Sensory Processing Disorder?

I am not sure where to go next with this. I suspect DS may have a sensory processing disorder, probably a mild one, but there are a lot of behaviors/issues that come up with him that fall into this category. My pediatrician does not agree and suggested I wait, she thinks he'll grow out of some behaviors. Maybe he will, but I'd rather address it now than wait.

He's almost 3, so I'm not sure contacting EI will go anywhere. Can anyone recommend a pediatric neurologist or another specialist qualified to assess children for this? We live in the Northwest section of Nassau.

Just have the feeling something isn't quite right with my boy, and I'd like to know how to help him better--whatever is going on is beyond me.

Re: Sensory Processing Disorder?

I cant recomend anyone, but you can go through your school district and request an evaluation. They can give you a list of places or centers to go for the eval. The eval will consist of you completing a Social History, a cognitive eval given by a School Psychologist, and ask for an OT eval. At my center all the children with sensory issues are treated through OT (Occupational Therapy). Certain Occupational Therapists specialize in treating sensory issue's, but there is a certain training or certification for this (I think). Make sure to ask if the OT has experience with sensory issue's.

The results will be shared with you before there is a district CPSE meeting. IF he qualifies, he might be eligible to receive OT through Related Services.

Message edited 11/6/2010 5:44:54 PM.

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How old is DC exactly?

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If you have a feeling that something is not right, call EI.

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Call and get an EI eval asap. My DD was having a ton of sensory and behavioral problems starting at 2 years old. My Ped brushed me off for over 1 1/2 years.

I finally decided- enough is enough. I am the parent, there are definate issues and I am going to find out what they are and get her help.

She got all of her evals through Kidz Therapy and then qualified for services.
It did help a lot.

Contact EI and get the services and if you qualify. Because, DD still has a ton of issues, but once she got out of Pre-K, she didn't qualify for any services because they felt that her issues were not interfering with her academics. Even though at home she was still not eating or sleeping- among other things.

Do it, you will be glad that you did.

Message edited 11/7/2010 11:58:51 AM.

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def. get an ot eval.. if your dc is under 3 go through EI over 3 through your district. you do not need your doctor!

if you need someone privately then i know a great ot with her own sensory gym in great neck that can evaluate and help. her name is susan labrano 516 482-2650. my ped. recommened her and she's great but expensive if not covered.

i'm a spec. ed. teacher and have 2 boys with spd so feel free to fm me any time to chat.

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If he's not yet 3 I would call EI and at least get an evaluation from an OT. After months of EI with DS, we suspect this is what he has as well, along with a language delay, hopefully a mild case. He now gets OT 5 times a week. Don't ignore your instinct, your ped is just a ped, not an OT, they are not trained in these areas. I can't recommend who to call as I'm not on LI but it seems like the pps gave some great recs. Good luck! I also recommend a book that DS's OT told me to get. It's called the Out of Sync Child. It covers all levels of SPD so even if your son's case is not severe, it helps to understand sensory processing as a whole.

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DS turns 3 in about 3 weeks. He did have EI services already, for a speech delay. He has low tone in his cheeks and mouth to some degree, and exercises helped tremendously. At the time, an OT evaluation was not recommended, and I didn't push for one. I really didn't know what was going on with him then (since he had little speech). Lots of mood swings, picky eating, etc. But I thought the picky eating was due to low tone, the mood swings were related to his inability to communicate and so on.

Now, he speaks just fine, slightly above average for his age. He is very good at articulating his needs/likes/dislikes. Certain types of clothing bug him. He has a history of giving other children unwanted hugs, engaging in horseplay, etc. To me, it's slightly beyond the norm for his age. When there are lots of people in an enclosed space, he either gets hyper and difficult or tunes out a bit. As he has gotten older he turns to books a lot rather than playing in a corner by himself. It seems okay on the surface, but I really feel he uses them to tune out a bit. Yet he is absolutely fine with a smaller group of children (especially children he knows well). I know there are other things, but this is the gist. He is still an extremely picky eater also. So I feel as if he has some sensory seeking behaviors and some sensory avoidance.

Whatever is going on does seem to be fairly mild, which is why I haven't had him evaluated sooner--these behaviors seem to ebb and fade.

I can call the social worker assigned to us for his speech therapy and see what I should do next. I doubt they can do an OT evaluation before he turns 3, but you never know. Or she may be able to tell me who to call next.

Thanks for the and advice!

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Sounds like sensory issues from what you've described. Here's the problem: SPD is not yet recognized as a stand alone diagnosis (which is why we're advocating so hard for it to be added to the new DSM in 2013) - that means that even if he does in fact have SPD, EI can't (won't) authorize services. You could persue an OT evaluation for low muscle tone wither through EI or through your insurance privately. I would request an educational evaluation and a psych evaluation through EI for social issues (roughhousing, tuning out, unwanted hugs) and immature pay skills (again rough housing, attention, etc.)
*** I AM NOT AT ALL SUGGESTING THAT THIS IS ANYTHING OTHER THAN SENSORY ISSUES*** All of your conerns are typical behaviors for a child who has trouble regulating their senses. It stinks that w have to "over analyze" and go through psych and SpEd. evals, but until SPD is recognzed, thats the way it has to go.
In the meantime ... I highly suggest reading "The Ultimate Guide to SPD" by Dr. Roya Ostovar and Raising a Sensory Smart Child by Lindsey Biel.
I can give you a ton of blogs to follow also, and I'll bump up my post on parenting about Cole's Sensory Diet.
Feel free to FM with any questions at all!

Re: Sensory Processing Disorder?

Posted by colesmom

I highly suggest reading "The Ultimate Guide to SPD" by Dr. Roya Ostovar and Raising a Sensory Smart Child by Lindsey Biel.
I can give you a ton of blogs to follow also, and I'll bump up my post on parenting about Cole's Sensory Diet.
Feel free to FM with any questions at all!

Re: Sensory Processing Disorder?

Posted by ruby

Posted by colesmom

I highly suggest reading "The Ultimate Guide to SPD" by Dr. Roya Ostovar and Raising a Sensory Smart Child by Lindsey Biel.
I can give you a ton of blogs to follow also, and I'll bump up my post on parenting about Cole's Sensory Diet.
Feel free to FM with any questions at all!

Hijacking a little...I picked up Raising a Sensory Smart Child yesterday but got the Out of Sync Child instead per DS's OT recommendation. Should I get the other one as well?? I'm literallly just starting to accept/absorb all of this now as the whole "sensory issue" was just presented to us last week in regards to DS after months of just thinking it was a speech delay.

I would love to read whatever blogs you can suggest as well. TIA

Message edited 11/8/2010 2:33:12 PM.

Re: Sensory Processing Disorder?

Posted by cjik

I can call the social worker assigned to us for his speech therapy and see what I should do next. I doubt they can do an OT evaluation before he turns 3, but you never know. Or she may be able to tell me who to call next.

Thanks for the and advice!

Message edited 11/8/2010 4:17:41 PM.

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Thank you all for the advice, reading recommendations, and . I placed a call to EI yesterday, haven't heard back yet, though I hope I will today.

Now I'm annoyed I put this off, some denial on my part, but also a lot confusion over his behavior. Some days he's absolutely fine, some he is not. But the diet may have something to do with it. I'll look into the diet now.

Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me now that I know a little about SPD to hear he has it. Many symptoms resonate with me. I can't stand certain fabrics to this day, bold patterns, or too much conversation going on around me at once. I probably have a bit of this myself.

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Sensory issues are very common for people on the autism spectrum. Individuals vary in their responses to sensation -- some may be hypersensitive (over-sensitive) to some things, and hyposensitive (under-sensitive) to others. Any of the senses may be affected. Working daily as a special education teacher (independent contractor)1:1 with children who have autism I had the seen how a parent assisted their child with a Neurodevelopmentalist and the child benefited greatly. If you have any specific questions I can ask that parent for answers or you can check out http://www.icando.org/
Someone mentioned getting a special education evaluation which I also provide free using an assesment tool called the Developmental Assessment of Young Children.
It considers cognitive,communication, physical, adaptive and social emotional development.
I am in awe by the progress we make as I listen to the child and their parent. I'm a Long Islander parent so let me know if anyone needs any information on Autism. I always seek to give parents a heads up from start to finish about early intervention, CPSE and CSE services as well as strategies to implement that have worked for me.
God Bless,
Jerry
[email protected]
(631)846-3873

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Sensory processing disorder is something many children/adults face. You do not have to be on the "spectrum" so to speak to have these issues. In fact, I feel like this 'spectrum" is including just about any type of delay or disorder and attracting a lot of "sales" mentality to the field. There is obviously a lot of funding for EI on Long Island. I would definitely deal with a large agency, one that doesn't focus much on revenue.

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The original poster was concerned that her ds may have issues with sensory processing. I was stating that many children can have spd but NOT BE ON THE "SPECTRUM".

I think SPD can often be mistaken for PPD-NOS and even ADHD when a child is very young, especially when they don't have the maturity or the language to get themselves out of an overloading sensory experience.

I just felt the previous poster who had "one" post was stating that you would have to be on the Autism Spectrum if you had Sensory Processing Disorder. I didn't want cjlk to think that spd means asd.

In my short experience with EI, dealing with a small agency was a nightmare because they really were only considering their "revenue". They were all about "quantity over quality". I apologize for being too strong in that opinion. It's definitely biased. I was just taken back by the poster's solicitation and use of the term "autism" because it could scare a lot of people away from getting just really good OT services.

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Thanks Sapphire! I have read that many children with SPDs are also on the spectrum, so I know DS could be....or maybe he is not.

I did find that post (first post ever) fishy anyway, so I took what was written with a grain of salt.

For now, I see more sensory issues with DS than signs of autism, but only an expert can determine what is going on--I'm taking things a step at a time and trying to learn what I can do before any evaluation takes place to make life a little easier for DS (and us), so I'm focussing on the sensory issues I see.

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Many times SPD and autism go hand in hand BUT like every book on SPD tells you...MOST kids with autism have SPD, but not all kids with SPD have autism.

I think there is a lot of overlapping in these areas. Hence the bordeline diagnosis for my son when he was 2.

It looked a bit like autism then to some degree, but it also looked maybe like just SPD. He had a language delay that was pretty significant and that is a red flag. But as he developed his language typically the diagnosis changed.

I know my son has some level of SPD although he has learned very well to cope. It's all so confusing. But its always refreshing to get a diagnosis and get help for whatever it may be...

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Oh yes SMDL I can relate, water isn't the biggest issue for us, I think eating and getting dressed are two big problems.

As far as getting dressed what has helped is that I buy very few "good" clothes for him anymore. Sweatpants, sweatshirts, he's happy wearing--anything else is a toss-up. So usually he wears what he likes. The second thing is that he can now take his clothes off by himself and put some of them on himself (with a little help). He also likes choosing his clothes. So unless they are inappropriate for the weather (shorts in winter), he wears them.

Meals, I make at least one thing he likes. I don't even put new food on his plate anymore since it threw him into hysterics. I just leave it near him on the table, every once in a while, he'll try something new. Rarely though.

I am supposed to hear back from EI today about an evaluation before his birthday--I'm hoping it works out. If not, I'll talk to them about how to proceed after his birthday.

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All I did was mention :
"Sensory issues are very common for people on the autism spectrum."
Not that cjik child had autism.

I thought LIFamilies was a community to encourage others with positive and respectful advice, not ridicule and devalue others thoughts.

Ridicule:
"I did find that post (first post ever) fishy anyway, so I took what was written with a grain of salt."

Devalued others thoughts:
" In fact, I feel like this 'spectrum" is including just about any type of delay or disorder and attracting a lot of "sales" mentality to the field. There is obviously a lot of funding for EI on Long Island. I would definitely deal with a large agency, one that doesn't focus much on revenue.

If it's not okay to ridicule and devalue the thoughts of our children with special needs-then why do we display this behavior to the adults who are helping these children daily.

God Bless and Thank you for helping me to grow in patience.

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Jerry, I did not mean to ridicule you with my post. Perhaps I misunderstood the content--it read like a sales pitch to me, and since you had only posted on here once before with this user name, I took it as a come-on from a business.

If you had no such intentions, then please excuse my comment.

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I also never meant to "devalue" anyone's opinions. However, there are agencies that are motivated soley by revenue. As a parent we have to make sure the people who are there to help our children are not only considering profit. (This is true for any profession)

LIF is an incredible resource and a wonderful community.

All in all, I want to thank Cjik for starting this thread. SPD is just finally being "identified" and there is truly so much we can do to help the little ones with these issues. Especially advocate to get SPD in the DSM-IV so that research can really be funded and service providers can be available.

Re: Sensory Processing Disorder?