SPD Worse in March/April

by NJ
(Long Island, NY)

My son has SPD (mostly tactile), tourette syndrome and now OCD. I have noticed that they all get much worse in March & April.




I had him checked for seasonal allergies and his doctor said he had no allergies to pollens, grasses, dust, molds, dander, etc. He is 10 years old and he thinks it is the stress of having to take the state ELA and Math exams. He missed school yesterday and today because he can not get dressed (plus he is ticking from the tourettes).

I am trying to get him an OT to work with him. I think he needs strategies on what to do if he smells something bad, his clothing hurts, etc...

Any thoughts, opinions, or help? Any advise on diet or supplements? Thank you.



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May 17, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		March/April
by: Anonymous

Hi- Thank you for your comments. Things have gotten slightly better for us. My son finally agreed to see a psychologist who specializes in TS and has a great understanding of SPD, OCD, anxiety, etc. He recommended Inositol power (Vit B). It seems to be working very well. It has an anti-anxiety effect so even if my son is being hyper sensitive(smell, heat ...) he isn't have a huge temper tantrum about it. He is much calmer and his tics are fewer. Smell seems to be a big one lately. Any recommendations?

He took the ELA so he doesn't need to worry about it anymore (separate location, extended time). He missed the math tests so he can make them up. State exams are mandatory however each school district has a state expectation of how many children are supposed to take the test (ours is 98%) so if a few kids miss it,... oh well. I am not going to stress my child out about it anymore.

His triggers seem to be crowded places (last night my 7th grader's band concert was a big problem), stress about homework, school projects, major tests and the car (?). We have a lot of problems in the car. Regarding the allergies, I am taking him to another specialist who "believes" in PANDAS, allergies and how they affect the brain (OCD, ADHD...) He sees a lot of autistic children. I would like to get his opinion on all of this. He also believes in a lot of natural remedies/supplements. I was able to find an OT but they don't have time until July so I am just going to wait until then. Not sure why they would say that an 8 year old couldn't have OT for SPD. I would keep looking around. Totally get it/agree with you about the clothing. I tell the teachers in the beg of the year not to judge him by his clothes (wrong season, wore it yesterday, no jacket...). We do what we have to. Good luck with everything! Keep in touch.
May 17, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		RE: SPD Worse in March/April
by: Anonymous

Our son is 8 y.o. and his SPD has always gotten worse in Spring and in Fall (he also has ADHD and GAD). We also were told he has no allergies. May and October are always tough months for him at school.

A note about OT: we went through 1.5 years of OT when son was 5-6 y.o. He was "graduated" by the OT therapist. When we recently tried to get him back into OT, we were told he is now too old for pediatric OT. So we are not quite sure what to do either.

I think that dealing with an SPD kid over the age of 6 is a unique challenge: they are in school all day in an environment that often cannot manipulate to the degree you'd like. Most higher grade teachers are not really open to a box of manipulatives being present nor is a child that age always eager to stand out to that degree. State-mandated testing is not optional. So I'd love to hear ideas from parents of older SPD kids on how to manage this.

We are currently using a non-stimulant to treat his ADHD, Omega-3 supplements which seem to help with coordination, a daily multi-vitamin. We have started talk therapy to help with his GAD. I let him wear shorts and t-shirts rather than warmer clothing, bc heat is a trigger. We structure home life and have a very high degree of predictability at home. But we still struggle in May and in October. I welcome any strategies.
May 01, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		March/April
by: NJ

I think you are right about managing stress. I never realized how much stress they put on themselves, especially with school. I am going to focus on creating more of a balance. Thank you for your note!
Apr 30, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		March & april
by: caro

Hi, I have a son with spd too, he is 3 years old now, he gets really bad in march, april and last year july and august.

We believe is the heat what makes him worst but he gets anxious as well so we think is a mix of the change of weather that takes him a while to get use to but also the end of the school year because there are many thing going on such as the show that they have for mothers day, the one for the end of the year and that maybe teachers expect more independence in so short time and it takes him more than a short time to make changes.

For us is working using balance of stress...that also tires him more.. if he is having different, new or fun activities at school, then we have a calm afternoon at home and then on fridays afternoon is day for going out on an activity that involves other children or new activities for him, and then we have saturday and sunday to monitor his level of activities, stress, sleep time and be sure that he its well because when he gets stressed he doesn't eat at all and he doesn't pup.

I believe is that he doesn't modulate his body temperature and stress. You can teach him what it is what makes him feel out of control. It had helped us a lot. This year he tells us "it's hot, I want to stay at home or lets go out and then come back an put the air conditioning".. Its being different this year, is being a little bit easier to help him, I hope this helps.
Apr 30, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		SPD Worse in March/April
by: Anonymous

Thank you so much for the advice, links and support. I am taking my son for a strep test today, if he can get dressed. He doesn't seem sick but his SPD & tourettes does get worse when he is sick. I live in NY and the naturopathic doctors are not covered by ins or licensed and I don't know anyone who is recommended. Still trying to find an OT (I'll pay out of pocket) near me. Thanks again.
Apr 29, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Anon
by: Anonymous

cont....

there are kinds so many resources, therapies and applications out there to help with these kiddo's sensitivities/challenges. it takes some time to figure out the right balance for each of them, but they need us to advocate for them. that's why they are ours. :) we know how to help them best, and if we don't, we seek help for them.

one more thing along the lines of diet and exercise. for my son, on the days he gets more exercise he has far less sensitivities than when he gets little energetic outlet. that's been huge for him. at one time too, i had him on a restrictive diet, which i thought helped with some of his behaviors and sensitivities, it was a gluten free diet. i still limit some of the foods that he eats because i can tell a difference when he goes eat them or when he eats too much of them. we use magnesium cream every day for anxiety, because many spd kids experience some level of anxiety or over anticipation on a daily basis. that's been helpful. i recommend kirkman's but there are many out there. this is the one we like though.

http://www.kirkmanlabs.com/ViewProductDetails@Product_ID@124@Product_Group_ID@1.aspx

and lastly we have put our son on a low does of neurotransmitter supplement.

http://www.painstresscenter.com/mall/Brainlink.html

but of course those are all things you should discuss with someone with that background. those recommendations came to us from seeing a naturopathic doctor.

anyway, hope something here helps. good luck connecting with an ot, i'm sure the ot will have many resources and suggestions for you. keep plugging away.

from one mother to another, on the same journey. :)
Apr 29, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Anon
by: Anonymous

i have a son with spd as well. i have found that along with the challenges with his 5 senses, he also has some food sensitivities as well as sensitivities to different times of the year. for my son, i've wondered if the sensitivities are overlapped with anxiety about the end of the school year, about the changes in weather, about the anticipation of being able to expend more energy being outdoors, or whether he has mild case of seasonal asthma. do difficult to pin point some times.

we have greatly benefited from working with an OT. so i would suggest continuing your pursuit in finding an ot who can work with your son and with you and any other family members that would be willing to participate. because you're right, it's about finding out what their triggers are and what they're challenges are and then learning tools to teach them to implement so that they can deal with the challenges in an effective way.

i don't know if this would apply to the challenges your son is having, but we have started the 'take 4' or also known as 'how does your engine run' program. it's about teaching children to recognize how their bodies are feeling and then what they can do about it and then to do it. to help them learn to self regulate instead of self destruct. i'm sure most ot's know about it, so maybe you could ask if you think it sounds like something that you may like to try. here's a link:

http://www.alertprogram.com/

we've also put together a 'sensory toolbox' in relation to this program that enables my son to go to a bin in the house and go through it to find something to help him when he needs it. i'd be happy to share some of those ideas if you'd like.

i'm out of space, will have to finish in a second post.
Apr 29, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		neurologic disorders
by: Anonymous

Can tell you that in my child with ASD his sensory disturbances and phobias get worse in the Spring and Autumn, as well as in situations.I think that because of their disorders are hypersensitive at holl.a medical advice is useful to give supplements. good luck.

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