Symptoms Of SPD

Signs, Signals, And Symptoms
Of SPD

By: Michelle Morris

The following signs, signals, and symptoms are the everyday words that you may hear describing behaviors of a child. The next time you hear some of these words, really listen. You may be hearing symptoms of SPD.

Write down or check off all that apply to the child. If there is more than a few, the child needs an evaluation.

And take heart, there is help. There is hope. There is therapy!

Infant

___ extremely active or extremely quiet

___ does not like to be cuddled, or will not let you put her down

___ a baby who seems to never sleep, does not develop sleep patterns

___ takes an unusually long time to nurse or finish bottle

___ does not like baby swings, or riding in car/or...

___ may only sleep when swinging or riding in car!

___ difficulty lifting head when on tummy

___ cannot crawl "on all fours"

___ uses soldier crawl, or scoots rather than use arms to bear weight

___ screams hysterically when hungry, wet, cold, or hot

___ must have absolute quiet to settle down/or must have certain sounds

___ cannot hold self upright in walker, high chair for more than a few minutes, when age appropriate

___ cries when bathed

___ struggles when changed

___ cannot latch on, or suckle to nurse

___ tenses, or cries when held in space

___ frequently make fists (after six months)

Remember what you are looking for at the infant stage are extremes. Too much one way, or too much the other. Every baby has likes and dislikes. You are looking for a multitude of symptoms.

Toddler or Preschool Child

Motor Planning:

___ difficulty going up or down stairs

___ falls off of chairs, couches, bed

___ walks into walls, corners, people

___ difficulty with push and pull toys

___ cannot pedal tricycles, bikes, scoot type toys

___ potty accidents that go on and on

___ strong preference for or against playground equipment

___ difficulty guiding utensils to mouth

___ cannot use scissors

___ cannot hold pencil or crayon in correct grip

___ trouble kicking ball, or catching balloons

___ difficulty doing puzzles, Leggos, stacking blocks

___ spins, spins, spins

___ jumps, jumps, jumps

___ crashes, crashes, crashes

Clothing:

___ likes certain clothes, usually cotton

___ does not like sleeves that hit wrist, or high collars

___ does not like belts, or anything snug around waist

___ seams in clothing or socks bothersome

___ acts claustrophobic when slightly stuck in clothes

___ cannot snap, zip, buckle, or tie

___ wants tags removed

___ likes to be totally covered, or is constantly removing clothing

___ overdresses in hot weather, or under dresses in cold weather

Food:

___ does not like certain textures; too crunchy, soft, grainy, or slimy

___ complains food too hot, or too cold

___ prefers unusually hot, or unusually cold food

___ food has no taste, or tastes too strong

___ likes very few foods, or will eat anything

___ has hard time with spoons and forks

___ spills food and drinks frequently

___ uses sippy cup long after most children have moved on

___ chews with mouth open

___ over stuffs mouth, chokes

___ bites fingers and tongue while eating

___ messy eater, dribbles food down chin, or can't stand mess on hands

___ drops food on floor, all over table, unintentionally

___ dislikes carbonated drinks

___ cannot sit through a meal

___ prefers picking/grazing through the day, instead of regular mealtimes

Self-Care Skills:

___ does not like to brush teeth

___ hates taste of toothpaste

___ does not like baths, washing or combing hair

___ likes cool or very warm baths

___ cries when fingernails and toenails clipped, or hair cut

___ has trouble dressing self

___ does not like feet touched

___ always has shoes on, or never leaves them on

___ does not recognize need to go potty

Muscle Tone:

___ falls out of chairs

___ legs hang, rather than wrap around someone's hips when carried

___ won't carry objects, seem too heavy

___ rests head on hands or arms frequently

___ poor posture

___ fidgets and moves around a lot while sitting

___ can't get comfortable

Emotions and Fears:

___ severe temper tantrums, sometimes many per day

___ meltdowns in stores, restaurants, public places

___ withdraws into self, zones out

___ hides under furniture

___ acts out aggressively when touched, provoked, or upset

___ seems not to listen

___ easily frustrated, quick to anger

___ when excited, over does it, can't calm down

___ severe separation anxiety

___ trouble playing with other children

___ grabby, hugs too hard, body slams while playing

___ flits from one activity to another

___ seems under/over sensitive to pain

___ head in frustration

___ vomits a mouthful when too upset

___ afraid of falling in toilet

___ afraid of drain in tub

___ afraid of dark

___ afraid of new places, people

___ afraid no matter what consolation you give

Older Child

(and these may also apply to some younger children)

___ easily distracted

___ difficulty hearing adult voices over background sounds

___ cannot follow directions without constant verbal reminders

___ cannot complete more than one direction at a time

___ does not complete tasks

___ dislikes changes in plans or routines

___ overly excited when people come to house/

___ hides when anyone comes over

___ poor speech, articulation

___ stubborn, uncooperative, defiant

___ erratic sleep patterns

___ does not like loud noises or commotion

___ craves/avoids touching

___ unusually low/high energy

___ "falls apart" frequently

___ has trouble making choices

___ immature, baby talk, cries over inconsequential things

___ short attention span

___ won't join the group

___ clumsy, spacey, lazy

___ impulsive

___ speaks unusually loud/ talks too soft to hear

___ misses when placing objects on table

___ bumps into people and things

___ acts wild when in a group

___ forgets shoes, socks, homework, assignments

___ leaves the table during meals

___ difficulty with handwriting

___ reading and math difficulties

___ inverting/reversing numbers and letters

___ cannot judge time

___ poor written work

When there is a special needs child in the house, their behavior affects everyone in the family. All the parenting methods that may have worked with other children seem not to apply. This is very frustrating for the parents and siblings. Once an evaluation is completed and treatment has begun, the family can learn new and better ways of coping, and understanding what they can do to help their child, and consequently help the entire family. The signs you see listed below are some of the symptoms you may see in the family that has a Sensory Dysfunctional child.

Parents

___ migraine headaches

___ guilt feelings

___ hopelessness

___ suicidal thoughts

___ depression

___ chronic fatigue

___ fibromyalgia

___ anxiety disorder

___ low stress tolerance

___ lack of coping skills

___ memory impairment

Siblings

___ jealousy

___ anger

___ acting out

___ aggression

___ depression

___ withdrawal

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About the Author:

Michelle Morris is the mother of six, and parent of a child with a Sensory Processing Disorder. She is whole heartedly dedicated to promoting awareness and advocacy for families with SPD children. She has published over 30 articles supporting and educating parents about SPD. Additionally, Michelle is the International Administrator of SPD Parent S.H.A.R.E. and owner of the Yahoo support group SID-DSI_AllAboutKids.

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NOTE: Timing, duration, intensity, and frequency are key! A child must not only show multiple signs of dysfunction, but also have it significantly impair normal functioning in one or more areas. Also, other diagnoses must be ruled out that can mimic the symptoms of sensory dysfunction (or exist as a co-morbidity). This is not an official diagnostic checklist...but it WILL get you started. Take it to your doctor, OT, health professional and talk to them about pursuing a Sensory Evaluation if your child shows many indications of sensory dysfunction.

ALSO, some of these are developmental milestones and must be considered relative to how old the child is. For more on age appropriate skills, see the following developmental checklists...

The Infant/Toddler SPD Symptoms Checklist

Child Developmental Checklist

Fine Motor Development Chart

And, here are some other important articles to check out...

Behavior Problems In Children A new perspective on causes and treatment for behavior problems; an SPD perspective.

Sensory Integration Dysfunction Symptoms Hypo- vs. Hyper-Sensitive, what you must know.

Sensory Processing Disorder Checklist A comprehensive categorized checklist based on the various areas of dysfunction.

The Adolescent/Adult SPD Symptoms Checklist Find out signs and symptoms of Sensory Processing Disorder with the adolescent and adult SPD checklist.

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Signs, Signals, And Symptoms Of SPD

Signs, Signals, And Symptoms
Of SPD