Greetings everyone,

I'm Carrie Fannin; I host support group meetings in Washington State as part of SPD Parent Connections. Been doing that for about 10 years now (that's hard for me to believe; time flies!). I also have a fairly large online presence on facebook and our own social network, Sensory Planet (we launched our network just over a year ago).

I have one daughter, Hayley, who was 6 when she was diagnosed with SPD (then called Dysfunction of Sensory Integration; go ahead, ask me if Sensory Processing Disorder rolls off the tongue easier) :-) Hayley has several comorbid dx's that came along at the rate of about one a year after the initial diagnosis. She also copes with ADD, Auditory Processing Disorder, Nonverbal Learning Disorder, Asperger's, Depression, ... uh, and a partridge in a pear tree! Really, those acronyms aren't how I describe my child; they are merely the tool used to better identify her challenges. It can get to be a bit much (can you imagine if everyone did this? "Hello, I'm Carrie; I have Crohn's disease, have battled depression and have ADD. Anyway, that's some of my perspective!)

I'm also a pretty transparent online user -- this comes easily now as I've spent a good number of years working with families online. There are no ulterior motives if I ask you what your name is, or where you live; it's just part and parcel to the work we do.

Hayley will be 16 this summer (did you hear that Michelle?!? Yikes!). Yes, she will be learning to drive, and NO, when she was 6 I wasn't even sure she'd be able to live on her own. So much progress we've seen.

So I will stop my babbling for now; I am delighted to see my old -- er longtime (!) friends Dan and Michelle entering the social network arena. The more consistent and accurate messages that there are on the web that support individuals and their families coping with SPD, the better!

Good luck SPD International! Look forward to getting to know some of you SHARE hosts better (and everyone else of course).

Congrats on the site Dan! Well done.

Carrie Fannin
Sensory Planet
http://www.sensoryplanet.com