Could this be SPD?

by Isabelle
(Burlington,Ontario,Canada)

Ok.. daughter (4.7 years old, full time Pre-K) got diagnoses with ADHD with LD Februray 2nd



Daughter finally saw the school speech therapist on February 10th (she was on waiting list since before Xmas since school and I had concern with her speech ability) and she asked the teacher (after seeing some behavior of daughter) if DD had also been diagnosed with SPD since she seems to not be able to control herself in regards to put things in her mouth.

So when teacher told me that, I went on net and look under SPD....

Found a "check list" and realized she "seems" some of the "symptoms" that comes back frequently:
1:) Putting everything in her mouth and sometimes chewing it.
2:) Sensitive to loud noise ( still dislike vacuum and/or big trucks,air blower and toilet flush in public bathrooms, she will cover her ears, and often says.. too loud and cover her ears)
3:) Never liked having her hair brushed, she always says that it hurts.
4:) Lately ( she starts to express herself more, so maybe she had discomfort before but couldn't tell me??) anyway.. lately, she will ask me to remove every tag from her clothes, and if her socks are misplaced she will get very distressed and will try to replace or remove them etc...
5:) could be age related, but still have trouble getting dressed, cannot button herself, cannot start zipper, having trouble putting socks and clothes.
6:) Potty training was quite long ( over 2 years) and she still has little accidents during the day from time time.
7:) Always thirsty or hungry and can say she is full after 2 bites but ask for more food 5 minutes later.
8:) Thrill seeker, always jumping, running, hopping, on ground of furniture, can spin very fast over and over....
And more also that I am uncertain.....

So my questions are:

1:) is this normal children behavior for a 4.7 year old ?
2:) is this normal ADHD behavior?
3:) should I be concerns with SPD?
4:) should I talk to my pediatrician about it and who should I ask to be referred to?

Thanks for your answers.....



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Feb 15, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		Agree
by: Anonymous

I agree with the advise the first person has given you. It does sound like your daughter has some sensory related issues and the sooner you get some help with it the better for her. Good luck from a fellow mom who understands!
Feb 15, 2009
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starstarstarstarstar 		4.7 years/SPD?
by: Anonymous

Dear Isabelle: If your daughter is receiving speech, your school should have an Occupational therapist for services as well. PLEASE talk to that person, and try to get her screened for SPD. With all the things you mentioned here, I'd say it's quite a possibility that she may have SPD tendencies.....even though some of them are also related to ADHD. The clothing tags, hair brushing, etc. may be red flags for further investigation. You may want to even talk to your school's special education early childhood teacher......they may be able to give you some advice too.

I'd recommend you reading 2 books and other related materials....."Sensory Secrets - How to Jump Starting Learning in Children" by Catherine
Chemin Schneider, and "The Out of Sync Child" ...you could Google these and find them easily. There are many other resources out there, but these are parent and teacher friendly, and easy to read. What kind of information does your daughter's teacher have? I bet you can enlighten her also, because the only way I've found out what I know is through workshops, and reading on my own, plus doing the research on-line for info.

You will need to be her advocate.....so, YEAH for you and also your daughter! Best wishes...
Sue (IL)

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