Can she be SPD and hit all of her milestones and be social all at the same time?

by Jenn
(Oklahoma)

My daughter, 5 years old in all day public pre-K, exhibits 52 of the above symptoms. She is very empathetic and loving, and her teacher says she is smart (advanced). In fact she is already reading short words. However, she is very hyper! She goes all day…everyday! She has a hard time at school with over stimulation, sitting still, focusing on topic, doing what the group is doing, transitioning from one activity to the next, following simple directions, won’t lay still at “rest time”, she licks and puts non food items in her mouth (still), she never will use the restroom until it is almost too late, tantrums, hugs/touches EVERYONE, etc. We are lucky to have a great teacher! She works with my daughter on a regular basis. I somewhat doubt at she is SPD because she has never lagged behind in reference to milestones. And she is very social…possibly too social.




My question to you all is:
Can a child be SPD and never have had any sort of learning lagging or social awkwardness?
My daughter has not exhibited all of these symptoms since birth. She did not exhibit most of them until she was about three, and even after that she still was able to reach her “milestones”. Then she would become so frustrated that she would pull out her hair! I assumed then it was because she could not express her concerns. Now, she has an extensive vocabulary, loves talking (to strangers even), likes being the center of attention…but she also can’t seem to follow simple instructions, calm herself down when she is over stimulated, or transition from one task to another without a fit. And she still has a hard time slowing down long enough to express her feelings.

Additionally, she isn’t like this every day. Some days she will not show any symptoms at all…the next she will show them all…
Confused! Please tell me your story if you have a similar situation with an advanced, social, empathetic child.

Thanks!



Comments for Can she be SPD and hit all of her milestones and be social all at the same time?

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May 05, 2012
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starstarstarstarstar 		Thank you
by: Sharra

I was relieved and fascinated reading the lists above and found 2 sections that my 5.5 yr old fits exactly. I was feeling a small light of understanding .. finally.. after 5 1/2 years of trying to explain and understand his behavior to myself, to my husband, to my family, to his pre-school teachers and directors, to his elementary school teachers and even the pediatrician. Then, i found all the comments at the bottom and started to cry. It's SUCH an isolating feeling being the parent of one of these wonderful little challenging kiddos. They are so worth the effort, but at times the effort is so draining and frustrating. To see how many other parents have dealt with this and to finally see a place where your kid actually 'fits' is overwhelming and so very promising. It means there's hope that I can actually do something to help him. Thank you so very much not only to the website, but to everyone who took the time to comment. I cannot tell you what a relief and gift this has been. I'm sitting here crying !! ridiculous!
Feb 10, 2012
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starstarstarstarstar 		Sounds familiar
by: Anonymous

Your daughter sounds just like mine. My daughter was diagnosed with SPD when she was about 4 1/2 years old, she is now 7. We still have a problem with her focusing in school, and got the ADHD talk from 2 of her teachers.....it is hard to believe how uniformed our educators are about this disorder! We hear daily how outgoing and friendly our daughter is, and how smart she is too. The teachers feel her inability to concentrate is what is "holding her back" in school. She does not get bad grades, but has very poor handwriting, and is easily distracted in every activity. We get very frustrated just doing her homework with her. I can understand how frustration and ignorance play a big part in these kids not getting the help that they need in school. As a parent, you need to make sure your child is not looked at as the "difficult" child in the classroom, we all need to bring more awareness to the educators working with our kids. As I said, your daughter and mine are both very social, but they still have challenges in other areas that we should not let be mis-diagnosed or overlooked.
Oct 07, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		This sound like my son
by: Anonymous

This sounds so much like my 4yr old son! He just started pre-k, and is having a difficult time following directions, sitting still, paying attention,etc. Outside play gets him spun up and over-stimulated, and sometimes he reacts by pushing or biting. He's bright, very social, and at home is a perfectly normal child. It's when he is put in a setting with 15 other children that he turns into this "other" child. I don't know yet if he has SPD, but I'm starting to lean in that direction.
Apr 06, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		I wonder that too.
by: Anonymous

My Daughter is 5 and is exactly to a T what you described. Going for a meeting at school to find ways to help with this. I guess there are places to go and things you can do to help our children with this problem.

My Daughter never does well when things don't go her way. Some days are worse than others and it is emotionally draining for me to deal with sometimes. However, I would never want to squash that out going loving person that she is.

Hopefully I can find ways to help with this issue. My Daughter's school is wonderful. Finally I know why she has the intense fits.

So I guess to answer your question the answer is YES. My Daughter does exactly what yours does and she starting reading full books at 3yrs old.
Apr 05, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Can she be SPD
by: Anonymous

My husband has all those symptoms and he is evaluated to have Cyclothymia.

He cannot slow down, doing everything, being very smart, good at everything, life of the party etc etc but cannot handle some simple things well and then gets into a depressive mood and gets very frustrated. He has to be top of everything and must get the awards and he is very very hardworking. Of course he is an adult and very educated so its somewhat easy. All this seems like fantastic but there is a downside when his mood swings the other way.

I suggest you find a website and read about Cyclothymia and see whether this might fit the description of your child. I see a huge similarity here.

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