will check out that website. She is a very tiny 2 year old, so only a crib blanket would be needed. It will be good to see how it works for her. :o)

Hi! That's great that she was diagnosed so young! We didn't figure it out until my son was 6. But he has come a long way in 3 years!

We love the weighted blankets in our house too! I got one for my older son but my younger son loved it so much that I got one for him too. And I have been known to borrow theirs now and then too! I got ours online from Dreamcatcher. For sleeping, we've also had success with using a CD of ocean waves as a kind of white noise. My son found it very soothing.

I know what you mean about people not getting it. Even my MIL thought he just needed a "good spanking" and was acting spoiled. I'm 95% my 11 year old nephew is SPD/sensory seeker, but my SIL didn't want to hear it when I showed her the checklist. My husband sort of gets it, but doesn't always have the patience for our son's meltdowns. Luckily, they are getting fewer as he gets older and matures.

Welcome!