Yes, he also had a behavior feeding disorder where he refused to eat. He would choose to starve rather than eat, which was baffling, but seemed to be because of a lot of texture/sensory issues. He didn't grow for over a year, which landed us in The Marcus Autism Center's behavioral feeding program for 8 weeks. He learned to eat 16 foods, 4 from each food group. He started growing almost immediately, but I am now limited to those 16 foods that he will eat. So supplements and food diets are almost impossible for us to follow. It's frustrating! So many obstacles are making our lives seem impossible, but we are trying

Thats all we can do is our best, read and learn as much as we can. Then decide what works best for our children. Most important I think is give ourselves a break. Its stressful enough being a parent of children in general. You add SPD to that and well.... its ROUGH! Any support we can find to keep ourselves sane is a good thing. In my book anyway

Today my daughter was at the very beginning stage of a tantrum, and I suggested she think about how she could keep herself just right before she got into trouble. She said, "I could do some pushups." I had to turn away so she wouldn't see me chuckling!

Thats a good one
I told my son if he didn't behave he would have to do push ups. He asked "How many Mama?" I answered 5. He looked at me. Then I said we can try 3. He said "No thank you Mama, I'll just behave." They're so funny sometimes.

OMG! THis is too funny! ahahahahahahaha We are all going to have some buff kids! ahahahahahahaha

I was just going to post on this topic tonight myself. My 6yo son has huge crying fits that will just go on forever when he does receive his consequences its almost not worth doling them out. I am struggling with knowing where the line is for when to discipline now. I've only very recently realised he is spd and the things we used to discipline him for are mostly the things he can't control. It looks like defiance but I understand a bit better now that he really CANT stop the noises, hand flapping, repetitive words, bouncing off the walls. I really am totally floundering with the discipline issue. I like the pushups idea...will definitely try that one bcs I know he will get into it.

Anyone got advice on where to move the new discipline boundary to? I'm so overwhelmed with the whole spd thing atm.

Hi, I read your post. I am a mom of twin boys, age 7 who were diagonosed with spd;s at age five. Parenting a child with spd's is difficult because it comes with many other challanges for not only for you, but for your child. They are high-strung, don't hit emotional milestones at the same age as their peers. They can be impusive, lacking reason, angry, aggressive, and sad..truly sad. NOt to mention dressing/sound issues....Understanding all of this mom, I have choose to teach my child, and yes, that means conequences. A hard call from a mom who knows thier child is in pain. But he must learn...and he can...I have a blog dedicated to all of these issues. In hopes that my travels can help another parent/child. Tips from proffessionals, stuff I learned on my own. I have taken so far what I hope are some of my best lessons, and greatest breakthrough. Look through my new/older posts, you might find some wisdom there. My blog is qannie47.blogspot.com. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. My children are doing great. I mean great. They are doing well in an ambitious 1st grade curriculum. Making friends, exhibiting emotional control....they still have some ways to go, but have come along way. Only those that truly know them would even be able to see my concerns at this point. For this I am grateful. Qannie

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HI, Curious, what are the sixteen foods he will eat and how are they prepared. It is in the way they are prepared and presented that can make the difference. qannie

qannie,

Am curious what pandas refers to. Am rather find of pandas as you may have guessed from my username. Will look through your blog. All info gratefully accepted at this point!
Sharon

Yes it is hard disciplining an SPD Child. My son is 6. He has crying fits, tantrums etc... the worst is he favors one of his twin brothers and spends his time being cruel to the other. They are 3 so don't understand whats going on. Heck, sometimes I still find it hard to understand fully. But the things I remember is yes there are many behaviors not under his control so I have to consider this when trying to figure out how to handle each situation. The other thing I realize is he is growing up. Its going to happen and he needs to be able to know and understand whats acceptable behavior. I remember I can't always be there for him. And he must learn. It helps me to remember this. Good Luck to you... Good Luck to all of us.

Hi Sparkle, Panda's is an an autoimmune disorder that Micheal's twin brother, Everett deal with. Michael is not touched by this disorder at all. Your son, however does remind me allot of Michael whom deals with sensory issues as mentioned in my earlier reply. I have had allot of experience with sensory issues so please feel free to ask me any questions you may have. QAnnie

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Hi Vivian, Yes I agree sometimes understanding the behaviors that come with SPD's can be difficult at times. I equate it to this, and this is how I explain it to others...Imagine being taken to your favorite restaurant for your Birthday. You have also just been given the most beautiful ring from your husband. You are thrilled right? Of course you are, who would'nt be? I will tell you who isn't. You, if when you woke up that day feeling like you were wrapped in the itchiest, scratchiest, hot sweater and you could not do a darn thing to fix it. And everything seems too loud....and you can feel your pant's shift everytime you move...all...day..long....How's that ring looking now? And, are you even in the mood to go out? Of course not...You are irritable, uncomfortable, and probably down right mad..mad at the world. He/she is only five, six, whatever the age...imagine...asking a child a simple thing like act happy or controll their cranky mood when the world feels like a wool sweater...Impossible. Unreasonable.
The good news is Sensory Integration Therapy. If done well, the therapist can disensitize your childs brain. When that happens, you will have more success with behavior mgmt. Please visit my blog: qannie47.blogspot.com I share allot of stories about my kids and their sensory issues. I have found some great stratagies to help my children move through the world in a more integrated way including some great behavior mgmt tips. Most of it involves understanding them..when you understand your child...that is how you will reach them. QAnnie