My 6 year old diagnosed with SPD

by Charisma
(Myrtle Beach, SC)

Hello All! My 6 year old son was just diagnosed with SPD. He was born at 31 1/2 weeks gestation. He had OT and PT until he was 23 months old. From then, I was concerned about him because he still struggled with catching a ball and standing on one foot. He couldn't run like the other kids and didn't want to participate in physical activities. I tried different things knowing he still had issues with gross motor skills like Gymnastics and Tae Kwon Do, but he still didn't seem to develop.




He was diagnosed with ADD about 6 months ago after he poked another child with a pencil at school which shocked everyone including his teacher. His teacher also noted impulsivity, talking out of turn, and falling out of his chair in class. He has been on two different medications since then, but it still doesn't really control all of his symptom or behaviors.

I decided to take my son to a therapist to have him evaluated to see if he was at age appropriate behaviors. After taking a Vineland questionnaire from his therapist, she decided to refer us to an Occupational Therapist. I am now wondering if he was misdiagnosed with ADD and, now, since the diagnoses of SPD has come up, I'm wanting to take him off of medication. It can't believe it took doing my own referring and getting in touch with my own intuition and feelings as a mom to find out something was wrong...by the way, I had asked my Pediatrician about my son's development and his inabilities, he just passed it off. So, for you parents who struggle with knowing what to do or if your child really has SPD, take the time and the money to do an evaluation. Or your child could end up on medication that really isn't needed.



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Jul 12, 2009
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Similar experience
by: Anonymous

We have had such a similar experience. We finally found "The Sensory Sensitive Child,http://www.sensorysensitivechild.com/help.html" and read the descriptions of ADHD, anxiety disorders, and Asperger's diagnosis that didn't quite fit (all of which we visited with various therapists and "experts").
The SPD descriptions in that book fit him like a glove, and to our surprise is a very acceptable diagnosis as far as school help, pediatricians,OT, PT, etc., in our part of the country. Unfortunately insurance companies don't recognize it yet. We are all anxiously awaiting the new DSM to see if it gets an official diagnosis as a neurological disorder.

However, we did just recently put him on ADHD meds--which I was SO AGAINST at first. He may have co-existing ADHD or not but it has helped him react less impulsively to auditory stimulation. We are hoping that as he becomes better able to react more appropriately (rather than running off, yelling out, making noises) that we can take him off the meds.

It took us 3-4 years as well (listening to teachers' complaints, relatives telling us to crack the whip, condemning looks from other parents, etc.) We always knew there was a sweet, smart, empathetic little boy behind the odd outward behaviors, and now we can see it shining through. So those people can all suck it!

Good luck, and God bless you for you for seeking out the answers for your child!




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