SPD Support Forum

Hi, I'm Jeannine, and have a 6 year old SPD son, Ryan. I also have 2 daughters, Olivia(4 yrs) and Emilee(3 yrs). I'm a stay at home mom, and am grateful for that, since a HUGE chunk of my time is dedicated to Ryan and all of his needs. He also has Developmental Apraxia, so he has his challenges.
Our story begins 5 years ago, when Ryan had just had his 1st birthday. He had hit all of his 1 yr milestones without a hitch, and was a happy, laid back little guy. Around 15 months, I noticed that words he knew and used almost hourly weren't being used anymore. I spoke with his dr about it, and she brushed me off as him being a "late bloomer". By the time he was 2, the happy little guy that was my "Bub" was no more. HE couldn't stand to be in a room with more than 4 people, would throw the biggest tantrums, didn't like to be held anymore, and would point or whine to whatever he wanted rather than tell anyone. By the time he was 3, he was completely non-verbal, prefered to play by himself, and would be set off by the slightest of things. His pediatrician was ZERO help, and dismissed me at every chance she had. Needless to say, we switched dr's. I knew that at 3, he could start preschool, and got in touch with our school district. He was immediately assesed and diagnosed with possible apraxia, and some sensory issues. God BLESS our team that worked with Ryan. He started preschool in October 2009, in a Special Education class, started speech therapy and OT,and completely blossomed! By the end of the school year he was 65% verbal, with 40%accuracy(meaning what you could understand). The tantrums stopped as soon as the communication began. He would get so frustrated with us not understanding him, he would just melt down and then shut down. Last year he went into a Transitional Kindergarten class-still in Special Ed setting, and did pretty well. He was diagnosed with SPD in April of last year. Over the summer, we started potty training again. We had originally attempted at 3 yrs, and it was an epic FAIL. It was like he didn't even know he had to go potty. Ryan has his good days, and his bad days, but I am still ever so thankful for the school district and their assesment team. He is now about 90% verbal, with 70% accuracy, still in speech therapy and OT, and just chugging along.
I look forward to reading the posts and being part of this forum-I am SO excited that I found all of you!!!

Hello and welcome - it sounds like you have overcome quite a lot and have an amazing family!! I've had my share of doctors who were zero help as well, I understand the frustration.

Hello Jeannine it's nice to see you here enjoy your stay

I have had a lot of docs who were zero help too!!!! Sounds like you trusted your gut, and got your son the help he needs! My son is younger, but has SPD as well. He completely regressed too and the sensory stuff came on full force. We are in feeding and occupational therapy too. He is 11 months old now.

Glad you found us -- you have come to the right place for support!

Thanks guys! I appreciate you making me feel so welcome here! Everyday is a new day, and I take them as just that. He has good days and bad, but as his mom, I just feel like I have to be his strongest advocate, you know? I am so looking forward to my journey here, and what we can all learn from eachother!

iI Bub's Mommy, sorry to hear about the hard time you had even trying to get your son assessed. I am trying to switch Paediatricians at present but one is dragging her heels basically saying "he's in Therapy, that's what I'd suggest". I understand where you are coming from about being his strongest advocate, as there is no better.

Great to meet you! I'm glad you found us!

My older son hit every one of his milestones late, except maybe sitting. We all just thought he was a late bloomer since he was born at 36 weeks. I had seen my nephew not be able to communicate his needs to his parents and have complete meltdowns because of it (he's 2 years older than my son and I still think he has SPD but SIL refused to consider it). I thought it was a normal thing for a boy. I had heard about sign language for babies so decided to try it. I started signing with him at 11 months and he started signing back a little after his 1st birthday. He used about 25 signs and words by the time he was 2 or so. He would say "mo" as he signed "more." It worked quite well until he could talk better.

I understand about potty training! I wish I'd known about his SPD when we were trying to potty train him. He just had no clue about it and I was utterly frustrated.

That's great that you got him services early. He'll definitely benefit from that. My older son was diagnosed in 1st grade and has come a long way. His Ped tried to tell me that SPD wasn't a stand-alone diagnosed then, but he has since changed his mind.

Welcome!