ADHD Teams Up with SPD

by | Jul 1, 2020 | ADHD | 12 comments

After Lee was diagnosed with ADHD in first grade, we took her to a neurologist.  She told us that Lee had symptoms of sensory processing disorder (SPD), which often occurs with ADHD.  She explained that SPD occurs due to an imbalance in the central nervous system which causes the senses not to coordinate in unison…

Photo Credit: The Rockin Autism Mom

From the first time I pushed Lee in a stroller, I knew she loved to touch.  My friends’ babies stayed buckled up tight, holding their sippy cups and hugging stuffed animals.  Their little bodies were content for a long ride.  My baby squiggled out of her restraints the minute the wheels started rolling.  Reaching over, her hand skimmed the sidewalk, grabbing for flowers and lizards.  Anything I gave her was good practice to throw.

As her body developed, so did her urge to touch.  One day, when I came to get her in preschool, she’d painted her hair blue, the next, she used the school scissors to cut it off.  Then came the birthday party when she took two boys down to the ground to wrestle.  The three ended up in a tangle of legs, flailing arms, and bruised faces.  When the birthday mom asked us to leave, I dragged my little fighter to the car, wondering why she felt compelled to do such a thing. 

After Lee was diagnosed with ADHD in first grade, we took her to a neurologist.  She told us that Lee had symptoms of sensory processing disorder (SPD), which often occurs with ADHD.  She explained that SPD occurs due to an imbalance in the central nervous system which causes the senses not to coordinate in unison.  I drove Lee over to a Child Development Center in a nearby town for an evaluation.  She passed the SPD test with flying colors, and I was told she needed occupational therapy.

The occupational therapy classroom looked like a glorified playground, complete with a ball pit, gigantic swings with harnesses, sandpits, and trampolines.  As Lee raced into the ball pit and threw herself around, the occupational therapist explained that Lee craved sensations her body was lacking: a sense of gravity, of feeling her body in space, and an under responsivity to touch.  This made her more restless, impulsive, and hyperactive as she sought to find those sensations. 

Occupational therapy came to the rescue, helping Lee learn how to control her body’s urges and sensory exercises to calm down.  She gained strategies and coping mechanisms for her body’s demands.  From a sensory diet which got her ready to focus in school, to sensory aids which helped her sit still, I had an arsenal of help on my hands.    

If you think your child is struggling with sensory problems, your child’s pediatrician should be able to direct you towards an occupational therapist for a diagnosis. 

Here are some helpful resources:

https://childmind.org/article/how-sensory-processing-issues-affect-kids-in-school/

https://www.additudemag.com/sensory-processing-disorder-or-adhd/

Blogs

Related

The Gift of Mommy Friendships

The Gift of Mommy Friendships

As Mother’s Day approaches, I want to thank all the special moms who supported me through the years. Parenting a neurodiverse child is challenging and makes it difficult sometimes to find understanding friends. When I was struggling, long before my child’s ADHD diagnosis, two moms stepped forward and gave me hope and the gift of friendship. This blog is in honor of them.

read more
The Power of Books

The Power of Books

Over the years in my quest to help my child with ADHD and now complete a memoir about it, I accumulated many books on the subject. Maybe it’s the teacher in me or just my passion for books, but I ended up with a pretty good collection. This month’s blog focuses on some of my favorites.

read more
Communicating With Your ADHD Child

Communicating With Your ADHD Child

Even though I’d heard that communication is a skill we learn and practice, no one told me how important that would be in raising my child. Between Lee’s inability to focus, a lot of hyperactivity, and emotions that were hard to regulate, it became my challenge to find a different way to communicate. In this month’s blog, I put together the tips that worked for me over the years. Hope you’ll find one that works for you!

read more

Would you like to be empowered as a parent, build a more meaningful connection with your child, and have tools to help them better succeed in the world?

 

Subscribe to my bi-monthly (every two months) newsletter to receive the latest tips, strategies, and resources for raising a child with ADHD or other mental health challenges.

You have Successfully Subscribed!