Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Why I started this blog:

Many people are very private about their lives, their struggles and especially their children.  So why did I decide to open up about JC's issues and the problems that we face?  Let me explain:

"oh, that child is too old for a bottle!"
"well, if that were my child I would make him sit down!"
"my, my - isn't he so busy!"
"you just have to make him eat, he's just doing it because he can get away with it'
And that doesn't even begin to account for the stares, whispers, and blatant eye rolls.
We have even experienced other children making fun of JC because of his inability to speak plainly... while the mother watched - and didn't say a word.  

I have never been the type of person who cared one bit about what other people thought of me.   OF ME... its very different when its your child.  The instinct to protect is very strong, especially when you know what a struggle life has been so far for him.  I want to lash out at these people, shame them for their words and insensitivity.  But even more than that - I want to educate them. So I armed myself with information and it soon became apparent that the majority of people know very little if anything about Sensory Processing Disorder.  And even those who do know about it have so many misconceptions.  Its not a disorder that affects a child's appearance, so there is no visual clue to people that something may be "wrong" with a child.  Its sometimes mistaken for autism (which is often a co-diagnosis), but even that has a stereotype that isn't accurate in many situations.  To the average person, it simply appears to be a behavioral problem.  Nothing that a little tough discipline couldn't correct.

Sidenote on discipline:  Let me tell you a little about me as a mother.  Being a mother is my greatest achievement and the thing that I am most proud of in my life.  That's not to say that its the only thing of interest that I have accomplished (I graduated from a prominent college, worked in corporate America, managed hundreds of people), but I can honestly say that I measure my success by the happiness of my children.  I dote on them, I think they are the best children in the world and I am more proud than any other mother could ever be (I know i just described every mother reading this :))  I spoil them more than I should, I allow more fast food than I should, and more desserts than I should, and more tv than I should.  But, I am not a push-over.  I run a tight ship.  I pick my battles and when I mean business, they know it.  My 7 year old is a well mannered child with a huge heart and compassion for others.  When I look at him, I know that I must be a pretty good mother, because he is an awesome kid.  I am telling you all of this to explain that "discipline' is not the problem for JC.  I have already been through the terrible two's with one child and while I know each child is different, I also know that my parenting style hasn't changed that drastically in the past 5 years.  Now, I know you aren't supposed to compare your children - but I have found that comparing them helps me understand just how difficult things have been for JC.  He was never a happy baby - in fact I have very few pictures of him as an infant because he was always upset.  He has been a cranky toddler and is very high maintenance.  If I hadn't already gone through raising one child, I may think this behaviour to be "normal".  I may think "oh, its just colic" or "oh, he's just going through the terrible two's".  If he had been my first child I would have wondered what I was doing wrong!  But realizing the extreme difference between BB and JC helped me know when I needed to seek out a medical evaluation.  I am thankful that God gave JC to me as a second child because I was better prepared to be the mother that he needed... and he has the best big brother ever!

I read something very true today, "A worried mother does more research than the FBI".  I have spent hours researching topics that relate to JC's needs.  In my opinion, I need to be an expert on everything relating to my children.  So, I am working to become an expert on SPD and speech problems as they relate to JC.  Researching information for my blog entries may lead me to a new therapy idea or a new insight that will aid me in helping JC.  It is from this drive to gather more knowledge, and from the desire to raise awareness and compassion, that this blog was formed.   I also want to be able to say to the next person who provides unsolicited advice, "JC is dealing with SPD so he has difficulties focusing/coping/functioning in this environment.  If you'd like to learn more about how not to be an obnoxious busy-body, please visit my blog".  Well - maybe a little nicer than that but you get the idea :)


Friday, February 22, 2013

Messy play: Tactile Aversion Therapy


Nothing shows Tactile Aversion and Defensiveness quite like messy play.  Notice the 2-finger pincher grasp, the hesitation to touch anything but the powder and the immediate "escape" response when the applesauce touches his fingers.  What the video doesn't show is the coaxing that occurred before he would even sit at the table with the food.  He has become accustomed to this type of messy play and is usually able to participate for a few minutes, but knowing that he can say "all done" and have his hands wiped is a very important aspect of the "trust" that he feels which allows him to do this.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Through JC's Eyes: A Day in the life of a child with SPD

My job as the mother of a child with extra-special needs (one of which is a difficulty with speech), is to be a mind reader.  I have to know that "pla-pl" is pretzle, but it may also mean puzzle or sometimes even play or paper or jacket, depending on the circumstance.  We play a lot toddler charades at my house - but I have come to understand his own little bits of speech.  So as a mind-reader, I thought I'd share what JC's day is like - from his point of view.  Each of these scenario's has happened at least once over the past week.  Not usually on the same day - but sometimes, we have one of those really bad days - and it is very much like this. 

My name is JC.  I am 2 years old.  This is my day:
I wake up feeling snug and warm in my bed.  When I open my eyes, the light is too bright so I try to bury my head in the pillow for a while.  When I get out of bed, the floor feels funny on my feet so I find my shoes and cry to put them on.  I look for my brother because we always have breakfast together.  If he isn’t ready  yet, it upsets me because I need things to happen the same way each day.  I eat rice toast for breakfast because it’s the only thing that doesn’t feel yucky in my mouth.  It is very dry and chewy so it doesn’t make me gag.  Other foods make my tummy hurt or just feel weird in my mouth, so I stick to dry toast.  After breakfast its time to brush my teeth.  I love to squeeze the toothpaste on the toothbrush, but there is  no way its going into my mouth!  Mom tells me “1-2-3” so I know there will be an end to it. So I open my mouth just a little and let her get the brush in.  She says, “1….. 2….. 3” as she brushes my teeth and as soon as I hear that “3” – I pull away.  That’s all she gets!  Time to get dressed.  I try to run away or cry when mommy takes my pajamas off.  I don’t like the cold air and the rubbing of the clothes on and off of my head and body makes me cry.  Diaper changes are no fun either because I have to lay on my back really still.  I try to make it easier by choosing my own diaper – I like the ones with Mickey Mouse.  Controlling things makes it easier for me to cope.  Once that is finished (and my shoes are back safely on my feet), it is time to leave.  Brother is going to school, and so am I!  That means that brother needs his bookbag so I take it to him.  I am being helpful, but it also helps me feel more in control and less anxious when I know the schedule and what to expect, especially with all of the movement and busy-ness of the morning.  Today, he isn’t ready to take his bag because he is putting his shoes on, but I don’t understand why he doesn’t just take it - so I scream at him.  He takes the bag and finishes his shoes later.  As we walk out the door I get to push the garage opener.  I count down “nine, eight, go!”  As mommy puts me in the car I make sure brother is getting in too.  Do I have my bottle? Where is my tablet?  Ok, we are ready.

On the way to school, I scream because the sunshine is too bright and it feels like knives in my eyes.  Brother is singing with the song on the radio and I can’t stand the extra noise  so I yell at him to stop.  When we get to brother’s school, I cry because I don’t want him to go – or maybe its because I want to go with him.  Mom turns on my music CD and it calms me.  Mom drives through downtown and I know that my school is close, but she turns the other way.  I scream because she was supposed to take me to school.  She tries to explain something to me about going to the bank first, but it doesn’t matter – we were supposed to go to school!  She tells me “bank first, THEN school”.  Well, ok -
I like school.  I like to play and do art projects.  I know what to expect at school.  When I go in, I say "Hi" to my teacher and then I get to choose my favorite toy.  Then we have circle time and read a book.  After that its art time and then snack time.  Snack times are hard for me because I can’t eat what the other kids eat.  And sometimes I don’t want to eat at all.  When we have a special party, mom makes sure to bring something that I can eat too.  But watching all the other kids have cookies makes me want one and I don't understand why I can't have one too.
Today, when I walk into my school, my teacher isn’t standing at the doorway like she usually is.  It makes me feel like everything is wrong.  What do I do now? I need that consistency to make my day easier.  There is a new person in my room instead of my teacher.  I look at the floor and don’t make eye contact.  I wander around because I don’t know what to do next.  I didn’t get to say "hi "to my teacher like usually do, so everything seems upside down.  When things don’t happen the way I expect them to, my, its hard for me to “re-program” my mind to a new set of circumstances.  Mommy sees that I am upset so she tries to explain to me that my teacher will be back tomorrow.  She shows me things that are familiar to me.  It takes a while, but I start to warm up and I realize that my classroom is the same – the teacher is just different today.  Soon, I am able to have fun and play again.

 Some days I go to music school.  I love music!  Its hard for me to sit still and participate in a new activity.  There are so many sounds and I get overwhelmed easily.  That’s when I try to escape by running around the room and hiding under the table. I like to be under things and behind things because it makes me feel safe.  So i turn it into a game - you can't catch me!  I like to use the bells and shakers, but when everyone is playing them at the same time it hurts my ears. Some days I don’t realize when I am getting overwhelmed and over-stimulated until its too late.  I cry or I bury my head in mommy’s lap or shoulder and close my eyes tight to try to make all of the sights and sounds go away.   Sometimes mommy rocks with me or swings me to help me calm down. And sometimes she has to take me out to the hall to get a break from the sounds and people.  When we go back in, I am able to  participate more.  I love to dance, and jump and spin!  All of that activity helps to calm me too!  .  When music class if over, I get to put my shoes on (YAY!) and get a stamp on my hand (double YAY!).  Time to go home. 
Its lunch time but I don’t want to eat.  My belly hurts but I don’t know that it is because I’m hungry.  Food always hurt me so much, so I stopped eating.  I like chips, crackers, and toast mostly.  Mommy makes chicken for me with rice.  Rice is also one of my favorites but today I don’t want to eat anything.  So I don’t.  I have a bottle instead.  The bottle has never hurt my tummy, or my mouth.  And it calms me down after a long day of noises and sounds.  Naptime.
When I wake up, mommy and I play.  I love puzzles and cars and trains.  This is a peaceful time because its just me and mommy.  There isn’t any noise and I get to work with mommy on things to help me talk better.  She calls it therapy, but I just think its playtime.  Today mommy has to go to the grocery store.  I like the grocery store – there is so much to look at and so much to touch!  I want to experience it all – and all at the same time!  I want to run through the aisles, I want to touch all of the food, I want to scream loud to hear by voice echo, but also to drown out the rest of the noises that I hear.  But pretty soon, I start to feel upset and anxious.  I want mommy to hold me.  I want to leave.  She tries to give me a snack, but that only works for a little while.  I try to play the games on my tablet, but its too hard to focus.  When we are finished we wait in line. I don’t want to wait… I want to leave… NOW!  We finally get in the car and its time to get brother from school. Mommy plays the music again to help me calm down.
 I am so happy to see brother! When we get home, he does homework and I color.  He tells me what the colors are and I try to say what he says.  After he finishes, we play.  I love my brother, and I love to play with him, but sometimes he doesn’t understand me.  I can’t talk very well because I don’t know how to make my mouth say the right sounds.  So I usually just yell and scream until someone figures out what I want.  Brother has a toy that I want so I cry “ahhhhhh!” until he gives it to me.  Mommy says that I should say “have it please”, so I try – “ha i pwe”.  Close enough.  But I don’t remember to use those words the next time.  When I get upset my brain can’t find the right words to help me.  My tummy starts hurting again, but I don’t understand how to make it stop so I am just grumpy.  Mommy says its snack time and asks if I want some crackers.  I stand at the pantry with the door open and look for something that would feel ok in my mouth.  Nothing seems to make me happy, so I just eat crackers. 

I want to go outside, so I stand at the door and bang on it while I yell at her. She tries to understand me, but its hard because I can’t tell her what I want.  When we get outside, the sun is so bright that it hurts my eyes.  I want to play, but I keep getting more and more grumpy.  Things just aren’t right and I can’t fix them.  The air is too cold, the sun is too bright, the ball feels too bumpy, the car is too hard to push.  I cry and mommy asks me what is wrong and what I want.  I just don’t know!  I want to feel better so I try different toys to see if anything is fun, but they are all frustrating to me.  So I cry even more.  Mommy takes me inside and we snuggle while I have another bottle.  I feel better.
When Daddy gets home, I am happy to see him.  We play and wrestle – with brother too!  Sometimes, running, jumping, climbing, wrestling and rough play help me feel better because it gives my brain something to focus on and respond to.  But when we are playing everyone gets loud and it upsets me.  I yell at them to stop.  Its just too much!
At dinner, I eat toast again – mommy puts sauce on it and calls it pizza because that’s what everyone else is eating.  I  like it, but I make sure to only touch the outside – I can’t stand to have the sauce on my hands.  I eat a few bites and have a juice pouch.  Mommy always puts a sippy cup on the table for me, but its too hard to drink from.  Plus, I hate the feel of the hard rubber in my mouth. So I never drink from it… but a straw is easier so mommy keeps juice pouches handy.
Bath time is my favorite.  I love the feeling of being in the water.  But mommy pours the water over my head and I scream.  Why is she doing that!  I don’t want water on my head – STOP!  She tries to hurry, and she says “1-2-3” again – but I don’t’ care… no water on my head – EVER!
Now its time for a book.  I love my bedtime routine.  I get to snuggle with mommy and brother.  We read books and then brother goes to bed and mommy lays with me while I fall asleep.  I listen to the same song that I have listened to every night since I was a baby.  It calms me and helps me know that it is time for sleep.  Night Night Stars, Night Night Moon..... Goodnight
 

 

Saturday, February 2, 2013

JC's Extra-Special Needs


The term "special needs child" is used to describe children with SPD or other disorders or disabilities.  It seems to me that "Extra Needs" would be a more suitable description of JC.  So, I use both - he is an "Extra-Special Needs Child".  His SPD is complicated, as is usually the case.  He is sensitive to some things but craves input from other things.  He has good weeks and bad weeks.  Certain situations are more difficult than others.  Figuring out his triggers and tolerance levels is like solving a puzzle.  Below are the pieces we have started putting together:
JC has a severe oral aversion to most things.  Part of the “treatment” or “therapy” for this is to try to introduce vibrating teethers, chew sticks etc to de-sensitize his mouth and lips.  For the most part he refuses to allow anything in his mouth (unless he puts it there as mentioned above).  He started therapy at 16 months – his is now 27 months and is JUST NOW allowing the use of a toothbrush.  So it’s a slow process.

He started therapy with a vestibular defensiveness (sense of movement) and wouldn’t swing for more than 1 or 2 “swings” before he was climbing to escape.  Repetitive use of a swing with enclosed sides during therapy sessions helped him to transition into a comfort level of swinging while firmly buckled in and holding on for dear life, to overcoming this sensitivity altogether and he now LOVES to swing. 

JC also has a severe tactile defensiveness.  He will avoid certain textures at all costs – mainly the wet, squishy, gooey textures – like baby food.  For him, asking him to touch something slimy or wet like a noodle is like asking me to stick my hand in a bucket of worms.  The thought of it makes my skin crawl!  The therapy for this is a continual introduction of various textures for play.  Rice bins filled with small objects to search for, sand tables, jello molds with fun toys at the bottom which he had to dig for, shaving cream on a mirror or in the bath tub.  In the beginning, he refused to touch the shaving cream, jello etc.  But through gradual demonstration and encouragement (and seeing his big brother play in it), he will willingly enjoy “messy play” now. 
One of the most remarkable observations that I made during several of these tactile play sessions was that he would drool like mad while playing with these textures.  To me that was an “aha” moment because it brought to light the connection between tactile touch and oral stimulation.  Now I understood why he would gag at the slightest touch of something  or a certain food like noodles or peaches.

Because of this connection to oral defensiveness, an extension of the “messy play” tactile therapy is used related to food.  At each therapy session we will end in the kitchen for “snack time”.  JC will enjoy his snack of choice (pretzels, crackers etc) and the therapist will introduce a texture that he may be defensive too – apple sauce for example.  But we make it fun!  The applesauce becomes a mud pit for Squinkee Cars and we drive them through until they need a bath in the tub of water.  His desire to have fun has gradually overshadowed  his desire to not touch the applesauce.  Mission accomplished J   But, the diced peaches are the one nemesis that we have been unable to conquer.  If he is seated at a table and I put diced peaches on in front of him, he immediately tries to climb out of the chair and away from the “dangerous” peaches.  During one therapy session, he was finally touching them (we were using the peaches as “boulders” for the squinkees to crash into) – major breakthrough!  But then the therapist ate one, as if to show him that it was ok to touch it with our mouths too.  He gagged, pushed the plate away and climbed out of the seat.  It’s the same reaction that I would have had to someone eating a bug.  It is amazing how powerful this definsiveness is in his little mind!
Along with the oral aversion and refusal to eat for an extended period of time comes a failure to develop those oral muscles.  Infants learn to coordinate the muscles in the mouth to process food through the lips, around the tongue (then using the teeth once they have them), and down the throat.  Those processes and muscle strengthening “excersizes” prepare them with the motor skills needed for speech.  JC never developed those motor movements appropriately which explains why he would gag at almost EVERY meal, and why he still uses a bottle and refused a sippy cup (although the texture of the sippy cup plays a role as well).  This aversion and lack of proper development has also led to a significant speech delay and oral motor skills problem.

We started speech therapy after his 2nd birthday, mainly because he wasn’t using verbal communication to voice his needs.  Babies cry to tell us they are wet, hungry etc.  Toddlers learn to use verbal communication to meet their needs:  “me eat”, “help me” etc.  But JC wasn’t doing those things.  If he needed help, he would sit and scream until I came over to see what was wrong.  If he wanted something he would make a fuss until I played cherades to determine what it was he wanted.  Since we started speech therapy, he has come so far!  He now says or attempts to say single words and the occasional word pair (“all done cracker” – sounds like “a du cakr”).  He is making great progress and is attempting to use words regularly.  He mimics and tries to repeat what is said to him.  But he struggles with making certain sounds and is visibly groping for the right muscle coordination to make those sounds.  He also almost always says only the first syllable of a word or “fills in the blanks” with the same syllable – banana is “manamana” for example (which is a normal process of speech development, he is just reaching it much later than normal which is likely not related to oral motor skills as much as some sort of auditory processing skill).
Another common element of SPD which JC struggles with is sensory overload.  If you or I are in a crowded room, a concert or an amusement park, it may be difficult for us to focus on certain things, but we can usually selectively focus for a period of time on what we need to direct our attention.  For example, if someone is speaking to you, you can drown out the other noises and focus on that person’s voice even though it is difficult to hear.  JC struggles with this focus and discriminating external stimuli.  A trip to Walmart is like a trip to an amusement park.  So many things to see, hear, smell and touch.  Keeping him restrained for longer than 10 minutes is a challenge to say the least.  I usually try to combat this with a snack, music or learning game (Vinci Genius is a tablet designed for toddlers which age appropriate learning curriculum).  I have recently started using headphones and it makes a huge difference.  The headphones accomplish the task eliminating the background noise and extra stimuli, allowing him to focus and reducing the sensory overload.  Even in everyday situations, sensory overload can be common.  Bright colors, sounds, bright lights, scratchy clothing, even rain on the windshield can lead to sensory overload.  Many times I can be proactive and play music or begin applying firm pressure touch, but there are times when nothing helps.  Meltdown!  I read an article from an adult with SPD who described his feelings during a sensory meltdown.  He described a feeling of needles in his eyes from the light, stinging all over his body from any sort of touch, stomach pain, headache and much more.  I read that article and cried because I finally understood (as best as I could) what JC felt when he entered into a meltdown and I finally knew how I could help.  When possible, I try to remove any stimuli and calm the environment as much as possible.  He still has to work through it and emerge on the other side, but at least I can make it a little easier for him. 

Sensory overload doesn’t always lead to meltdown in the form of a tantrum.  Recently it has led to what I call “checkout” mode.  If we are in a stimulating environment he is engaged for about 15 minutes, goes full force for about 10 minutes and starts to try to “escape” by running around or away.  He still seems to be having fun but I have learned that this is a sign of an inevitable crash into “checkout” mode which culminates in him collapsing in my lap with his head buried in my neck or chest, eyes closed, refusing to move . This last for a few minutes while I try to pry him off of me or just give in and let him strangle me with his hold.  I try to give firm massage, joint compressions etc.  Sometimes it helps.  Other times, it just takes a while for him to sort of “snap out of it”.   I won’t lie – this behavior concerns me.   And its happening more frequently, which concerns me even more. 
JC also has a hypersensitivity to sound. In some children, this means severe reactions to sirens etc.  For JC it means a distraction by the smallest sound like a clock ticking.  It also means he gets overstimulated easily in noisy environments – again, using the headphones really helps.

In general, JC is easily agitated, has a very low tolerance for frustration, demands structure and is upset when things do not go as he expects them to.  Even with all of that – and perhaps because of it - he is the most expressive, loving, funny little 2 year old I have ever seen.  He is full of personality and independence.  He loves to snuggle and melts my heart with his hugs.  Life is challenging for him.  Being his caregiver, interpreter, 24/7 therapist is challenging for me.  But he is his very own version of perfection, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world!
 

JC's Story: Birth to Diagnosis

This blog shares information specific to our experiences with JC.  At times I may provide research or technical information and I will try to reference those resources when possible.  Just as with anything, no two individuals with SPD are alike.  Some may share similar characteristics with JC while others with SPD may have other elements of the disorder.  This is the story of our journey to diagnosis. 

JC was born almost a month early, but all signs said that he was a healthy and happy baby boy.  I remember that he didn’t cry for several minutes after being born.  I thought, “Oh, what a good baby he is going to be – he isn’t even crying!”  But within a week, he was crying non-stop.  After months of agony, eliminating one food or another from my diet (I was breast-feeding exclusively), we finally saw a gastroenterologist.  Severe dairy and soy allergies were causing blood in his stools, but once I cut those items out of my diet, his fussiness continued.  By the time JC was 8 months old, I decided that we needed more information and help so I made an appointment with an allergist.  People (and by “people” I mean doctors) will say that a child who hasn’t eaten a particular food cannot be allergic to that food, and/or that most foods do not pass through the breast milk to the baby.  His allergy tests were positive for Eggs, Dairy, and Peanuts with sensitivities to soy and gluten.  By this point, he was refusing to nurse at times, had severe reflux, spit up almost everything he ate, had rashes and hives all over his body.  I didn’t know it at the time, but the process of food aversions had already begun.

Soon thereafter, I began having health problems and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  I weaned JC from nursing onto a special formula called Elecare (it has been a God-send!).  It is designed for children with feeding issues and severe food allergies.  He has been taking it ever since, and at times it is the only source of nutrients that he receives.  During my period of surgery and treatment I was fortunate to have my husband, parents, in-laws and aunt caring for me at various times.  They played the role of “mom” when I was too tired or sick to do so.  This was a blessing, but for a child who thrives on routine, this period of upheaval was rough for JC.  He was surrounded by love and everyone tried to understand his needs, but I will always wonder how my being sick impacted his development.  Throwing my sickness into the mix of his sensitivities certainly didn’t make matters better. 
As we learned more about JC’s allergies and what he could and could not eat, I started introducing new baby foods.  He would refuse to eat anything in the pureed form.  I was able to find baby food in a squeezeable container that he would eat and I now know it is because he didn’t have to see it or feel it in his mouth.  It required  a sucking motion (which he was used to), and it went straight into the back of his mouth and then was swallowed.  At this point I thought he was just a picky eater and would continue to try new foods.  I remember (and it makes me cringe now) that I would force the first bite into his mouth so that he would “taste” it and know that he liked it.  Within a few months he refused to eat at all.  He would go to the pantry or refridgerator and pull out some sort of food.  I would open it and try to feed it to him and he would turn his mouth away.  He was literally starving himself.  It broke my heart.  As a mother, feeding your baby is a primal instinct.  We nurse, then we take for granted that the rest comes naturally.  So when it didn’t, I began researching everything that I could.  I had noticed that everything that he would eat (the very few things) were crunchy.  That got me on the path of oral sensitivies, which led me to sensory processing disorder.  I scheduled an appointment with his pediatrician and fully expected her to say “No –he’s fine.  He is just a picky eater and he’ll grow out of it.”  I was primed for a fight because I knew that he was having problems with oral aversions and I also knew that the medical community didn’t yet “buy-in” to the SPD  diagnosis.  So imagine my surprise when she said “I think you are right!”  She referred me to a wonderful therapy center in a nearby town and we started therapy a few weeks later. 

The initial evaluation was so enlightening.  I completed a questionnaire that asked things like
  • “Does your child like to swing?”  NO!  He hated it!  He hated any form of movement that turned him sideways or upside down. 
  • “Does your child avoid certain textures of food?” – yes!  Everything but crunchy!
  • “ Does your child explore his environment by mouthing objects?”  JC never “grew out of” the infant stage of putting things in his mouth (except for food that is).  He would (and still does) eat sand, mulch, dirt, rocks cat food – anything that was gritty or hard. 
There were several pages of these questions which brought things to my attention that I hadn’t even noticed before.  I never knew why he loved to be rocked, but hated a swing.  Or why he would put random things in his mouth, but not food. 

It was through learning more from his therapist (who JC and I adore!) that I began to understand all the underlying bits of SPD that were popping up.   It was enlightening, empowering and I finally began to understand HIS world and see things the way HE sees them instead of trying to make him see things my way.  He has made great strides and continues to improve every day. And just as importantly, my understanding of his needs improves every day.  This blog will chronicle his journey through SPD.  I would love to hear feedback and I would love to hear from other with children who have SPD.