Struggling with diagnosis

by Rebecca
(Ireland)

Hi

My 3.5 year old daughter ticks nearly all the boxes under the Social, Emotional, Play, And Self-Regulation Dysfunction heading.

We are in Ireland, and I guess professionals here have much less experience of sensory processing than in the US.

Our OT has 'tested' our daughter's vestibular functioning and tells us that since all is fine with that she cannot have a sensory problem. She told us that regulation difficulties would be a SYMPTOM of vestibular problems, which are at the root of sensory processing.

Can anyone comment on this? From what I have read this doesn't seem to be correct, but I need to make sure I am right before trying to get a second opinion.

The symptoms she has include: no sense of smell, not feeling thirsty, toileting problems (not feeling the need to go), and she does not react to pain or temperature as much as other children do. She has severe mood swings and can get upset over minor things to the point of not being able to stop crying. She takes herself to bed when upset and asks for the curtains to be drawn and black out blinds put up. She has good days and bad days, and very bad days. All of her symptoms are much worse when there is a change to routine, when she is tired, sick, or when I notice she hasn't had a drink or eaten for a while. As a baby she was always unsettled, screamed when getting dressed, had disturbed sleep, and never played with any toys. She has strong preferences regarding food textures. A big concern at the moment is the amount of time she spends being withdrawn, seemingly depressed, saying she is 'so tired' and refusing to engage in activities. Transition between activities during the day is a huge problem area, as is getting her to leave the house. She can also have very active days, when she does not stop talking and engages in highly creative imaginative play in her own world. She prefers to play with younger or older children, and although she is usually very sociable and confident, she is not good in group situations (hides under the table). She often avoids eye contact and has days when she is very distracted, fidgety, won't pay attention or concentrate.

Thank you so much for reading. We are desperate to get some help.