Hi.

I am here because I suspect my 5 year old son has SPD (sensory seeking), and my husband and I are at our wit's end as to what to do with him and how to get treatment.

We first spoke with our GP, who feels we have valid concerns, and who tried to orient us towards specialists; however, apparently SPD is largely unknown in France. The first place the dr tried to send us, they refuse to treat children under 6 years old, because they deal mainly with learning disabilities and want them to know how to read & write. The second place refused at first to see us, because he was over 4 (!) but finally gave in - but only to tell us, "Aren't you glad he doesn't have Downs, and isn't mentally disabled? You should be happy."

We have an appt with a child psychologist April 11th, but I'm not expecting much from it... our next step is to return to our GP, let him know how we're faring, and then I guess go down the list of OTs in the area to see if someone has heard of it.

If it comes to it, I have a friend's sister in Reims who is an OT and has agreed to see him if we need her to (but it's an hour away, so closer is better).

All that said, if anyone has been there, done that, in France, PLEASE share!

As for the rest of the intro - we also have an older son, who is 7 (and likely SPD sensory-avoiding, but not to any extreme). My husband is French, I am American; I have lived in France for about 15 years now. Both boys are bilingual and go to French schools. I'm a web programmer, working from home, and my husband works for an airline, and I like to read in my spare time (spare time? ha!).