Sudden onset of much more severe SPD??

by stacey
(pa)

Hi, I have SPD, and ADD. I looked at the SPD checklist for my son too.




My question is, why he had barely any noticeable symptoms up until this past April. Both he and I got very sick. He had a very high fever for 5 days, 104+, with it only temporarily ever dropping a degree. The symptoms were ever changing and numerous. Believe it or not I had it even worse, # of symptoms I mean. When the illness started, the same things happened to us. He and I experienced mental disturbances, then got the physical symptoms. Once the physical symptoms hit, the mental things improved.

My son had gotten an antibiotic, it seemed once he was done that, he was fine. There were other physical things that occurred very soon after though,(broken back - hyper extending on playground equipment at school, Arythmia, Tachy, palps) All of that was dealt with.

But then he got sick again in the summer. I could tell that it was coming. He becomes so oversensitive emotionally, and easily overwhelmed. He threw tantrums over the most ridiculous things and became completely unreasonable. Then he was coughing, and I noticed it seemed to be getting worse. In a matter of a week, I came to find out he had pneumonia. He never even got a fever, just the cough, and the mental stuff. Also while he is in the midst of the illness he starts to do some tic like stuff, such as licking his fingers constantly and not even realizing he is doing it. After he was done his antibiotics, he was fine, and the tic type of thing went away within a week.

In September it all happened again, even the pneumonia. He almost now seems to be either 1 extreme or another. My in laws and husband are besides themselves. My husband thinks that my son just needs to be told that the behaviors are not acceptable. My in laws are worried. This isn't the child they once knew. You could joke with him, he was happy go lucky, energetic and agreeable for the most part.

I originally checked out PANDAs which is when a strep antibody that attacks your own organs, and tissues, thinking its destroying strep.

Then I happened upon this site, while looking into my own massive over sensitivities. I have had them my entire life, plus the add. But I have to say that the SPD certainly became magnified 100% after this illness.

My question is this - Is it possible for a child to have a much more severe onset of SPD due to illness? And why? And how do I help him, or anyone else understand him?

When this happens he just isn't himself, and my heart bleeds for him, because I know all too well that he is not choosing to feel or act like this. I go through a lot of it too. I checked out the survey, I


met almost every part of the criteria, but my son, he only just started meeting any of it. He does great in school, he doesn't seem to have the learning issues like I did in school. He is very respectful, and kind to others. He is extremely well coordinated for the most part, he plays every sport, and he is very good at them. He could catch fly balls at baseball when he was 5.

He did have speech delay, which I attributed to him injuring his tongue at about 2yrs of age, he had to get stitches in it. And with speech therapy he progressed very fast. The things I have noticed more nowadays, is that he always spills his drinks. He has a hard time making it to the bathroom on time, a lot. He has a very hard time buttoning pants. Up until last year they were snaps. His writing is very bad. He holds the pencil completely wrong.

He is a picky eater, and always has been. Things have to be just so, when it comes to eating and drinking.

He also seems to be a lot more obsessive about thoughts lately. His b-day is in August. Yesterday he was going on and on about what he wants to do on his next one. I mean, I had to finally say, "okay I hear you, I get it, I will remember what you want, but it is very far away."

Its like "Can you stop???"

Why would these type of behaviors start at 7 and a half years old. Physicians tell me it cant be some type of virus that caused this, or much of anything. They couldn't care less that my 7 year old changed into a very challenged and unsatisfied child in a matter of months.

Sorry this is so long. I am getting desperate for him I guess. I too have been so damaged since the illness in April and at this point I appear to be a hypochondriac, because with all of the tests and doctors, they haven't been able to identify anything as the cause of my many physical symptoms. I just thank god that my son isn't having the same amount of physical difficulties as I am.

I couldn't bare knowing that he would be living a life of this physical pain and mental mess. And I don't mean just the SPD. I am being told by my many different doctors that its time for me to see a neurologist. My psych, eye dr, family dr. And on top of that I just started allergy testing and out of 15 foods, I was allergic to 13. And these were major food groups.

I don't want this stuff for him, and I want him to be better. I have not had any success in finding out what could really be going on with him. Thank you for reading this and any helpful replies would be greatly appreciated.

Comments for Sudden onset of much more severe SPD??

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Dec 24, 2017
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GAPS Diet!
by: Anonymous

I want to scream it from a mountain top: The GAPS diet saved my son. Our stories are almost identical. Antibiotics killed your son's gut flora. This is the root cause of the problem. Damage to the gut goes to the brain. Please do a search for the Gut and Psychology Syndrome. Please listen to the author, Dr. Natasha McBride, on Youtube. My son's behavior changed for the worse so quickly -- but after the diet he became normal again. For my family, it was a miracle. I really encourage families with SPD children to look into this.

Mar 14, 2017
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Lyme disease
by: Anonymous

My daughter had much worse tactile sensitivity after having lyme disease.

Mar 16, 2013
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Chiropractic
by: Anonymous

Regular chiropractic care was the only consistent "miracle" for our three sons. One had an onset of sensory issues after oral surfer, the other after a prolonged sickness and fever.

May 25, 2009
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Lyme triggers sensory issues
by: Anonymous

Sounds like Lyme Disease. High fever 5 days and no other symptoms- usually how it begins. Don't waste your time going to anything but a Lyme literate physician about this. Regular Md's and neurologists do not know anything about lyme causing behavior problems. Many Md's are also reluctant to diagnose Lyme disease-it's very political.

Get informed and do some research and look at the Lyme-Autism connection site.

Jan 02, 2009
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My December
by: Anonymous

Thank you for this post. My seven year old has been on a sensory tear this Holiday season. He's been explosive with friends and us, and having a difficult time playing with anything. He's not interested in things that have always fascinated him and seems truly out of sorts.

We've ramped up his "Sensory Diet" and are not seeing the results that we usually see, but the thing is that he's had a cold this entire month and just went on antibiotics for a sinus infection. He's also grown almost three inches in the past two months. Thank you for giving me some clues as to why this season was so tough on him. This years resolution: plenty of exercise, healthy food, and peace.



Dec 31, 2008
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Deep-tissue thigh massage, Cat-back massage
by: Anonymous

"Is it possible for a child to have a much more severe onset of SPD due to illness?"

Yes. This is what happened to me. I had scarlet fever, not very severe, in 1956 when I was three.
And then after wards (they tell me) EVERYTHING changed about my bold personality. I got hypersensitive, cowardly, terrified of balls in my face, visual problems, everything I wore bothered me, etc. My fever was not high at all. Later I had some other fevers, including meningitis and Lyme disease, and they really threw me into severe SPD. I was like an accident waiting to happen, I think.

After scarlet fever, I actually remember retreating to a dark room and insisting that I would never come out of bed again.
I insisted on wearing a bandage on an injured finger six months after it healed. I didn't speak for a whole year at kindergarten (but graduated from university with high honors but without laboratory classes).

I hope that the Wilbarger brushing method or something like that might help your son.

My two (adopted) nephews are very different. One hates "other" human touch under most circumstances, with the exception that he allows me to rub his back from neck to waist, on the skin, with two fingers, on either side of his spine. This very much calms him sometimes; he begs for this massage before bedtime. This is like stroking a cat -- for J, it must be done from top to bottom, the way a cat would want the pressure "with the grain of the fur". Sometimes after a while I can go down AND up again. J is a very picky eater and cannot stand foods to be "mixed together" such as bits of fruit in his yogurt. No progress on that score.

The other nephew, D, complains at night of leg pain, which seems odd, because at three he is a whole year or more behind in height, though very exceptionally intelligent. At bedtime I am allowed to massage his upper thighs on the top side only, with a firm deep kneading pressure. He also insists on total darkness in the bedroom now, and certain things such as a firm pillow covered in acrylic fleece (totally creepy, if you ask me). This thigh massage calms him and he allows it readily when tired.

Nailcutting freaks out both of them. Young D is terrific at all sports, able to catch with ease, and to throw with either hand with great skill and power for his 25 pounds. He could hold tools and pencils with great skill (either hand) at two, and can draw and eat beautifully. He is a great and adventurous eater, while his older brother is fussy like I am.

I would still say that both have sensory issues, though mild compared to mine.

I hope this helps a bit.

Have you tried nightly foot massage, with the child directing the pressure? This is what my son always wanted. I did this for an hour a night until he was 8 or 9.



Dec 08, 2008
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Illness - SPD
by: Jessi

Oh, I'd say that an illness could definitely bring on more SPD symptoms. It may be a little strange that he had hardly any symptoms until then though.

I noticed once that my son was having much more severe symptoms out of nowhere and his OT asked me if he'd recently had a growth spurt. I told her yes, that I'd just noticed that his pants were getting too short, etc. She told me that often kids have more symptoms during growth spurts because their bodies have to 'reset' after one.

I would guess that a serious illness could cause something of a similar effect. If your son has had OT before, it may be time for a 'tune-up'. And if not, you may want to have him evaluated.


Good luck to you, whatever you decide to do.

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