If your child has Sensory Processing Disorder....

[Rosebud1302]

How did it present itself at the age of 3/4? How did you get a diagnosis and how did you know to ask for one? Thank you.

There is no formal diagnosis for Sensory Processing Disorder. An occupational therapist with post graduate sensory integration training can assess for sensory processing difficulties. There are a multitude of ways for sensory integration difficulties to present themselves.

@WhatTheWhoTheWhatThe thank you. My son is scared of sudden loud noises (fireworks, people sneezing loudly, canons/guns in shows or circus etc) but seems to cope well in loud or busy places. When he was a baby he used to scream if another baby was crying or excitedly squealing. He doesn't do that anymore.

He also doesn't like his hands being messy and doesn't like food being more than lukewarm at best. He is a fairly picky eater with certain textures and has a fairly strong gag reflex.

I'm unsure if this is enough to put him under the sensory processing disorder category. It is the loud noises thing in particular that makes me think it. But is that just "normal"for a 3.5 year old? I don't know.

I came on to say that recently I was actually googling this myself as I think my DD9 suffers from some form of this. So many things seem to be presenting themselves recently and some from when she was younger.

Is bothered by labels on clothing
Hates getting hands dirty when eating
If food gets on hand she’ll leave the table and go to wash her hands then and there
Is also bothered by others messily eating such as siblings/family
Distressed by loud noises such as in restaurants or public places and also in car if music is on
Watches tele on such a low volume I can barely hear

@NeedAHoll interesting to hear from another parent how it presents itself. I guess that's my question - does it have to be a "your child does this this and this so yep it's probably SPD" or can there be "milder" cases. Tough one

DS has ASD with some sensory issues. It presents differently in each kid but in his case:

1. Dislikes food unless it has a completely regular texture
2. Needs to chew, especially when anxious (toys, clothes, chewing gum, whatever)
3. Likes very tight hugs and all body pressure
4. Dislikes slime

At 3 these things weren't too noticible tbh because (toa certain extent) they are age appropriate little kid things.

It was only when he was still doing them at primary school that his teacher suggested we seek a diagnosis.

op you could ask your nursery/health visitor to make an ASD referral - get in early is best

SPD can stand alone but I think it's usually
Alongside some form of neurodiversity. My son was very similar at that age and was diagnosed with ASD at 7 and within his needs is a very strong sensory processing issues.

Interesting thank you everyone. I am absolutely no expert but I don't feel like there I can pick out any other signs of neurodiversity. But I absolutely might be wrong of course. He starts school in September so maybe if anything will present itself further it will in school. The loud noises is the main thing I think about. But then again he can walk around the centre of London with me for a day trip, be in a loud busy pre school 3 days a week, be fine in kid's parties with kids screaming etc. it's only sudden, loud unpredictable noises he doesn't like (fine with the hoover, lawnmower too)

Neurodiversity is a funny thing, it often doesn't present until later but it's always there. Ds went to Orlando when he was 3/4 and had a blast even though it was boiling and noisy - never would have suspected autism (no one did really, certainly not until KS2 where social demands become more complicated), now at 13 it's VERY evident.

@blueyellowblack that's really interesting. I guess I sort of assumed that it would be really evident from a young age. Naively I would expect as I really don't know anything about neurodiversity.

My daughter has dyspraxia and the sensory things she had at a young age were:

Screamed if water got outside the bottle when filling it up and got in her hands (but was fine with swimming as the water was meant to be there)

Hated sand and would lift feet off ground to avoid it

Hated eating anything that got her hands messy (but equally would happily do dj her painting if she chose to)

The way I described it was of sue made herself messy she was fine - if other 'things' did it to her she wasn't.

She still has clothing / shoe issues

sensory issues with clothes - too scratch etc
fear of loud noises/also difficulty regulating own noise level
food issues

lots of other things too but we now have an ASD diagnosis as well.
The ‘sensory difficulties’ was assessed by a specialist OT as a toddler. The ASD assessment took much much longer (but includes the sensory side).

It was evident to us that something was different from a baby to be honest. But it’s much more evident to outsiders now.

A paediatrician suggested my 3yo might have it upon meeting him and upon discussion with me.
We were referred to NHS OTs, who won’t touch SPD on its own so refused to see him. Can’t afford private.

We have been seen by another paediatrician who put him on the ASD pathway to appease me but who doesn’t really seem that worried about him.

3 year wait on ASD pathway. It’ll be interesting to see what he’s like when he is finally assessed.

Thank you so much everyone for sharing your experiences. I can imagine it is incredibly frustrating that the NHS doesn't touch SPD on it's own. I guess I will see how school goes. He has been going to nursery since he was 1 and they have never mentioned any sensory issues so I guess it can't be glaringly obvious. Maybe he is just sensitive. Hard to know.

Highly recommend this book for helping to
understand specific sensory seeking/avoiding behaviours as well as strategies you can use to help your child

www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Your-Childs-Sensory-Signals/dp/1466263539/ref=asc_df_1466263539/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310856639426&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5298808864707906136&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006959&hvtargid=pla-436565316455&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

Our experience was that at 3, it wasn't really obvious to anyone but me (I have sensory hypersensitivity too). I saw DC struggle with sudden noises, sounds like crayons, felt tips on cardboard. He would need deep squeezy hugs to calm down. With hindsight I think it's why DC was such a screamy baby who wouldnt sleep. Probably hated the clothing/blankets etc.

By 8, it was obvious to more people (textures, smells, foods and sounds - increasing with age). A private OT helped us with some practical interventions, but it's been the ASD diagnosis at secondary school age that has really transformed the way school and other relatives understand our DC.

Loads of interventions for sensory and other needs here

www.theottoolbox.com/

Not necessarily. With my DS, it didn't become apparent until primary school but there were a lot of things there since he was 2. It is only with hindsight going through his diagnosis that we saw it.

I also suspect my entire family is ND so there was a lot of behaviour that was normal based on my own childhood that turns out is actually ND behaviour. I always kind of understood DS's behaviour and was generally able to preempt it. It wasn't until he went to school and struggled to cope that it became apparent.

My son has autism BTW.

FWIW, he didn't like the loud or unpredictable noises from about 2YO.
He doesn't like certain smells. He is also picky about food and tastes. This has become more pronounced as he's gotten older, especially with the smells. He is particular about labels in clothing, clothes being uncomfortable and he hates anything with elasticated cuffs at the ankles. He can't sleep without a blanket even when it's baking hot. From about nine months old, he used to stim himself to sleep by touching his own hair and grunting. He still does this now and he's 9YO!

We don’t have any formal diagnosis but at 3/4 my youngest child showed these signs -

wouldn’t touch sand or mud, wouldn’t even walk on a beach and would cry as if scared if parents or loved ones did
inisted on shoes indoors and out and would never, ever walk outside without shoes
couldn’t eat any soups, sauces, stews etc of any kind
foods shouldn’t touch each other, extension of the above
tooth brushing was very traumatic
couldn’t bear to wear seams, labels or anything tight anywhere. Real dislike for socks and tights, hems, anything could be declared “itchy”
struggled with extremes of temperature, hate baths and showers
complete meltdown at small skin injuries eg scraped knee, not from pain but from sensation of injury and knowledge that it couldn’t be instantly fixed, when injured I’d be asked to “take it off” - the actual fact of a broken arm was accepted without much complaint but the plaster cast was six weeks of screaming

In my sons case he was diagnosed as a co morbid of dyspraxia.

Hand over ears a lot, dislike of the bathroom ( bright small noisy place) clothes chewing, tip toe walking, hand flapping.

I'm trying out retained reflexes brushing this month as although he is now 14 and externally most of his symptoms seem to have improved he still struggles a lot

My son has some sensory issues (mainly around food and clothing) but he is autistic so it was more a symptom than a separate issue.

However, the stuff you’ve mentioned really doesn’t sound that unusual to me. Lots of kids (and adults) dislike or are frightened by sudden loud noises. And there are actually lots of kids who don’t enjoy messy play. I’ve worked in childcare for years and some kids just don’t enjoy that type of play. So if it’s literally just those things it doesn’t really sound that worrying to me and I’d adopt more of a wait and support type of thing.

Oh my son also had a horrible chewing issue which lasted until about 4/5 years old. That was a difficult time. We got him this chewy bar that was on a lanyard but he really wasn’t into chewing that, just sort of everything (and everyone) around him. He would also turn in a circle with his arms outstretched which I think was a sensory thing. But food and clothing were always the big ones.

I know you’ve said nursery haven’t flagged anything, but if you’re concerned you could ask his key worker how he’s getting on? I never minded a parent asking for a chat as long as they didn’t expect it right there and then when I was busy. And it might even just set your mind at ease. Because obviously they will know him (and be able to compare him with their own experience) while online it’s really hard to say. There’s a big difference between a child who just doesn’t like messy play (my eldest daughter was like that) and one who will have a complete meltdown because a bit of foam touched their finger (my son who is autistic).

Thank you so much everyone for sharing experiences. I really do appreciate it. I do think I am going to wait and see because you're right @Kanaloa - he doesn't have a meltdown or have serious issues with anything except the sudden loud noises. He just dislikes some things (messy hands, labels can be irritating but he gets over it without too much fuss). I will have a chat to his keyworker and see if they have noticed anything and see if anything changes when he starts school in September.