Recently I have made mention of C4 having Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), but I have not really talked about what that means to our family or even what it looks like. This might help you out if you think that something is going on with your child.

Having a child with SPD can be trying, confusing, frustrating, and down right depressing at times especially if your child has not been diagnosed yet. I can tell you that it was quite difficult to finally pinpoint the problem that C4 was having, and while we were furiously searching for an answer to the problem, there was a lot of strain on the whole family. It really affected my view of myself as a mother since I am a former teacher and have all of this education about child development.

Why was I unable help my child cope and keep my cool?

I avoided situations that would set C4 off. Staying home all day made it difficult for us both. We rarely stayed at home during the day, instead opting to visit friends for the whole day or we’d go on long walks to the playground and stay there for a long while. We were the only folks at the playground until late in November or early December. In the winter we went to the mall a lot. I had a few friends I would call to help me solve some of these problems, but they never experienced the same things I did. It was incredibly frustrating and stressful.

I noticed a problem as soon as C4 began walking – at 9 months old. She crashed into walls without even noticing. She never stopped moving during the day except to sleep, and she was definitely a good sleeper! She desperately needed the routine to stay the same or there were tantrums lasting up to an hour. Brushing her teeth and hair was torture and could involve a wrestling match and screaming (sometimes from her and me). Cutting her nails was equally difficult. It was as if she was in tremendous pain. Getting dressed was impossible. Although she was physically able to dress herself at 18 months or so, she would flat out refuse to put clothes on even if I gave her a choice about her attire. Potty training was a disaster involving serious tantrums if she had the urge to use the potty. She never actually told me that she had to go, but once she went on the potty, the tantrum stopped. She was also picky about the foods that she ate; she wanted her vegetables to be frozen and none of her food could be warmer than room temperature. She also had no tolerance for frustration. If she couldn’t figure out how to do something right away, she would have a tantrum. And biting was a huge problem, and it wasn’t always related to frustration.

I brought up my concerns about C4’s hyperactivity many times during our well baby visits. We talked about ADHD as a possibility, but my wonderful pediatrician did not recommend medication at such a young age, especially since she might grow out of some of the behaviors. (I brought up my concerns starting when she was about 12 months old.) It was not until C4’s 4 year old well child visit that we finally got a referral to see an Occupational Therapist with the pediatrician’s conclusion that it must be SPD.

Since we started with the OT in September, our life has changed dramatically. C4 has been more relaxed. I am more equipped to help her when she is having a sensory related problem. Now I feel like the whole family is coping better. It has been incredibly reaffirming to me as a mother to find out that there is something going on with my child and that it is treatable. Once treatment started, our family life improved, everyone’s stress level reduced, and C4 started to flourish, even asking to use different strategies that she find helpful.

If you think that your child may have SPD, please talk with your pediatrician about it. As a mother who had to work hard in order to find out what was happening to her child, I am urging you to do that for your child, for your family, and for yourself. Do not give up! You are not alone. For more information about SPD, go to the Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation website or go to the Sensory Processing Disorder Resource Center website.