I'm 20 and was diagnosed with SPD nearly 2 years ago. Until recently I didn't have a lot of information on it and didn't understand it affected my other senses as well as audio. Since getting this information and having so many aspects of my life explained its been very, very overwhelming. Any other adults struggle/manage with SPD? I can't find any help for adults on the Internet, only children. It would be nice to hear other people experience with SPD to understand how it affects people in similar ways.

I am 32 and have not been officially diagnosed. However, I started seeing a therapist because I THOUGHT anxiety was the problem. We started digging into my childhood and what triggers panic attacks, and she said that she is 100% sure it is SPD. As a child i was easily triggered by noise and overstimulation and became extremely angry. Had to wear gloves when I pet our family dogs and animals. If I am accidently bumped, I feel like i want to rip your head off. restaurants are a huge no no for me. my huband has to order for me because the menu plus the noise is too overwhelming. just thinking about noises and touches makes me feel the need to take a deep breath. recently i got ear plugs. I wore them to a restaurant and it helped A LOT! I was even able to read the menu and retain what I read and ordered my food. I dont like water touching my hands, resulting in not wanting to wash them but force myself to because of germs. i dont take baths and when I do they are short because i dont put my hands in the water. washing dishes by hand is a struggle. after my hands get wet, I make sure that they are dried immediately and I do it hard. a lot of certain clothes is also a struggle. I really want to do a sensory deprivation tub but dont like the thought of my hands being in the water for that long. noises are my main struggle id say. sudden sneezes, coughs and pitches of certain people. i avoid hand dryers the public restrooms. if im barefoot, i have the need to walk on my tip toes because i cant have my feet touch the floor. i wear shoes a lot in the house. I am looking into buying or making myself a weighted blanket. everything I have found online is mainly for children with SPD. really wish my parents had noticed this when I was younger and got me help.

I can't tell you how much of that rings true, it's such a comfort to hear! I'm the same with restaurants/bars and I can usually be found in the smoking area of a nightclub! Hand dryers and hair dryers are my biggest enemy. The only way I've ever found to explain it to my friends was that the noise makes me feel claustrophobic and like everything is weighed and pushing down on me.
When I was first diagnosed I was given no information on it, just that there was no cure. Only recently have I fully understood the impact it has on my life and my other senses. Like you I was diagnosed with social anxiety. After seeing another doctor recently they believe I have associated the feelings of anxiety I feel when I'm in restaurants or cafes or loud environments to being out and around people. I bought some earplugs a little while ago, and like you said the difference is incomprehensible.
I'm lucky that my spd doesn't affect my touch as severely as audio affects me. I struggle to touch certain fabrics without getting that claustrophobic feel, such as velvet and wool. And my friends no that under no circumstances are they allowed to touch my face or touch me in general especially if it's unexpected. My face is very sensitive to stimulation especially heat and water. I can't put my face under my shower if it's so much as warm water and I have to build up a lot of courage to put in in cold. That's really the extent of my touch stimulation. I could go on for hours about audio and taste but you've summed a lot of it up in your reply.

Can I ask, what's a sensory deprivation tub?
Do you feel your spd has got worse as you've gotten older? That's one of my biggest fears, I struggle so much already.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply!!

Hello,
I have SPD and I am 44. It's been a challenge as my senses play tricks on me at times. Sometimes I just get sensory overload just being overwhelmed by all data coming into my head from the environment especially when I am out in public. Cars, loud people, noises and negative stimuli can be difficult at times. My daughter is 9 and also has SPD. We both love great smells and can't stand bad smells. I am real sensitive to the smell of perfume, if something smells bad, I will gag and vomit. Loud, abrupt noises can make me fly. And I get this free floating anxiety. But I love Art and looking at pretty things.

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(08-31-2015, 11:06 PM)ltheede Wrote: I am 32 and have not been officially diagnosed. However, I started seeing a therapist because I THOUGHT anxiety was the problem. We started digging into my childhood and what triggers panic attacks, and she said that she is 100% sure it is SPD. As a child i was easily triggered by noise and overstimulation and became extremely angry. Had to wear gloves when I pet our family dogs and animals. If I am accidently bumped, I feel like i want to rip your head off. restaurants are a huge no no for me. my huband has to order for me because the menu plus the noise is too overwhelming. just thinking about noises and touches makes me feel the need to take a deep breath. recently i got ear plugs. I wore them to a restaurant and it helped A LOT! I was even able to read the menu and retain what I read and ordered my food. I dont like water touching my hands, resulting in not wanting to wash them but force myself to because of germs. i dont take baths and when I do they are short because i dont put my hands in the water. washing dishes by hand is a struggle. after my hands get wet, I make sure that they are dried immediately and I do it hard. a lot of certain clothes is also a struggle. I really want to do a sensory deprivation tub but dont like the thought of my hands being in the water for that long. noises are my main struggle id say. sudden sneezes, coughs and pitches of certain people. i avoid hand dryers the public restrooms. if im barefoot, i have the need to walk on my tip toes because i cant have my feet touch the floor. i wear shoes a lot in the house. I am looking into buying or making myself a weighted blanket. everything I have found online is mainly for children with SPD. really wish my parents had noticed this when I was younger and got me help.

Oh ya, I don't like water much either, I don't like baths, showers, getting my hands washed or the beach.

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My SPD has snowballed with age and lack of available treatment for me as an adult. Any advice or tips would greatly appreciated.

Carol Stock Kranowitz recently came out with a book titled "The Out-of-Sync Child Grows Up". You can find on Amazon for a great deal....I would highly recommend for any adolescent/adult who is struggling with symptoms of SPD. Lots of great resources and stories included!

I'm also 20 and have SPD. I was diagnosed 4 years ago and I've managed to learn and improve a lot over the last couple years in particular. I've found tons of tools to assist me in day to day life from a weighted vest, weighted blanket, custom earplugs, noise canceling headphones, specialized glasses, sunglasses, visored hats, swings, fidgets, chewy or crunchy foods. The list goes on. I started to make a list of all the tools I use or have tried over the years, and I got to about 50 different tools, and that's before I get to the coping mechanisms I've developed (like learning how my body feels so I know if I need to leave a situation before I go into complete overload) or the human assistance I use (such as someone guiding me through a visually overwhelming environment.)

I have the most trouble with hearing, vision, and touch; though smell, proprioception, my vestibular sense and pain tolerance are affected too. For hearing I'm oversensitive to certain noises and any loud noise in general. For vision I am both oversensitive and have difficulty processing what I'm seeing. So I walk into stuff or I'm u able to make things out clearly even though I have 20 20 vision on and eye test. Flashing lights, LEDs, and some fluorescents completely do me in and can make me lose the ability to speak and navigate my surroundings. I also have trouble reading on a white background but I use colored overlays to help with that. I'm very picky about clothes and certain textures like soft fuzzy things and lotion, or a light touch can cause me to recoil or even freeze like a human statue. Some food textures cause my mouth to freeze too and showering is a nightmare. But I'm also sensory seeking in touch too. I love feeling poking and bumping things especially on the bottom of my feet and the palms of my hands.


I also have an anxiety disorder. The SPD and anxiety feed off of each other. Anxiety triggers a flight of fight response that involves heightened senses, which in turn makes my sensory issues worse. My sensory issues can cause me to become anxious (I'm not totally sure why, but I think it's because being overloaded has lead to so many difficult situations that I've learned to expect something difficult and so I get anxious. I do know that have different tools at my disposal has helped reduce the anxiety.)

I agree that there is a sad lack of resources out there specifically for adults with SPD. Finding an occupational therapist who actually knows how to work with adults is difficult. But there are resources out there. The vast majority of autistics (like myself) also have sensory processing difficulties, even if they don't have a separate diagnosis of SPD. So I've learned a lot mostly through online disability and autism forums. There are also tons of blogs by autistic adults that have helpful resources.

I've started toying with the idea of started a blog about tools and strategies specially for adults with SPD. There's not a lot out there, so maybe my experiences and the things I've learned could be helpful.

Thanks for this chat, I so identify. I was blaming my anxiety always on my insecurities from verbal abuse as a child. I didn't get it, that it was also over sensory overload. I used to want to go into a dark quiet closet and shut everything out when I had been on overload to get relief. I got fatigue from it, not just anxiety. These things I definitely need help for.