Sensory Processing Disorder in school

I am wondering if children with sensory processing/integration disorder can be perfectly normal at school and only exhibit symptoms and behaviors at home?



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Jan 04, 2012
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starstarstarstarstar 		Yes!
by: Anonymous

I know technically she still has the same problems at school as she does at home, but she goes to Pre-K and they think she's perfectly normal. They think I'm dreaming up these problems. She is definitely not as social as the other kids, but they assume just she's shy. But we have meltdowns ALL afternoon. And she is insane, taking risks and bouncing off the walls. I'm at my wits end!
Jun 05, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		spd
by: Anonymous

I totally agreed ..My son who has mild/moderate SPD does well at school, but on his bad day at school, he was chewing the sleeve of his shirt or pencil or something to cope ....then as soon he gets home, MELTDOWN time .....Now he learned that instead of having meltdown ....he would go like running , riding bike or swinging ....till he calmed down ...
May 22, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Oh, Yes
by: DebbieKinIL

This happened all the time- very good at school (once she got there) and then when she got home- fell apart and tantrums on really bad days.
May 17, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Yes, it is/one other thing...
by: Anonymous

Hi again,
forgot to mention that it may appear to your child's teachers, etc that everything is 'normal' when in fact your child has developed some coping mechanisms to get through the day...this was the case with our daughter. Her teacher/principal didn't "see" anything going on with her, yet, when she came home, she would fall apart and talk about how challenging the bus, lunchroom, and noisy classroom were for her from a sensory perspective....overwhelming, too many kids, too much noise, too many smells etc.
May 17, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Yes, it is possible
by: Anonymous

Hi,
Our 8-yr-old daughter has mild-moderate sensory processing issues and we were told by our OT, psychologist and psychiatrist that it's fairly typical for sensory kids to "work hard to hold it together" in the school environment and then sort of explode, let off steam, or exhibit lots of sensory seeking behavior at home or in whatever environment feels safest for them. As I said, our daughter is on the mild end of the spectrum and does not have any other diagnoses such as PDD/Autism, etc. Would be happy to share more of our experiences -- let me know.
May 17, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		no.....
by: Anonymous

Yes, if someone truely has sensory issues they will have that same problem at school/work/home/etc. A person could hide their reaction, just not tell anyone that something bothers them and so on. So why do you think they do not have a problem at school? Is teacher just not aware of childs reactions to things since they don't make a big fuss and she has 24 students in the room to watch? Did you observe child touch mud with no problem when you have seen them unwilling to do so at home? Are they stretching their comfort zone and trying new things to please a teacher? Kids can overcome tactile defensiveness with practice, something they do at OT/PT. Was it just something they got better about touching with practice? My daughter doesn't have "problems" in class with her teacher either, but what she means is that she doesn't disturb the class time. NOT that my child doesn't have sensory issues happening to her during school, it just doesn't affect classtime normally. She cant sit quietly at desk and feel sick to her stomach for example . hth
May 17, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		SPD at school
by: Anonymous

Children with SPD are disturbed by their senses both at home and at school, perhaps at school are trying to control their reactions. Discomforts then openly displayed at home. Understanding for them!

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