5 year old son with SPD?

by KRF
(Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)

I have just finished reading through all of the material and I am more confused than ever.




My son has always been challenging. He has low iron so he is always tired and that causes his behaviour to be disruptive. he is on iron supplements which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.

My son has always been sensitive to many things.

He hates tags on clothing, hates wearing anything but pj's or sweat pants (jeans are to rough), socks bother him if they aren't on just right or if there is a string inside it.

He has a bad reaction to smells. He does not like the smell of certain food and quite often will leave the kitchen if something is cooking.

He does not enjoy eating. He does have his certain foods, but it takes us everything we have to get him to eat dinner with us. We try so hard due to the low iron.

His latest thing, which is the worrying me the most is the thing he does with his ears. He folds them in half so that the top part is touching the inside of his ears. He says he likes the cold feeling he gets when he does it. He does not know that he is doing it, but he does it all the time. He is very fidgety, he can't keep still. While reading a book he has to jump around, his feet are everywhere. Again, I don't think he is aware he is doing this. He used to chew on his shirt all the time, but now his new thing is playing with his ears.

I wonder if I should follow up with a pediatrician or if he is just a normal 5 year old boy and we are reading too much into things.



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Mar 29, 2012
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My Son does these things
by: Anonymous

Hi I just want to tell the lady who wrote this my son does many of the same things except he doesnt play with his ears he chews on everything his shirt his toys etc. I just got hack from an evauluation with people who specialize in autimsim he does not have it but he does have SPD and I think its a good idea for you to have your son seen but you have to pursue it alot of doctors will try to put you off say its the age of the child he will grow out of it etc. This has been going on with my son since he was pretty much born and I just now got him looked at and diagnosed. My son is 5 by the way

Apr 19, 2011
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(Utah)
by: AJ

I am fascinated by the number of people with children with these similar types of issues. I have a son who is on the mild end of SPD spectrum. He has many of the sensitivities that you have just mentioned in this previous post.

I would suggest following up with a pediatrician. But I would also suggest that making an initial appointment with and occupational therapist would be the most beneficial. They have so much knowledge and they are trained in ways that pediatricians are not. You can do an overall assessment and perhaps gain some insight and some tools in helping your child deal with what sounds like a couple of different issues with different senses. My son is very fidgety as well and I have concern for his ability to focus and pay attention. But I am learning that it is for him, a 'sensory' assault on his senses and that his nervous system is ramped up most often, that he has to try so hard to block out so many things to be able to function at an optimal level so he fidgets and moves constantly.

There are also many helpful websites and resources that can help direct you and help you sort out some of the things that may be going on. Some great books out there as well. Good luck. The good news, is there is help and many effective approaches to helping these gifted, intelligent children succeed. :)

Apr 06, 2011
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follow up!
by: Anonymous

I would suggest following up with the pediatrician. print and fill out the check lists on this site to take with you - they are great!
One thing we tried to get my son to sit still at the table was using a barely inflated beach ball for him to sit on. It has helped!

Good luck, and I am not sure where you live, but sometimes it takes a long time to get in to a specialist if needed. We are officially scheduled for our specialist appt next Fri and I cannot wait!!!

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