SPD and Asperger's & Autism

Hi,



I am a Grandmother of a SPD child, and I understand that SPD can occur in Asperger's & Autism, but is SPD a sign of Asperger's & Autism?

Thanks so much for your input.
Grammie



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Jan 04, 2023
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starstarstarstarstar 		PDD & ASD
by: Morpheus

When i wrote on Autism, I would remind parents and guardians that ASD was and is a diagnosis that many clinicians hesitate to provide because of the stigma. While it is possible that a SPD individual does not have ASD, it is more than likely that the person is on the spectrum while the clinician has chosen the diagnosis that might elicit the least resistance.

To this day Autism is considered to be debilitating disorder particularly when one is young, But adults living with Autism like myself understand these are fine distinction without much differences and finding ways to address the so call liabilities come with identifying with the condition we live with and the Autism communities provides awareness to our lives.
Jun 28, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		same boat
by: Anonymous

i have a son who has mild spd. he is not on the autism spectrum, but he does exhibit a few of the tendencies, like hand flapping and some times has difficult time understanding emotions or other's perspectives and reading facial clues. but he is a bright, clever, social, affectionate, friendly little 6 year old, just with a few behaviors we are working on tweaking.

we attend ot appts on an every other week basis for the summer to work on drawing boundaries for some of the behaviors and finding replacement behaviors that will be more acceptable instead of flapping etc. we have found, as was said in an earlier post that what's important is not the 'label' but taking what needs to be addressed and putting it on an individual basis and working it that way. perhaps you could take your concerns to an ot in your area and see what their suggestion would be.

good luck.
Jun 21, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		us also
by: Anonymous

6 yr old grandson spd has some flapping and other autistic like problems but eval 3 different times and said not autism because of social behavior any ideals??
Jun 19, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		ADD/ADHD
by: Anonymous

I notice no one has mentioned ADD/ADHD. SPD can go along with that, too. Or stand alone. Most, if not all, people with autism or ADD/ADHD have sensory integration issues. But not everyone with SPD has Autism or ADD/ADHD. I hope this makes sense.

My 8yo has SPD, but she doesn't meet the diagnosis for Autism, Asperger's, ADD or ADHD. If I HAD to pick one, I would go with ADD. Although, her social behavior often looks more like Asperger's. After spending 2 years taking her to OT and seeing all the other kids and talking to their moms, I have to say that it is actually harder for me to tell Autism, ADD/ADHD and SPD apart. The symptoms/behaviors are so similar.

The bottom line is that the diagnosis doesn't really matter (except to the insurance companies of course). What matters is that the child gets the individual help that he or she needs.
Jun 19, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		answer for Anonymus
by: Anonymous

You're right, if problems unique to the sensory aspect of children and no other atypical behavior. But it is often a fine line that divides the SPD, and SPD leading to ASD. relevant observation may provide the answer.
Jun 18, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		reply
by: Anonymous

This is what I have read, I am not expert. Nearly all kids with Autism or Aspergers have sensory problems. BUT, not all kids with sensory problems are on the autism spectrum. My son is sensory only. I thought for a long time that he had autism, he does some hand flapping and self stimulation stuff, but autism has been ruled out by all of his many therapists.
Jun 18, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		SPD
by: Anonymous

Grammie, SPD is often the result of autism spectrum disorders, including Asperger's and classic autism . And this is my case. The symptoms may vary in each child, from mild to severe.
Jun 18, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		not always
by: Krista

Hi G-ma
It's not always a sign of one of those but it can be. If you're concerned that your granchild has more than sensory - get him reevaluated. But, as a mother of a sensory only child, I know it can be overwhelming.
Good luck!

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