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Here you'll find advice from parents and teachers on special needs education.

SPD advice

3 replies

Molly2023 · 16/02/2025 15:10

Hi everyone,

Thanks for reading in advance!!! I have a wonderful 3.5 year old DS. He has always met milestones on time and been a very smiley, chatty child. We used to describe him as a massive flirt. Since he turned 3, we have become concerned that something isn't quite right. Potty training took longer than expected and we've observed an increase in stim like behavior, mainly excessive jumping but on occasion arm flaps (not so much hands) and lots of humming/noises etc. When he was younger he used to love running back and forth and we never copped this as a stim. He has (according to a SALT) advanced vocabulary for his age and during medical assessments follows instructions perfectly. However, preschool have flagged that he doesn't always follow instructions in school and was parallel playing until a month ago. Since then he's started playing but only for a few minutes at a time. I have observed he becomes quite anxious approaching preschool even though he seems happy there (only 3hours a day). I feel he might struggle with so much noise etc in there. He definitely has some ASD traits but reading the DSM I'm not sure he'd meet the criteria for a diagnosis. Has anyone here experience with SPD on its own? I've an appointment with a private OT who specializes in this next month but would love some advice in the meantime. He's definitely sensory seeking but not sure if it's more than that. I'm also on a waiting list to be assessed publicly but it's very long.

OP posts:
StrivingForSleep · 16/02/2025 20:19

In England, often SPD isn’t diagnosed as a stand alone condition. Although it can be related to more than just ASD.

You might find this booklet helpful. Also some find the book the Out of Sync Child and some of the Occuplaytional therapist’s free resoruces helpful.

What support is the preschool providing?

Molly2023 · 17/02/2025 07:52

StrivingForSleep · 16/02/2025 20:19

In England, often SPD isn’t diagnosed as a stand alone condition. Although it can be related to more than just ASD.

You might find this booklet helpful. Also some find the book the Out of Sync Child and some of the Occuplaytional therapist’s free resoruces helpful.

What support is the preschool providing?

Hi, that's great I'll have a look at this. Preschool are just encouraging him to play with others and advised us to get our name down for assessment as takes years. It's a Montessori so I don't think the jumping around etc matters as he'll still sit down for short periods and stand in line etc

OP posts:
StrivingForSleep · 17/02/2025 14:07

Speak to the preschool again because they should be supporting DS’s additional needs.

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