Sensory Processing Disorder

[anon1411]

I think my son may have SPD, ive been waiting to hear back from the Pediatrician for 4 months now and still have not had an appointment with them. I was just wondering if anyone could give me details of how their children who have SPD are and what sorts of things you do to make the day easier for both child and us parents too.

I'm really struggling with my son at the moment and i'm constantly exhausted from all the battles and compromising i'm having to do with him just to try and have a 'good' day.
Some of the things my son deals with:
-Cant wear jeans, jumpers or coats(REFUSES)
-Cant deal with the sun being on his face or the rain hitting him
-Avoids hair washing and nail cutting, very distressing for him
-Avoids cooked foods of any sort bar Fish Fingers and Potato Cubes
-Cant bare to eat ice cream or juice straight out fridge as it is too cold
-Seeks high risk play and rough play
-Hates loud noises, refuses to allow us to put music on in the car even on a low volume, dislikes planes coming over head.
-Cant bare hearing people talking amongst themselves and will talk loudly and over them to try and make them be quiet.
-Dislikes the dark and has to have a green nightlight on- no other colour is allowed
-Obsesses over one tv program, watches it daily and will recite some of it back word for word.
-His moods are very erratic and wild, will get very upset and angry over 'small' things and begins to shout and scream. Very Jekyll and Hyde in a way.

Sorry its so long but if just one person is going through what i am i would love to know how you cope :( im struggling alot!

childrenandfamilyhealthdevon.nhs.uk/occupational-therapy/using-your-senses-support/

Scroll down to either the early years toolkit or the school age toolkit. There's lots of advice.

I'm sure your local children's service will have similar too.

Waiting lists are awful at the moment so it might be a while. How old is your son? My 11 year old (who is autistic but has a strong dose of sensory issues) displayed a lot of this when he was younger but manages to cope a lot better now. About age 2-5 was when he struggled most. Noise cancelling headphones really helped when he was younger and he sometimes uses silicone ear plugs now but a sensory diet was the biggest help (he uses trampoline, weighted blanket, chewy bangle, deep pressure vest) all of which help him feel calmer. The OT explained it as all the nerves in his body being on high alert like you would be just before a job interview and you feel all jangly and hyper sensitive but all the time. The sensory input soothes his nervous system. There’s lots online about sensory diet, it takes a bit of trial & error to find what works best for each person. Some things are non-negotiable like nail cutting but by putting in place soothing sensory input first it makes it much easier for him to cope with. A lot of things you can compromise on though, so pick your battles. And hang on in there, I know it can be tough as a parent but it’s harder on your son if he isn’t coping well x