[shaslove]

C's CASA worker in WA thinks that C might have Sensory Processing Disorder.

Anyone know anything about this disorder? I looked it up online and it could be true. I am just not sure.

[Upstate_Love]

Sure, my son has SPD. What would you like to know?

[shy_bear]

What are your child's symptoms? SPD covers a lot of ground. My son is sensory seeking. He has always walked on his toes. He wears day and night braces for it. He needs constant input. He will slam himself into the couch, pillows, and floor. He is always on the go. He does not feel pain like a regular child. He will bite, he bites on his nails to the point that his fingers will bleed. I could go on and on!! He is in weekly PT and OT to address his issues. He has a weighted vest which makes a world of difference.

[iammykidsmom]

yep. you need to get the child to an occupational therapist that specializes in it. where do you live?

[chevyjewel]

Please don't give out info on where you live OP...that's not advised anywhere on the net but especially here for so many many reasons.

That said he needs to be evaluated by a professional to determine if he does indeed have it. His pediatrician would be a good place to go for quality references as far as evaluators and therapists to treat it go in your specific area. For additional support and info the special needs board might be a good place to check out too.

[athikers]

My son also has SPD, he is sensory seeking, mostly with some avoidance just for fun.

My son's life is upside down right now because his SPD is so bad, we are having a very difficult time getting him regulated. Okay, he's not regulated at all! But we're working on it.

You can have the child evaluated by an OT, BUT make sure the OT specializes in sensory issues in kids! This may mean you have to go to a bigger town to find someone. Its not worth your time to go to a general OT or a non-ped OT, imo.

[reesegayla]

My FS had some serious sensory integration issues when he was place with us. At 2 years old he was not speaking and did a lot of screaming and tantruming. He felt no pain and had no fears and would constantly hit, kick, bite, and scratch others with no recognition that he was hurting them. We got him in to early intervention and they have been fantastic. He got OT, Speech and special instruction therapists once every other week and fortunately he responded very quickly to therapy. after six months we are reducing his therapy and will probably be eliminating it completely when he turns three. For us it was all about getting him that input so that he could function and almost immidiately he started communicating, his attention span grew and he was just much happier in general. He now speaks almost as well as his 4 yr old brother and he can provide the sensory input for himself most of the time. I hope this helps!

[mommytoEli]

sensory integration disorder support club :)

we talk about sensory integration over on the guatemalan board a TON bc so many of our kiddos have sensory issues. my 3.5 year old has spd. it makes life interesting. lol. there is a lot of information out there. when you read, just remember, it is possible to have any number of the symptoms. for example, when it lists a group of sensory seeking behaviors under auditory, and sensory avoiding behaviors under auditory, your kid might have the behaviors listed under one or the other, under all of them, or under none of them and instead fall under a different category. do you think that the issues interfere with daily living? start with your regular pediatrician. depending on the behaviors/symptoms your child may need to see a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, etc. this group of people will hopefully be able to help your child, and more importantly give you things that you can do to help your child. the best advice i got from our pt and ot was to get our son a vibrating baby teether. he's been using it for about a year and ahlf now...and it still helps him calm down. now he will actually verbalize that he is anxious, say he needs it, and go find it. it is so nice to be free from a tantrum at least whenever this happens. lol.

good luck!

[joskimo]

my daughter was dx w/ sensory integreation disorder at 19 mo. Okay, SI is not an actual dx, but still it's what she has. She was born exposed to crack. At 3 she was dx'ed with ADHD - both are accurate. If your kiddo is under 3, get a early intervention screen, you may need a pediatrician's referral but your dfys shoudl refer for you.

[shaslove]

Thanks for all the info. I am going to wait a bit, and then get her evaluated. I don't want too many new things at once-she is already getting used to her new daycare/preschool.

[mom2fabtwins]

Please don't wait. The eval is relatively simple. Just a couple of hours or less in your home where she is the center of attention (usually fun for the child). Waiting will put off any services she is entitaled to. Eveny little bit helps. If you thought she had a broken arm, you wouldn't wait to get it casted. If she has SPD it isn't going to go away on its own.

Please don't wait.

[chevyjewel]

I completely agree with the above poster.

With foster kiddos it's EXTREMELY important to have them evaluated for any perceived issue asap. One never knows how long they're going to be in any particular home and it could take weeks to get an appointment for an evaluation. If you wait to get her started working on this the problem might never be addressed if she's moved on from your home.

Advocate for her and get her the help she needs now. There might not be another opportunity for her.

[shaslove]

Thank you for your concern.

C is a very tempermental child. Too much change, and she does not deal well. She recently had another sibling, and her visits with mom are sporadic, and she is starting a new daycare. Any more change and this child is going to melt down.

She is also not going to be moved from my home. She is a relative placement.

I am looking into this. Trying to figure out the insurance now.

[mommytoEli]

one thing to consider is sometimes when sensory kids get the sensory input they need, the melt downs can decrease. when our ot and pt helped us identify ways to feed our son's sensory desires.....his tantrums and melt downs decreased. while you wait to see a dr....you may want to experiment with some sensory activities that she will enjoy- our son likes the ball pit and his vibrating teether- he;s almost 4.....and the vibrating teether is his favorite and a complete savior! silly..i know....but it works!

[FullQuiverMamma]

The book: The Out of Sync Child deals with these issues nicely.