Are these rages from SPD?

by sarahsmith

Although not diagnosed, I now know my 8 yr old daughter has SPD. Many things resulted in tantrums when little: big family gatherings that were loud and busy (at 3 she tore off her xmas dress during one these gatherings for no other reason than I forced her to get her picture taken), she had to leave the stall of public bathrooms & cover her ears before I flushed toilet, getting dressed because of clothes sensitivity was a nightmare from ages 3-7, and still happens to a much less extent now. Even as a baby she was sensitive.




The question is, is all she has? She is often agitated and then little things will make her cry or rage. She is often down on herself, sad, cries. She asks me for help and knows something is not right.

In the mornings, combing her hair really agitates her and then it's like walking on eggshells. The shoes don't feel right, her shorts have become itchy, etc. Then come the "jiggly" feeling as she describes it and she is super agitated.

She really needs to play rough for several hours at night or the energy seems to swell up inside her until she is ready to burst. Then come the rages where again she says she feels "jiggly", can't stand to be touched, and is super on edge. She may hit, scream, say she just wants to punch someone or rip something up.

She has a lot of trouble falling asleep. Just too revved up but Melatonin works like a charm.

Just came to the conclusion (thanks to this site) that spd is definitely one of her problems and now looking for an OT to help her.

Questions: Could her rages come because of all the sensory problems that just end up overwhelming her system. Her social worker suggested bipolar rage but could it be spd? Also, how do you find an OT to diagnose/help with this in my area?



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May 19, 2011
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is it SPD????
by: Anonymous

YES, yes, and yes... to all your questions. This sounds like SPD. It's very hard to work with. Clothes bother my son a lot, he mainly wears cotton or polyester loose clothing. These children do not feel any control over their body and their acting out is how they try to retain control. It sounds like your dtr has sensory modulation issues. My son has this.

Feb 16, 2011
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SPD
by: Anonymous

I would say yes from my experience with my son, it's untreated SPD. I would really work on getting your child to an OT, just to see if you and her can get some help/guidance.

Aug 18, 2010
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Rages
by: Anonymous

I have a 7 y/o girl who sounds alot like your child. She would go into what I called another "zone" when she had/has rages. They would start over something very minor and in seconds escalate to a full blown fit of rage.

Things like having the radio on in the car. We rode with no music on for several years just to keep the peace. She couldn't take the "sss" sound she would hear. (We weren't hearing it). She still has many quirks and even though she still has meltdowns they are not as intense or as long lasting as they used to be. However, for her age they really shouldn't be happening. She often walks around with her hands clenched closed because she doesn't like the way they feel when certain things touch them. We will just be starting OT in a couple of weeks. I asked doctors about SPD several years in a row and nobody seemed to offer any help. Finally after we moved and found a wonderful pediatrician he suggested we try OT. I am praying that she will get help coping with these issues so that life will be more enjoyable for her.

Aug 18, 2010
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hi
by: Anonymous

My son is 6 years old and has similar symptoms. Clothes are very irritating to him so we have to work hard to find some that he can tolerate. He doesn't go to sleep well either. And gets upset easily too and yells things like "I hate you" or "
so and so is killing me" we are working on stopping this. But it is brought on by the SPD. Often these kids feel as if they're being tortured by the clothes they have to where, things they hear and just the feeling going on inside of them. Hopefully an OT can give you some helpful advice on ways to helps your daughter.

Aug 18, 2010
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Huggs
by: Anonymous

My granson has SPD, it is very minor so far, but we always are on the lookout for more stuff to happen.....SPD kids do not react to certain situations as others....they are overloaded, we try to explain things before we do things...in a low calm voice...eye contact.....lots of huggs, squeezes heps to release endorphins and relaxes the muscles....it really works....also let her swing on a swingset, jump on a trampoline, crawl through tunnels.... jump rope....all these things will help her release the overload...an OT is great. check with your local medicaid office or your ins. company....they will help her deal with lifes situations....big gatherings are hard....give her a special space to go to when she feels overwhelmed, perhaps a quiet bathroom... best of all as they mature hopefully their sensitivities will get better, lots of love, lots or relax time, and lottts of huggggggs!!!!!

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