5 1/2 year old son

by TRS
(Florida)

I am not sure if my son has a SPD but he does have some of the symptoms described on this website. I am looking for answers, confused, frustrated, sad and worried about him. He is a beautiful, happy, energetic 5 1/2 year old but I feel something is not right. He repeatedly wets his pants. When we ask him why he did not go to the bathroom he always says that he did not feel it. He has a short attention span and has difficulty staying on task in any organized setting such as team sports, my gym, karate class, preschool etc.... He can pay attention when the subject is something that interests him like being read a book that he enjoys, doing a science project, playing a game but in school he is always being reprimanded because he does not sit for circle time, he is touching others, he is constantly moving. He often will spin in circles at his Tball games and does not follow any of his coaches direction without being constantly reminded to pay attention. He can be sensitive to loud sounds, he complains that his eyes burn him a lot, he cab be difficult to get to bed at night, he is a very picky eater refuses to eat vegetables etc....




He also has an amazing ability to remember information and to comprehend information. He is performing on target academically but we did hold him back from going to kindergarten last year.

Any suggestions or comments would be much appreciated.



Comments for 5 1/2 year old son

Average Rating starstarstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

Mar 27, 2013
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Same issues with my 2 year old
by: Anonymous

I have most of the same issues with my son, but he is only 2. I have always noticed that he is different from all the other kids his age. Even, my mom would say, "its so strange he wont sit in his stroller, or high chair- ALL kids do" It use to really bug me. But at 18 mo I had him evaluated by an early intervention team and he has Sensory Processing disorder, mainly sensory seeking, some vestibular and proprioception issues. At that time he would spin, rub his head on the floor or couch, crash into things, etc. Now, he does not do that too much. He still does not sit still too much. He is getting to be a little bit of a better eater (he will eat some veggies like brocolli) but still hates mushy foods (mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, etc), he will not sit at circle time at gymboree. All the kids do except him, he has a really short attention span and gets easily distracted but when he wants something you can not distract him from it for anything. He has really bad tantrums still. Some days are great, some are really, really bad. He cant stand in line, or wait for anything, he will freak out, run, climb on things, and will get really upset when he does not get his way. We are still working on these things although the OT's think may be his age (2) or maybe he needs more discipline and limits. IT's still frustrating. I want to help him, have him be happy and fit in better to normal expectancies. I will continue to research and work at it. I have thought about the diet thing, it seems very hard, like a complete life style change for all of us and I hate for him to be singled out by not being able to eat what everyone else does. But, it is something I am seriously considering. I will let you know if I have any new info that might help. Good luck! Get an eval, it will help.
Mar 24, 2013
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		your son
by: Anonymous

i have a now 7 y/o son that had many of the same symptoms plus others - i had him evaluated by a occupational therapist and he did about a year of OT. the spinning can be from something called vestibular system-sensory seeking.
my son definitely is sensory seeking - we got a trampoline and i make sure he gets lots of exercise. i also started investigating diet - there are many food intolerances that will effect behavior and attention. the problem is the medical community is slow to acknowledge this connection. if you start researching gluten, lactose and food dye intolerance - you'll find blogs that where parents list symptoms and results when they altered the diet. I took my son off milk and gluten and dyes - there has been a change. I cant say it was a dramatic as i read on the blogs - but if i look back over the past 4 months that we have been doing this and compare it to the past 4 years - his overall behavior has improved i'd say 80% - i don't think i will know exactly what the problem was or what exactly was the solution, but these diet changes are healthier for any kid and my guy is calmer and happier so i am sticking with it!
hope this helps!
jane

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to The SPD Q & A.