Hi there, I'm a single mom of twin boys, one of which has been diagnosed with spd. I have diligently been trying to get some support for my lil man. dealing with his aggression and fits has about pushed me and his brother to the edge. So, in the meantime, I've started counseling for stress issues. My therapist asked me yesterday if I've gotten anywhere with the spd. Surprisingly, she was talking about me, not just my son. As I have researched spd, I've noticed that the signs and symptoms sound so familiar! I believe I too struggle with spd and would love to get as much information as i can with not only tips to help my son, but to gain a better perspective on coping therapies for myself. I've always wondered why everything seemed twice as tough for me in society! I look forward to any suggestions or ideas yall may have to share! Thank you!!
Hello and welcome
First and foremost, you are doing good thus far. Educating yourself is one of the biggest tools you can have. They say that SPD can run in families. I know this because I was recently diagnosed myself with it and I have 2 out of my 3 children with it.
Like your son, I have a daughter who tends to get quite aggressive so I sympathize with totally. Just like you, I also had to seek counseling to handle the stress from the day to day with my kiddo's.
All I can tell you is that you are moving in the right track, you are seeking help for your child and for yourself. That is HUGE
Hang in there, it is a bumpy road, but that is why we are here
SPD does run in families. Your difficulties dealing with a more hyposensitive type child if you are a hypersensitive type adult, could be quite a lot.
This weekend, my sister-in-law, my two nieces, and nephew visited me. None are genetically related, but one of the nieces is hypersensitive with either mild Autism or a strong case of Aspergers.
My sister-in-law goes into rages at the least amount of "normal children sounds" coming from her children. I actually had a harder time dealing with my supposedly normal sister-in-law's rages than I did my niece who sang the same annoying song almost continuously while spinning/dancing whenever you didn't require her attention. My nephew was a typical 5 year old boy slime and noise bot. The oldest and "normal" niece by herself was fine sensory wise to me, but when her sister was getting my attention she would go out of her way to be a pain in the butt. The oldest niece (10 years old) was the most common target for her mother's rages.
Anyways, the three kids burned away my sensory resources, but with breaks I was able to survive them. Their mother spending ten minutes with them with me in the room and I became a frazzled mess. I was doing most of the childcare this weekend by myself, although my husband took over when I needed breaks.
I love these kids, but my sister in law right now... not so much. Because I am hypersensitive, each time my sister-in-law yelled at her kids I felt like I was the one being personally attacked. Some of her rages felt even like fist blows to my body. The kids became hysterical or shut down (my Autistic spectrum niece) after she visited with them. Then she would complain about all their behavior problems, when for the most part before she showed up they were semi-good kids.
I don't know how to talk to my sister-in-law about her verbal abuse of her children. My husband said that his mother was the same way with my sister-in-law when she was a child.
Yep, familiar story!
My kids have both been evaluated and diagnosed with SPD, my older in 2008 and younger this past fall 2011. Since 2008, I've realized my own SPD issues. I definitely see a bit of SPD and anxiety in both my parents too.
My nephew on hubby's side is textbook-classic seeker but when I presented the information to my SIL, she refused to look at it and didn't want to label her son. This was a boy whose nickname at 2 was Trouble. They had SO many issues with him Kindy through 4th grade, getting into trouble at school because of his seeker tendencies. It wasn't until they got him into football in 5th grade that he started improving. Football provided enough activities that would be similar to OT for him. It drives me crazy sometimes thinking that they didn't need to go through all that with him.
Anyway, welcome! Jump in and make yourself at home!