I no longer go to fireworks. They stun me and cause migraines. My husband doesn't like them because his brain thinks that a gun is going off and it freaks him out (popping balloons is a similar problem for him). My husband has a mild case of SPD (smell is his worst trigger and it sets off his OCD).

Hugging your daughter full body during lightening and thunder, especially if she seems to crave it, is the right thing to do. It really helps me when my husband hugs me full body during a storm. Otherwise, my body seems to be on fire. One of these days I will remember do the Wilburger Protocol during a storm, because that really helps when my nerves are on fire.

I wouldn't be afraid of the balling up, rocking, or sucking her thumb. It is all just ways of self input to help deal with the outside world. If she needs it she needs it. You can help by handing her a thick blanket/jacket to wrap herself in or use the Wilbarger Protocol.

Doctors are idiots. That is my polite way of talking about them.

I recommend EMBRASSING the weirdness and treating it like it was normal. If someone else comments about it, just say that your daughter needs to do it and she will be available to play once the storm is over.

People stare. No big deal. It is annoying, but again if you make the weirdness "normal" in your own mind then it becomes no big deal. If people want to comment or interfere tell them exactly how they can best help your daughter through her SPD incident.

In my case, no matter where I travel I let complete strangers know what kinds of things are "perfectly normal" for me so that they don't freak out on me. "Perfectly normal" things for me that aren't dangerous that I tell them up front not to get upset about: paralysis, shaking, falling, confusion, and stuttering. I also tell them what they SHOULD be paranoid about and how to handle these emergency situations: choking and any complaints about Popcorn or Nuts.

I am telling this to complete strangers within 5 minutes of meeting them, because if I forget then I almost always suffer for it. However, when I tell people then I can almost be "normal", because the strangers will ignore my weirdness for the most part.

I do find that laughing about being a freak or weird helps diffuse any major problems before they start. It is a hard skill to learn how to laugh at yourself, but it makes others less likely to pity or abuse you.