Your daughter sounds similar to my son when he was that age. Sudden loud sounds would cause him to freak out and trigger a meltdown while he covered his ears. He would refuse to eat any hot food. I would cook dinner then put his plate of food in the freezer to cool it down before he'd eat it. He hated the texture of mashed potatoes, applesauce, and eggs. Any warm water and he'd scream that it was burning him. He would get very overwhelmed in crowds (still does sometimes), hated any costumed characters (like Chuck E. Cheese).

As a kindergartener, he was evaluated for autism and ADHD, but nothing fit. Ever since his diagnosis when he was 6, things have been slowly getting better. At the worst, he was having meltdowns 3-8 times (or more) a day. Now he has maybe one a week. His school has been wonderful! They have a part-time OT at the school and he was getting motor breaks in 1st and 2nd grade. I also took him for therapy at a private OT center. He has an IEP in place and they meet at least twice a year to discuss how things are going.

Definitely keep a journal to see if you can figure out her triggers. That will help. Try to give her structure and routine during the day. Any disruptions to my son's routine always cause a meltdown. He always seems to do better when he knows what is planned for his day and to give plenty of warnings about transitions (he has a very difficult time with transitions). For sounds, like the vacuum, I would tell him that I'm about to turn the vacuum on and it's going to be loud. Then he was fine with it. When we arrived at the playground, I would tell him what time we'd be leaving. Then I'd give a 10 minute warning, 5 minute warning, 1 minute warning (or two more times down the slide then we're going). This seems to prevent most meltdowns.

I would find out if your school district has an early intervention program and have them evaluate her. And/or find a pediatric OT who knows about SPD to have her evaluated. Talk to your Ped. Insist on further testing. The earlier you can get her into therapy, the better things will be for you all.

Good luck!