Is it possible to have a minor form of SPD?

by Marcia H
(British Columbia)

From as young as I can remember I've had a few of the sme issues that a friend of mine's son (with SPD) does, but certainly not all of them, nor to the same degree.

As a young child it used to bug my mother to no end that I had to wear sunglasses outside, even when it was cloudy. I would tell her that my eyes hurt outside. She did not understand and was actually kind of cruel - forcing me go sunglassless for many photos, even in very bright sunlight.

Consequently most of the photos of me as a youngster showed me crying. Even now, if someone passes me their i-phone to show me something, I often have to give it back because I can't look at the screen...it's too bright that it hurts.

I've never liked crowds. I don't have claustrophobia. The problem is the noise. My hearing is super sensitive. Movie theatres and concerts are a no-go unless I pre-emptively take a good dose of ibuprofen first. Even that is not always sufficient.

I'm always asking my partner to turn down our TV, and then I get THAT look in return. sigh. I hate going with groups of people to places where it's so loud (to me) that I can't hear the person beside me unless their head is turned to me and I partially lip read. And this includes family dinner even. I miss out on so much. It feels horrible.

When there's no background noise, I hear just fine except for the fact that I seem to be able to focus/concentrate so well on something that I don't actually hear when someone is speaking to me. I might notice that someone is talking, but not really realize what they are saying - more so when there are other people around.

I have to ask others to use my name when talking to me and make sure I respond in order to know that I am "listening". People think that I don't care what they are saying, but it's not that...it's just that I haven't registered it in my brain yet. Sometimes I "hear" something several seconds later, too.

I think that is partly why I take so long to format my words when in a discussion with someone. I know my pauses can seem very long to the other person, but often I need them. And people just don't understand that.

It's not that I'm unintelligent - we all know that people with certain disorders can be very intelligent. I have an above average IQ, but people who don't know me would not necessarily think that if they watched me in the middle of an argument/discussion with my partner. I can't tell you the number of tears I have shed over it.

I was an extremely picky eater as a child. I would often go to bed hungry as my mother would make me sit at the table with my untouched food for two hours before giving up on me. I would gag easily, and not just with food - my sense of smell was even more of a problem than the taste and texture of food. And it didn't matter what the smell...if it was "too strong" for me, I would gag. Even coffee aroma. I still hate the smell. Now that I'm in my forties, I'm much better, but I'm wondering if it's age-related.

When I go to the dentist, I'm a hypersalivater...I can't help it. If someone puts their fingers or dental instruments in my mouth, my salivary glands work overtime. I've also had some gagging issues there.

I was extremely clumsy as a child, but that was often chalked up to the fact that I grew very quickly as a younster and hardly any as a teenager. My head could not keep up with my body.

But even now, I seem to bang into things - counters, tables, etc. because it's like my perception of them being there is off a little...kind of like people with depth perception problems, but mine is more spacial around me.

Anyway, is it possible that there are milder forms of SPD?

Thanks for any opinions.

Marcia