SPP- Sensory Processing Disorder

So this afternoon I received and email from someone asking what exactly IS Sensory Processing Disorder/Dysfunction? In a nutshell... I am not completely positive. I am not quite sure if it all has been figured out down to an exact science by anyone yet. What I CAN do is give you a little peek into our journey. I am not going to put any of this in any sort of order though, so please bear with me.

To bring Gage to the store, there is alot of preparing involved. First thing is we always go on a weekday, either in the early morning or in the late evening. Before we go we either do a very warm bath or a massage with alot of pressure. We have a pep-talk before we go and also in the car. We have a list and go by that list. At 50 pounds, Gage still needs to ride in the seat of the cart (this will not be an option very very soon). We go as fast as we can. We take breaks to talk. At the checkout, he starts to spiral due to the amount of people in the front. I tell the cashier to kick it up a notch because he gets anxious, and they usually do out of fear of a 4 year old. Get back in the van, and he goes into hysterics due to his spiraling a few minutes prior. If we dont follow this routine, there is screaming, covering ears, smacking himself, among the normal 4 year old things.

To bring Gage to the doctor, we usually do a warm bath prior or a massage with deep pressure and we have alot of pep-talks. When we get there, he sits by me. Sometimes I have to park the stroller in front of him, to block a little of the light and people. When the nurse calls us back, I have found that talking to him in a deeper toned voice helps with things like the weight and height checks. The worst part of this particular process is during the height check, when the little rod thing comes down on his head. Gage does not like his head touched so he will start pulling away and getting wired. I have found that if you warm up your hand and touch the bare part of his arm (while talking to him), it will help him focus. In the doctors office, it is always a hit and miss. I have found that if the office is running a little overly warm, Gage does a little better. In the recent months, Gage has tolerated the visits much better, but in the past, I have come close to anxiety attacks. Screaming, attacking me, banging his head on the wall, running, vomiting; these were all things that would happen when we would go for any sort of visit. Huge improvement these days, let me tell ya.

I am going to give you a battery of other types of things that happen to occur with us. Some could be tricks you use on your own child...

Public Automatic Toilets. Gage hates these... has literally hidden under the sink screaming in the past. Solution? Painters tape kept in my purse. Enter the stall, apply tape, give seat a wipedown, allow Gage to potty, open stall door and ask him to wait by the sink, remove tape. Sound is still gonna rile him up, but not as badly as when he is trying to pull his pants up. If he is already riled up before entering bathroom, leave tape there... it will give the next person something to think about :)

People Entering Our Home. Gage loves this... who wouldn't? Instant best friend/plaything/jungle gym! Solution? Art projects, movies, cleaning room, ect. Basically anything that could possibly keep him occupied and away from the tender backs of strangers.

We keep TV volume down.

We keep lights not so bright... lower wattage is sometimes better.

We dont expect them to eat in puplic. Too many people, too much excitement.

We watch for signs... covering ears, trying to function with hands closed, darting eyes, hitting himself, climbing on people, talking in babble. These are signs that we need to take 5.

This is just a bit of our day to day, but any longer than this and I may request a book advance ;) Just know that sometimes a kid isnt just being naughty. Sometimes there is something going on. Does that mean they should receive a "get out of jail free" card? No. It just means that you learn about your child and what the proper ways to dicipline and the proper ways to teach are.