SPD?

Re: SPD?

• snydermom member

  March 2013

  My son didn't sleep through the night until he was 2.5 years old. We were constantly up with him. I never really attributed it to anything and still don't really know if I was ever a "sign" of anything. He played very well, ate almost anything under the sun. The only thing he did that I thought was odd was that he would not take breast milk from a bottle while he stayed at my moms house. Only formula through a bottle. I nursed until 9 months but could never pump for anyone baby sitting, not even for daddy to feed him. At the ae of one is when he stopped eating everything, it turned into him eating about 5 things. Drs had no concerns then and said he would grow out of it. Here we are at he age of 4 and still only eating 5 things. We started to notice that he couldn't stand to get dirty, didn't like loud noises, bath time that he used to love became a nightmare, clothes had to be a certain way or he would freak out. We had to rub his feet after taking shoes and socks on or it would be trouble. Those were all signs that send me to a dev pedi for SPD possibilities. We now at 3.5 know he has SPD under his Autism DX.
  OT is def something I would be seeking out for help with this.
  
  

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• snydermom member

  March 2013

  Oh and yes through it all my husband and I do plan on having another child. We did a lot of thinking about it though and are very glad we did not have another one when we had originally planned when our son was two, he will now be 5 or 6 if/when we have another little one.
  

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• mommy0411 member

  March 2013

  My son has SPD though I guess it's also under his ASD diagnosis. He was diagnosed with SPD first. As an infant he took a very long time to transition to pur?ed foods (didn't eat pur?es until 9 months) he also refused a bottle and would only breastfeed and was a terrible sleeper. He was a very high needs infant.

  The SPD became a lot more apparent as a toddler. Before we started therapy he always had to be in motion and he craves a lot of deep pressure. He is also bothered by loud noises (we can't take him to a mall on the weekends) and has a very limited diet. He only eats pur?es and crunchy foods.

  It's amazing when I give him a lot of sensory input he all of a sudden starts listening and becomes a lot more verbal and as it wears off he becomes a completely different child. 

  I was already pregnant when we started discovering my DS's special needs at 18 months but I don't think it would have stopped us and we still plan on having more children. I have been told by several of my sons doctors that a sibling is one of the best things we can do for him! Good luck! 

  
  

  
  

  DS1: 4/15/2011

  Dx: ASD, SPD and receptive and expressive speech delay at 21 months

  BFP #2: CP 5/2012

  DS2: 4/24/2013

  BFP #4: Miscarriage at 5 weeks 7/2014

  BFP #5: 8/8/2014 Due 4/20/2015 

  Its a healthy girl!!!!! 

  
  

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• kcisthebombdotcom member

  March 2013

  I have two kiddos with SPD.

  My oldest is a lot like your son. Had to be held to sleep until 20 months (and on and off older since then), he threw up a lot (though he had reflux), hated loud noises/diaper changes. He would literally shake in fear at certain textures, especially his hands getting dirty. He was a pretty happy baby overall but when he got mad it was like screaming exorcist style. I was sure my neighbors were going to call the cops on me. lol.

  My daughter was the opposite. She was a very lazy baby and did not like being rocked/held to sleep. She is easily contented and always happy. If I left her in her crib she would never cry/yell for me to get out. She rarely even cries when she gets hurt. She's laid back to a flaw.

  Funny enough both my kids had feeding issues as infants but it was the opposite. They couldn't do purees and took much better to solids.

  In terms of life now, both my kids have made progress in OT. My son is a superstar--he made quick progress with OT/speech therapy combined. He has some remaining issues with sensory regulation but not to the point they're impacting development anymore. He can self regulate a lot of the time when he starts spiraling out of control. My DD's progress has been very slow but she's getting there. Definitely gains in auditory processing/social/functional play skills though she has a long way to go.

  I didn't know of my son's sensory issues when I conceived my second child but I'm really glad I have two kids close in age. My son was less severely delayed; my daughter more severely. She benefits greatly and has learned a ton from her older brother. I can use similar strategies in working with them that are good for both. With that being said, we did put the breaks on having another one when we suspected my DD had autism. We are considering one more but will likely wait until she's older to see how her therapy/progress is going.

  

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• MegM2012

  March 2013

  Thanks so much for replying. At what age was your LO diagnosed and what therapy has he been in? Also who diagnosed him? Did you find it helped a lot with the constant motion, and eating, and sleeping?  

  My son also is moving constantly and needs constant attention.  He just puked now after shoving a whole toddler arrowroot cookie in his mouth and choking on it.  He is also bf and refused the bottle and sippy. He will take a small sip from a cup but that's it. 

   Did you have issues with your son's sleep?

   

  Thanks!  

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• kcisthebombdotcom member

  March 2013

  MegM2012:

  Thanks so much for replying. At what age was your LO diagnosed and what therapy has he been in? Also who diagnosed him? Did you find it helped a lot with the constant motion, and eating, and sleeping?  

  My son also is moving constantly and needs constant attention.  He just puked now after shoving a whole toddler arrowroot cookie in his mouth and choking on it.  He is also bf and refused the bottle and sippy. He will take a small sip from a cup but that's it. 

   Did you have issues with your son's sleep?

  Thanks!  

  both of my kiddos were diagnosed around 20 months by an occupational therapist. occupational therapy definitely helped with energy levels/sleeping. for eating we had to do feeding therapy with my youngest but that helped as well.

  my son was one of those kiddos that shoved a ton of food in his mouth. the vibrating toothbrush prior to meals really helped curb that behavior.

  

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• mommytoconnor member

  March 2013

  My son is 2 1/2 yrs old and has SPD.  The first time I heard sensory he was 6 months old because I was having issues getting him to sleep.  He would cry the second I tried to put him down.  I found that I had to swaddle him tightly until he was almost 10 months old. That finally worked.  I still have to sit in his room until he falls asleep but that's because he won't stay in bed if I leave and he isn't asleep yet. My son had the same issues with foods too and it was a sensory aversion to textures. Loud noises, diaper changes, clothing changes, etc were a struggle.  So at around 18 months I had him evaled due to speech delay and he was also referred to OT just for eval. Ot looked at him for 5 minutes and said he is sensory seeking big time.  Now this was the 2nd time I had heard sensory but I didn't know what it meant. I went nuts and educated myself on sensory processing and everything I had been struggling with was in the sensory stuff.  I got him into OT and ST, who also did sensory stuff and we did a ton of stuff at home, and we have managed to get him more regulated to the point that he graduated out of clinic OT last month after a year. It has been a tough year, but I see a huge difference in my son and am so happy I pushed for evals and early treatment.  The earlier you get therapy started the better.  Don't let them brush you off, your child sounds just like mine and I am telling you if you get into a good OT who is familiar with sensory and you do things at home, you will prob be surprised at how different things can be.  My son is a different child today than he was a year ago.  A year ago I would cry myself to sleep because I was lost and feeling alone and exhausted.  Well that hasn't been me in months and I am so thankful. I look at things differently now.  I choose to incorporate sensory toys and activities into everyday life and it's working.  You don't realize stuff we each do every day is sensory based and it affects your life in a huge way.  I hope this helps.

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