Hi everyone. I'm not 100% certain on whether or not my son has SPD or autism even. I'm looking for answers and hoping some of you may be able to enlighten me!

My son will be seven in October, he's beginning 1st Grade in September. He's always had difficulty learning new things unless he was absorbed by them. Going into Kindergarten he knew very little academically and with the luck of the gods his Kindergarten teacher was able to have one on one time with him and he learned leaps and bounds. Unfortunately he's still not learning at the normal level for kids his age and his teacher and I requested an IEP meeting.

All is actually going smoothly with IEP, but as the summer has progressed and he's seen more specialists I'm noticing some quirks that I hadn't really thought unusual before. His school psychologist suggested taking him to a developmental specialist to be tested for autism, but I whole heartedly believe he has SPD.

He's not withdrawn and generally loves playing with other children, but sometimes he pulls away from everyone and wants to be completely left alone. He is over affectionate. He's a major hugger, the sort of bear hug that knocks you to the ground. He touches everything...especially when we're out!

He is bouncing, jumping, spinning, or running 60% of the time. The other 40% he's sitting engrossed in a tv show or playing with toys! He obsesses over certain toys, characters, or shows. Not like the typical kid obsession, like the sort of obsession that makes you want to pull your hair out if you hear another word about power rangers or beyblades!

He's constantly jumping and crashing into my furniture, walls, and floor...purposely. I tell him to stop, he's says ok, then seconds later he's doing it again as if I never said anything....and he does it over and over again! He prefers being upside down too....not sure, just seemed odd.

He can't run or skip properly and still demonstrates difficulty pedaling a bike, but can do it. He eats almost anything, as if nothing actually has a seperate taste. He overstuffs his mouth then chews, generally and suprisingly not choking! He wrestles with his sister and dog often a little too rough, although he is quick to apologize if he hurts anyone.

He is really light sensitive, getting headaches and watery eyes if he is in contact with a bright light or wakes up with a tv on. He HATES temp tattoos and face painting, refuses either completely! He does like finger painting though!

So these are a few of the things I'd always thought were just his quirky behavior, but now concerned may be SPD undiagnosed and causing difficulty in his ability to learn at a mainstream level. Does anyone have any input as to where to begin and/or if you believe he exhibits the signs of SPD too?

Thanks

I have to tell you I am a newbie too and I am trying to figure out what my daughter has. I am almost 90% sure that she has Spd... Lots of things you described my daughter does also. She used to jump in the air but instead of landing on her feet she landed on her knees. She stuffs her mouth like a caveman and I too am worried about her choking. I will say this get him evaluated that is the only way to know for sure and ease your mind. Since reading about SPD I understand better and am able to relax a bit when these quirky things show.
This website helped me and maybe you will find it useful too
http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/index.html

It is a lot of reading but I liked the checklist and they actually break a lot of things down very easy to understand. I know this website has a section too that has a lot of info.
Hope it helps!

That sounds a lot like SPD but a few of the things in the mix sound a bit like an high functioning autism or asperger's type disorder too . The stereotype of a child with Autism who doesn't look at your face and doesn't care about other children is not always true, sometimes they are just a bit socially awkward or have trouble with boundaries and nonverbal communication. You could go about this one of two ways, the most through (but more difficult/expensive) way would be to look into local Children's Hospitals or other regional centers that could do a multidisciplinary evaluation for him, meaning a team of professionals would evaluate him to come up with a diagnosis. In his case you would need to make sure there was an OT on the team and a developmental pedi or maybe a psychologist along with some sort of educational specialist. You could also ask for just an OT referral from your pediatrician which would likely be helpful but may not give you the whole picture if there are other disabilities in the mix. Another option would be to do both because you are likely to be able to get the OT going a long time before you'd get in for a multidisciplinary evaluation. Most major cities have some sort of Autism Society with will have a list of resources either on a web site or if you call and ask - they should be happy to help you even if that's not your son's exact diagnosis.

I agree. Most of it sounds like SPD, but a couple of things sounded more like Asperger's. I was going to suggest getting him evaluated by an OT since that will help with most of the issues. Then ask his Ped for a referral to a Developmental Ped for an autism evaluation.

Your son sounds a bit like my younger son. He loves bear hugs and crashing and rough wrestling and spinning fast.

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Oh and welcome!

thank you for your comments and warm welcome. I'm setting up appointments with a new pediatrician on Monday, and called our insurance company to get info on the referral system and best method of approaching this financially also...I know it's not the important part but I thought we may be in for a doozy and a little less could be a little more! Anywho. The testing is covered and the rep directed me towards several specialists in the area, including a new pediatrician...since ours is an idiot! lol.

The IEP team at his school has already developed a plan for him and I'll be meeting with them on the 24th of August to get his plan set in motion before the school year starts! I'm actually thrilled with the school system and the quality and compassion of teachers and staff at his school.

I'll contact the Autism Society and do a lot more research, maybe grab a few books and workbooks for him and I to work in. If it helps great, if it doesn't I know I tried! Thanks again.

Definitely sounds like a mix of SPD and Autism Spectrum Disorder to me as well. Many people on the Autism Spectrum also have SPD. In my opinion, SPD issues are more likely to make the stereotypical Autism behaviors more blatant as the person uses them to help deal with the sensory input.