Living With SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder)
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This post has been a long time coming. It’s been hard for me to find the words to say, because honestly, I’ve had a hard time coming to terms with this. As many of you know my son was tested for Autism. I blogged about it here awhile back. I drove 3 hours with a friend to see a very good doctor who told us there is no way he has Autism. I was very happy for the good news. However, the doctor told us that all of Adam’s problems were because of something called SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder).
Since the day Adam was born there have been so many puzzle pieces, so many things we just had no clue about. We wondered if his behavior or the strange things he did were normal or if it was different. Being new parents and this being our first child, we had no idea. So we waited. And slowly over the past two years with the help of doctors and therapists we have been able to put the puzzle pieces together.
Now that we know what it is, we are able to help Adam more thoroughly, but even though he is not autistic that does not mean that he is not different and that we still don’t have a long way to go with him.
“Sensory processing (sometimes called “sensory integration” or SI) is a term that refers to the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioral responses. Whether you are biting into a hamburger, riding a bicycle, or reading a book, your successful completion of the activity requires processing sensation or “sensory integration.
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD, formerly known as “sensory integration dysfunction”) is a condition that exists when sensory signals don’t get organized into appropriate responses. A person with SPD finds it difficult to process and act upon information received through the senses, which creates challenges in performing countless everyday tasks. Motor clumsiness, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, school failure, and other impacts may result if the disorder is not treated effectively.” –http://www.sinetwork.org/about-sensory-processing-disorder.html
Adam’s SPD affects all of our lives here at home. As I’ve blogged about before -(My Little Boy is in Therapy, A Mommy Moment, Autism?, and Feeding Therapy)- Adam has eating problems, sensory problems, and speech problems. Basically, he does not talk, eat (much) or like the feeling of most things.
“Sensory Processing Disorder can affect people in only one senseâfor example, just touch or just sight or just movementâor in multiple senses. One person with SPD may over-respond to sensation and find clothing, physical contact, light, sound, food, or other sensory input to be unbearable. Another might under-respond and show little or no reaction to stimulation, even pain or extreme hot and cold. In children whose sensory processing of messages from the muscles and joints is impaired, posture and motor skills can be affected. These are the “floppy babies” who worry new parents and the kids who get called “klutz” and “spaz” on the playground. Still other children exhibit an appetite for sensation that is in perpetual overdrive.” –http://www.sinetwork.org/about-sensory-processing-disorder.html
The picture above shows the many symptoms kids with SPD can have. Here is a list of things from the picture above that Adam does have.
“I hate having my hair washed, brushed, or cut.” – Adam loves to help brush his hair, but when it comes to baths , that is a different story. Ever since Adam was a baby he hated baths. I didn’t get what I was doing wrong. He would scream and scream and scream. I worried the neighbors were going to think I was torturing him. Now that he is older he tolerates them. He does enjoy playing in the tub, but still hates to have his hair washed.
Haircuts are also a difficult thing for him. Sure a lot of kids don’t like haircuts, but with Adam it’s times 10. It was so bad we stopped taking him to the salon. The poor lady there just could not do anything with him and it was embarrassing to us to have him screaming and everyone looking at us. Even sitting in our lap with his blankie, a book, and cell phone games, nothing would distract him enough for her to cut his hair. Neither of us knows how to cut hair so during this deployment I asked my friend’s husband to cut Adam’s hair. My friend and her husband come over and we put Adam in his booster seat. One of us hold his hands while the other holds his head and body still. Her husband cuts. Yes, it takes 3 people to cut my son’s hair.
“I cry and shield my eyes from bright light.” Adam has always been sensitive to bright lights. He hates the sun, and will scream in the car at times if it is in his eyes. Even lights in the morning make him upset and he will cover his eyes with his blanket until he gets adjusted to it.
“I am a picky eater; I resist new foods and textures.” Adam is not just a picky eater. It is so much more than that. I get people come to me and tell me about their brother’s cousin’s friend whose son only ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the first year of their life and how one day they just magically stated eating all other foods. I don’t know anything about them or their son, but I do know that Adam is not him. Adam has a problem that prevents him from eating properly and only through therapy and work will he eventually start eating more foods. he may never eat as many foods as the rest of us, but the goal is to get him to a healthy start.
“I complain about tags in my clothing.” Adam will sometimes pulls at his tags and he does not like tight clothes. He will pull at them and cry. Sometimes certain fabrics will bother him as well.
“I seem to be unaware of normal touch or pain; I often touch others too hard or too soft.” We started noticing this when Adam was pretty young. I remember him crawling around and accidentally hitting his head very hard on one of our end tables. He didn’t even blink an eye, and kept on going. I had run to him thinking it was going to hurt because he had banged his head pretty hard, but he didn’t even seem to notice. As he got older and a couple more accidents happened, and he never cried I started to wonder what was going on. Now that we know that this is one of the symptoms, we have to learn to be careful with him. If he can’t feel pain as well as others he could burn himself and not realize it at first. He could really hurt himself.
He also has problems with touch. He does not understand at times that he is too rough with us and other kids. Adam throws, hits, and pushes, but he thinks it is all a game and that he is just playing. He doesn’t understand that people and children don’t like these things and that you have to be gentle. I try and try to teach him, but sometimes I have felt like it is a lost cause. No matter what he still is very rough and throws and hits.
“I have poor gross motor skills, such as running or riding a bike.” Adam is too young to ride a bike yet, but he used to have problems with running. Adam would run smack into walls or not be able to stop himself. Through the therapy and such he has gotten much better in this area. He also has trouble with other motor skills such as climbing. Adam had a very hard time learning how to climb and did not like playgrounds because of this. He has gotten better in this area too.
“I always walk on my tiptoes.” Adam doesn’t have this problem, anymore, but that is how he used to walk when he first started walking.
“I am overly sensitive to loud sounds such as vacuums and blenders.” Adam is scared of loud noises at times. He hates the vacuum, but I know that some kids are just scared of vacuums. Sometimes if we are out in public he will cry if there is a very loud noise.
Some other things are:
Textures: Adam does not do well with most textures. Thing such as grass, sand, play dough, shaving cream, tennis balls just to name a few random textures they have used in therapy. He used to hate all those and cry and cry if he had to touch them or get near them. He is much better with the therapy now and will occasionally play with and touch these textures,
Speech: Also his speech. He doesn’t talk. Sure he makes sounds, he gurgles, but as an almost 2 year old his speech is mostly non-existent. He occasionally says “Dada” and “Mama,” but sometimes I don’t know if he just says them because he can or because he realizes we are Dada and Mama. He also recently started saying “up” or “bup” occasionally. We are still working on it.
These are just a few of the ways that SPD affects our daily lives. For the past 6 months I have been dealing with this alone. While my husband is deployed I take him to therapy. Three different therapies in one day. Speech, Feeding, and Occupational. It’s a lot to take in as a parent because each therapist is telling you how he is doing, how you can help him at home, and new things to try.
At home, I am the only one who can put these things into practice. Things like teaching my son sign language so he can communicate, sitting at the table for long periods of time trying to get him to eat. practicing speech with him, giving him sensory activities so that he can learn and grow. On top of everything else I do.
Every day I look and see how different he is from other kids. I am sad when he can’t talk or communicate what he wants. His frustrations upset me because I am frustrated for him. He wants talk, but just can’t. No matter what I say here please understand I love my son so much. My pain is because I love him, and wish the best for him. I hate to see him hurting and struggling, while others kids are running around talking and doing normal things. It’s hard.
This past weekend I tried to comfort my son for 2 hours while he cried. He was sick sure and had a fever, but something else was wrong. All his pointing and gesturing could not tell me what was going on, and so I tried for 2 hours to understand and to try to communicate somehow and figure out what was going on. I was at my breaking point. I just wanted him to tell me what was wrong.
I watch other kids and how they eat normally, and I cannot even imagine what that would be like. Every single day is a struggle. A struggle to get Adam to eat food. A struggle to get him to eat more than crackers. A struggle to sit there and watch him throw food on the floor after working hard to prepare it in a way that the therapist tells me.
And when he gets sick he doesn’t eat at all. Sure he drinks milk, but he won’t eat. It’s so incredibly hard and scary to see your child not eat. Knowing there is nothing you can do but continue to offer food and wait until he gets hungry again. This past weekend Adam went days without eating anything but a couple of crackers. DAYS.
People wonder why Adam is sick so much and honestly I wish I had the answers. No one wants to see their child sick and suffering. I would gladly take on his sickness and bad health if I could. I believe he gets sick all the time because he doesn’t eat healthy enough. His immune system is not where it should be. The doctor actually had him tested for several things because he is sick every couple of weeks. It’s almost like clock work. It’s frustrating to me because I feel helpless. I feel that there is nothing I can do.
A couple of months ago Adam was in the hospital because he was very very sick with the stomach flu, he could not keep any food down and he would not drink anything. People suggested popsicles, and pedialyte, but the facts are that he doesn’t eat or drink those things. Adam does not drink juice, he does not drink pedialyte, he does not eat popcicles. So when he’s sick and not drinking the only thing I can do is sit there and keep offering him water.
During that time he was so sick, I found out that there is flavorless pedialyte that tastes and looks like water. Praise God I was able to get him to drink it! Sadly, I could not get him to drink enough to stay out of the hospital for dehydration. Many times when he has been sick this has been the case. There have been more than several times where I was very close to taking him to the hospital for dehydration because he was sick and would not eat or drink. It’s scary. I never know what’s going to happen.
When he was in the hospital they did some tests. One of them came back with elevated liver levels. I am not sure what this means. I only know the doctors were concerned. They said it was most likely from the dehydration and that we would check again in a month. Well last week we did another blood test. I got a call saying they were still high. I was a little shocked. I had had multiple doctors assure me it was just the dehydration.
Yesterday he had a liver ultrasound. Everything came back normal, however his liver levels are still elevated and we still need to find out why. So now his pediatrician is referring us to a GI specialist. I know in my heart this just has to because he is not eating right. It hurts me so much to see this happening. I feel like there is nothing I can do and that we are at a stand still. I can’t stand to see him get sick all the time. And we’ve had the doctors tells us his not eating properly can interfere with his growth and development.
This past weekend I was at breaking point. Sitting at home alone with my sick son on Easter Sunday, I told myself there has to be something else we can do. I called the therapist to speak with her on Monday. We talked for awhile. She told me as far as the feeding therapy she is doing everything she can. Progress can be slow, but to me I don’t see much progress at all. Adam has tried some new foods here and there, but he does not eat any of them. He still lives on crackers, and the occasional yogurt and frozen waffle.
She told me there is another program that is more intense that is done somewhere else, but I don’t know if we are ready for that. Right now I have a lot on my plate. It’s hard putting in everything from therapy into action at home, especially when I’m seeing little results in some areas. At this point I am hoping that once his daddy gets home from deployment things will get better. I talked to therapist and we are probably going to add on another speech session. We are also getting his hearing tested in a few weeks to rule out hearing loss as a reason that he doesn’t talk. Sometimes he seems to hear well, and other times he does not respond at all.
All we can do is pray and see what the next 6 months bring us. I sometimes wonder why God is allowing this to happen to my little boy. My heart aches for him. I know that God would not have give him to us if we could not handle it, but sometimes it’s hard. I just feel so helpless.
So if you think of us please pray.
“Children with Sensory Processing Disorder often have problems with motor skills and other abilities needed for school success and childhood accomplishments. As a result, they often become socially isolated and suffer from low self-esteem and other social/emotional issues.
These difficulties put children with SPD at high risk for many emotional, social, and educational problems, including the inability to make friends or be a part of a group, poor self-concept, academic failure, and being labeled clumsy, uncooperative, belligerent, disruptive, or “out of control.” Anxiety, depression, aggression, or other behavior problems can follow. Parents may be blamed for their children’s behavior by people who are unaware of the child’s “hidden handicap.” -www.sinetwork.org/about-sensory-processing-disorder.html
This is a video of my son trying to talk last month.
I need to read your blog more often. I’m sorry things are so difficult but you are a strong and loving Mama and Adam is lucky to have you in his life. Take care and I’ll be praying for good news next week. *hugs*
Thanks Jenny, I really appreciate it. Thank you for your prayers. How are you guys doing?
I am SOOOO glad you guys finally know what is wrong with Adam. I know that was a heavy thing to keep not having any answers. I know you guys have a long road ahead of you but I know you both can do it and you guys are so strong and wonderful parents!!!!
Oh Kathryn. I’m just sitting here in tears but not because I don’t get it…but because I do. Adam and Stephen are SSSOOOO much alike that it boggles my mind. I don’t know how you’re doing this with your DH gone, but it is a pure testimony of God’s grace. Even when DH is gone for 3 day drills, I feel exhausted and scared. There are lots of feeding programs that are more intense, but yes, progress is s.l.o.w. most of the time. We did Baylor’s feeding program, and even 4-5 hours of therapy a day couldn’t speed things up with S. Othere kids do great with an intensive program. I am doing paperwork still for Stephen to go to Kennedy-Krieger in Baltimore, Maryland – it is the very best one around. But I know that there is a chance of us going and nothing changing. Stephen has the same issues with speech, food refusal, struggling to swallow, textures and touch (he threw up the other day when his therapist gave him shaving cream), delay/difficulty with gross motor skills, hitting/pinching/biting for fun, and certain objects (he despises tape measures and balloons) etc, etc…. so I can truly honestly say I understand the frustration, the fear, all of it. I know that if Stephen wasn’t put on a feeding tube 5 months ago, he would have been even now. đ I know there are people who think I make this up and think I don’t love my son because some days I’m just in survival mode. Yet there is a BIG God who sees your heart, and He sees mine. He knows we’d literally give anything or everything for our babies to get through this. He sees Adam and Stephen and He IS going to make a way for them!! The only thing I can hold onto is Hope from Him. There is hope! I am praying, praying, praying for you. I am praying that they figure out what is going on with Adam’s liver. Whatever it is, God will bring doctors to help just like He did for Stephen. Just keep fighting for him and for answers. Oh, and I meant to tell you, we have been using Elderberry Syrup for immune support, which was recommended by his doctor, and it has helped tremendously with Stephen not picking up germs or viruses everytime we go somewhere. You might want to ask about it. It’s been 3 1/2 weeks since he’s gotten sick, and that has never, ever happened before! I know we’ve never talked or texted but I’m serious when I say that if you need a Mom to talk to who “gets it” please contact me. Message me your number through Paul’s FB or something. I am just going to keep praying and asking God to continue helping you and getting you through each day. <3
Not sure why I wrote that S was put on the feeding tube 5 months ago, but that should have said at 5 months old.
It really helps to read this to know what daily life is like for you! i wish I had some sort of magic answers or a way to fix it all.
gotta say that video was adorable though! đ
Adam is so sweet! It is so hard when we know there is something different about our child and sometimes it can take years to see them improve. *hugs* and you are for sure in my prayers.
My heart goes out to you. It is very obvious that you love your son very much. He is very lucky to have you, that is for sure. I hope things get easier for you soon. You sure have a lot on your plate, especially with your husband gone. I will say prayers for you and your strength and for your son to improve a little.
My heart aches for you and for Adam. He is a beautiful child and he is incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful mother who is going to the ends of the Earth to help him. You are strong and God knew that when He blessed you with your sweet little boy. Just keep pushing, you’re an amazing mother. I have been and will continue to keep you guys in my prayers. Thank you for sharing an update!
Definitely be praying for you!
Hello, I just came across your blog when I googled SPD and not talking. My son is 3 and has SPD and is still not talking. But it wasn’t always this way with him. I have videos of him when he was a year old and he was saying two words at a time and didn’t have any sensory issues. They started to develop after he had surgery on his club foot and they put him under anesthesia. I honestly don’t know what caused his SPD. But he is exactly like your son except for the eating. He loves to eat but can be picky sometimes. I hope you keep blogging about your sons progress and if it’s ok to compare notes with you I would really like that, as I don’t know another parent with a child with SPD. Thanks!!
Hi
I have a son who was diagnosed with SPD about 4 years ago. the road to finding what has hepled him is one that is not very easy to navigate. my ex husband either does not believe he has special needs or is indifferent. So the journey with my son has been uphill most of the time. I found a school “Waldorf” which has fit and helped him with integration very much. as a matter of fact they do almost everything that he needs and would get in therapy. they use all of the natural textures in classrooms, they can sit on excercise balls, teach through developmental levels, lighting is more natural and have calmness in their classes, have “body movement” to build coordination instead of recess. they even have special long heavy pillows that they can crawl into. It is SPD utopia for the most part. He has done well there. he also has some of each of the traits for SPDs. They are definitely unique and Beautiful children and if his “gifts” are made special to him he will go far in this life. I am so blessed to have the honor of sharing his life.
God speed in your journey with adam!
Hi Missy,
WOW! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts they have been such a blessing! I have never heard of this “Waldorf” school, but it sounds like a good thing for your son. I hope he continues to improve. Thank you for your thoughts I too believe that God gave our children special gifts and they will go far in life with them. I know God gave us these special children for a reason. Thanks for commenting and God bless!
We highlight the “stick people” and send it to school and daycare every year so the teachers know what are some of our sons SPD issues. It has definitely been a journey.
That is such a great idea! I may have to do that. đ Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
I feel for you and I understand you… I have 2 boys, i confirmed for SPD and I assessed my other son (I used the tools I have, since I am a preschool teacher and will have him reassessed by my OT friend đ ) and it seems that he has some minor “nuances” as well. As a preschool teacher or kids 3-4 years of age, I deal with SPD children everyday, on top of my own 2 boys and it is not easy AT ALL. You and your husband are wonderful parents and are doing a wonderful job of giving the best help that you can give him. He will see that you are trying to be the best for him and he will love and appreciate you for the rest of your life. If the following will be of any comfort for you but I would like to share some successes my son’s had :). 1. My 5-year old learned to talk on his own, at around 3-years of age, despite his SPD; so your little Adam, should do fine, especially with the therapy to help you guys. 2. My little guy was sooo violent when he was upset because he needed his senses to understand what was happening, that the would scream with piercing sound, he would hit, kick, bit, name it, he’s done it but with consistency, firmness and deep-pressure massages, he’s learning to control his impulses 3. (this is my own realization) Most people are not aware of what’s happening to your child and people, being people, would rather judge than ask or think what could be wrong… I learned along the way, it doesn’t matter what they think. I KNOW I am trying to give them the best I can, I KNOW that I love them and I am trying to help them out and more importantly, I KNOW that he doesn’t mean it and that he loves me through it all and I love him and that helps me to block out the stares, thoughts and/ or whispers and it has made it so much easier on me. đ Continue with the therapy, enjoy the new things you learn about Adam (whether positive or negative), be consistent and trust that God has a perfectly great reason to give Adam to you as a present, because he couldn’t be in better hands than with you and your husband :). God speed on your journey and enjoy the ride đ
My daughter is 23 months old and is in the long process of being dx with SPD. She has a lot in common with your son. Our biggest problem is her oral sensory issues. She was born at 30 weeks (which is the reason she has these issues). She is FTT (failure to thrive) and has only gained 3 lbs in the last year. Those 3 lbs have been gained within the last 3 months after her doctor put her on Pediasure 1.5 + Duocal. She only eats pasta and sometimes tuna(as long as she doesn’t have to touch it). Even those items are hard for us to get her to eat. 90% of her daily calories come from the pediasure everyday. Recently she has started having more and more intense tantrums/meltdowns. They are also lasting longer. She also has what i call her “manic moments” She gets super hyper and high strung. when she looks at you its almost like she is vibrating with excitement and asking for you to help her stop at the same time. ie: Today we were in the ER ( she has an ear infection that got out of hand when she turned out to be completely immune to the antibiotic they gave her.) The nurse gave her some crayons and coloring pages. Well she immediately threw the crayons on the floor, because I told her she could only use 1 at a time. She picked them up and proceeded to try to put one of them back together, but she had mismatched pieces. I let her go because she was quiet and she hadn’t been quiet in a week. I was exhausted… She started crying so I looked down at her. Her face was super tense and her body almost looked like it was vibrating it was so tense. her eyes were huge and she was slamming the two pieces of crayon together over and over making a winning sound. She couldn’t get them to fit together and was totally freaked by it. I am getting more used to this look. It is something I am starting to get a lot when she is frustrated about something…Thanks for sharing your stories.
My heart goes out to you. Reading your blog I truely believe this is probably what our 2 yr old son has now. Our struggles with our son are almost identicle as yours with your son. We will be taking our son to a Specialist who specializes in Autism come November 1st. Basically, to see if our son does truely have Autism. It is a fear of ours and probably something we do not want to hear. Everyone in this world wants to hear they have a healthy, normal child. We love our son so much that we will do just about anything to ensure a healthy living for him or find a way to help him over his hurdles and struggles. Hayden does attend speech therapy 4 times a week and occupational therapy 3 times a week. There are days where we do see improvement and jump for joy and there are days when I come home crying because he had a bad day. Everyday is different with our son.
I can tell you a few tips and maybe a few ideas that we have to do with our son. Because we as well struggle with his picky eating habits. I know this may sound Cruel but it’s what we have to do to ensure that Hayden eats. It takes 2 people…. meaning my husband and myself to feed Hayden sometimes. My husband holds down his arms and I hold his head and spoon in the meal. “Force Feed”. He of course fights it like always and crys but in the end he gives up and lets us feed him. Hayden refuses to touch his food with his hands or even pick up his spoon to touch his food. It’s a texture problem. Sometimes it can take us 30 to 45 min to feed him in one sitting. On top of Force feeding. I let Hayden play with the IPAD during his meals to help ease his mind while we are force feeding him. I do give Hayden a liquid vitamin everyday and I give Hayden a “Pediasure” everynight and everymorning in his sippy cup. It helps ease our mind that Hayden is receiving some type of nutrional substance somehow when he does not eat properly. If it was up to our son he would live off of Gold Fish crackers and yogurt bites by Gerber and Dry cereal. That’s it. When Hayden is sick with a tummy virus. I give Hayden a Full dropper of Pedia Lite every 20 min. because our son as well will not drink Pedia lite or the popcicles. He of course hates it!! But, to help avoid dehydration, that’s what we have to do. And maybe…just maybe you might have to do the medicine dropper full of Pediasure (meal replacement drink) every 20 min or so to get some type of nutrional substance in his little body. There are alot of things that I can sit here and type out. Trust me, I feel your frustration because I go through this everyday with our son’s eating habits, haircuts, bath time, etc….
I am here if you ever need support because it helps to talk to other mother’s who are going through the same struggle. And also pass around helpful ideas. I will give you my email address and go from there. You and your son are in my prayers. You inspire me and you give me strength!!! We will overcome this and give eachother a high five one day because “We made it”. Our sons……… Are our Angels in disguise.
marquez.amy@hotmail.com
Hi Amy,
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment, I appreciate it! I am so sorry that you son has similar problems, it is a hard life, but I am glad that he is in therapy and that you are getting him checked for Autism, getting a diagnosis will be a huge help for you. If you didn’t see we just got my son, diagnosed recently, and he does have Autism and SPD.
As far as your recommendations with feeding, my son is in feeding therapy and every therapist has told us NOT to force feed. If we do, then he will always think of mealtime has negative instead of coming to the table and eating on his terms. Feeding therapy has helped be able to touch foods, but we are still working on the actual eating. His is a texture issue too, and the Sensory Integration therapy we are going to be starting in a few weeks should help (I hope). I am running out of options. Right now he lives on peanut butter and crackers and water that’s it, as we found out he is allergic to milk- which was another huge source of calories for him. We have tried to force feed several times, but he just spits all food out.
If you are looking for more help and recommendations I have saved a ton of helpful websites in my pInterest under “Autism” and “SPD” http://pinterest.com/kathrynann24/. Thanks for the tips and good luck, it’s ncie to know that we are not alone in this journey with our children. Blessings!
Hi
Just read the blog feel so sorry for Adam.My daughter too has SPD from birth due to the difficult delivery she had.She lost oxygen at birth and needed 12 minutes to get a pulse on her…She had lots of issues with eating too and still does too.I have found good improvements trying a gluten and casein free diet on her..Before that she used to live on Pediasure and milk and refused most solid foods….Once we put her on rice milk,coconut milk,almond milk and try offering him the cream of rice hot cereal that the sell in the cereal aisle at dominicks.My daughter’s feeding therapist started her on that and till today she loves that…I get a lot of whoel grains in whole foods and make powders out of them in the coffee grinder.I boil some water and some rice milk together mix quinoa,steel cuts oats.millet all in powder form …and boil for a few minutes and make a thick porride like and feed her.Also give her teff and ragi powders the same way for lunch….My daughter can tolerate these kind of textures.She does toast and very few other foods.I would suggest you to try the cream of rice an the GFCF diet and try to build it from there.Be patient and let his appetite come back while on the GFCF diet.I really hope this works for Adam.Most kids with SPD do very well on teh gluten and casein free diet(GFCF).All the best ,its great that your dealing so much all alone
Regards
Sujatha
Hi Sue,
Thank you so much for commenting and for the tips! We have tried all kinds of different milks (Rice, Soy, Almond), but he would not tolerate them or drink them because of the taste. Every child with SPD has different texture issues some can eat crunchy and some can’t tolerate it. We have finally found a feeding therapist that is helping our son and he is making some great improvements. I appreciate the advice and good luck to you with your daughter on this SPD journey! đ
Our son is diagnosed with SPD and in speech therapy. One of his OT is suggesting now a behavioral assessment as she is seeing ADHD with some Asbergers in him. So I feel for you and know what you are going thru. Our son is now 4 and gonna be 5 in July , it is a daily battle with food and the other issues he his haveing but we are working with OT specialist and Speech that he gets. Since we have had in a daycare and now preschool he is doing better. But it is a two steps forward and then all of a sudden 10 steps back. Keep faith and take one day at a time.
Hi! I know its been a while since anyone has commented but I have a daughter who has sensory problems. She will be two in a few weeks. I have worried about autism and everything under the sun. As a result, I have read and done so much research its insane..haha. Ive read a lot of books, did internet research, watched videos, you name it. It doesn’t help that Im a clinical therapist so having that background really makes me analyze a little more. Anyways…A few things you’ve talked about really stand out.. First the immune problems and second the fact that he only eats crackers. Heres why, Ive read Jenny McCarthys 3 books she writes about her child with autism also a book called the thinking moms revolution. Im not saying your son has autism at all! But..these are all neurological disorders so nonetheless this information is useful. The books discuss immune damage, and sometimes its caused or increased by vaccines. Then this causes issues with the gut which then cause issues with the brain (Im trying real hard to give you the short version). Then, things like gluten (Wheat, barely, rye, ect) and casin (Dairy products) can be hard to digest causing more problems. These kids become addicted to it and it acts as an opiate. That’s why a lot of these moms have seened amazing results with the GFCF (gluten free casin free) Well what made me think it your child ONLY eats crackers…maybe he is “addicted” so to speak to the gluten.. Okay enough babbling..Im trying to say check this stuff out..read some of these books it will blow your mind..
Hello,
My son is now 6 and similar to your son. He did not really talk until 3. He was always social liking the company of others. Now he is doing so much better. School and expressive language are still problem areas. He still does not enjoy eating and will sometimes in appropriately touch people too hard or in there face. It did get much better for him though he now tells me multiple times a day how much he loves me and even his sisters. I remember wondering if I would ever hear those words. Be on the lookout for dyslexia and dysgraphia also. Keep up the good work and things will improve.
I have SPD and something that really helps me is using gloves for all the textures, gloves with a tight fit that are rubbery, not cloth because water gets through or you can feel through really help.
Interesting and great idea. Thanks for the tip!