Has anyone heard of SPD (sensory processing disorder)in children?

I was wondering if anyone has heard of Sensory Processing Disorder or Sensory Intergation Disorder. We had our 5 year old daughter to a specialist and she determined her to have this. We were wondering how others cope with this avoiding medications.

Hello. My son was diagnosed with SPD at the age of six. He is a negative-stubborn subtype and was treated as a behavior problem at school. We started OT, which our insurance did cover. In eight months time, he has gone from about a 50% performance rating in school and having very problematic behavior to a 85-95% performance level with very good behavior. We have not used medication, only OT every other week for about 6 months, and a home program. The school did an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) since SPD is considered a condition which requires the school to accomodate the child's special learning needs. He has sensory breaks built into his day, and we have learned specific methods (hand pressing, ball rolling, etc.) that help him "re-organize" his nervous system and recover from sensory overload. The occupational therapy has been tremendously successful, has rebuilt his self-esteem, dramatically improved his behavior, and his social skills. There are many wonderful books on the subject. The ones that helped us learn about the disorder the most so that we could educate others about what our son was going through and what works best for him are: "Sensational Kids" (if you only buy one, make it that one). Also, "Parenting a Child with Sensory Processing Disorder", "The Out-of-Sync Child", "Answers to Questions Teachers ask about Sensory Integration." There are also many wonderful sites/newletters/support groups on the itnernet, including the one mentioned in the previous answer. Good luck, feel free to email me if you have other questions, need support, or just want to trade stories. No medication necessary! OT teaches children and parents how to deal with the disorder, rather than artificiallly mask some of the effects of the disorder. You can do this, so can your daughter and you will all be just fine!

Get your daughter in occupational therapy asap. Get as much OT for your daughter as your insurance/school system will pay for.
Sensory integration therapy works wonders but it must be done early and often.
See an OT for an evaluation.

p.s. don't completely rule out medication. Your daughter may need medication at some point so keep an open mind. Medication is not poison and if it is given correctly by a psychiatrist, can change her life.

If you haven't already, you might want to get your hands on the book "the out-of-sync child".

Hello. Our son was unoffically diagnosed with it a year ago...his doctor 'flaged' him for it. This week he was officially diagnosed and the assesment process is just starting.

From everything I have read...O.T. (occupational therapy) is the way to go. I found this website http://sensory-processing-disorder.com It is an american site but it is amazing...any questions you have..it will answer pretty much everything. Because our son is school age we are first exploring treatment through the school division psychologist and O.T. but on our own we have also contacted an O.T. that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of SPD. Medications haven't even been mentioned to us as a form of treatment so if it is something that has been mentioned I would strongly question the basis of it. I do know that private O.T. is very expensive...it will cost us $70 an hour..unless you or someone in your family has coverage or benefits through work that may cover O.T. My husband has an extensive benefits package with his work but it still doesn't cover O.T.
There are other options we are exploring to help with the cost. We want our son to recieve all the help he can get and we as parents want to be 'specialists in this' so we can help him have the best life possible. I believe that our son being diagnosed at 6 years old is late and our family doctor has highly stressed the urgency in him receiving immediate and continuing treatment.
I wish you all the best. If you feel comfortable I would welcome knowing how things are going for you. This is all new to us and we are feeling relieved that we know what is going on with our son but also feel at a loss...'where do we begin to help this child'.
Take Care.