Living as a mom

Archive for March 6th, 2009

This post is the first in a series on the realities of living with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD).

What does it mean to live with a child who has SPD?

We have to keep things hidden and locked up, and putting things up high isn’t enough because the children find ways to get to those things. That includes anything that could be consumed or smeared such as toothpaste, lotion, mouthwash, liquid soap, and bug spray. (My kiddos have experimented with all of these things.) We have to also lock up anything that could physically harm the kids like the electric shaver, glassware, and knives. This is all part of sensory seeking behavior.

There is a lot of crashing going on. C4 crashes into things or people. Sometimes C4 accidentally tacklesA2 when she tries to give her a hug. There is a lot of pushing and pulling, too. This is part of sensory seeking behavior. This has improved greatly for us with the use of our exercise ball and a few other activities that give proprioceptive input (deep pressure).

Getting dressed can be incredibly difficult for C4. She wants to be naked under a blanket when it is time to get dressed. She is also fussy about her underwear, tags on her clothes, and the waistband on her pants. We finally have underwear that she likes and a select few outfits that she finds comfortable. We have made major progress in this area, though. Now she will actually play dress up whereas in the past playing dress up meant undressing. This is all part of tactile defensiveness.

Loud noises make a raucous in our home. Vacuuming causes C4 to run around the room or jump on the couch. The neighbor cutting the grass can also set her off. The sounds don’t even have to be that loud to me for C4 to consider them too loud. The sound of the lights or someone across the room talking can be distracting or cause C4 to lose it. This is part of auditory processing.

Does any of this sound familiar to you? Go to Sensory Processing Disorder for a checklist of behaviors you might see in children with SPD.

Living as a mom of a child (or two) with SPD is challenging.