The Unseen Disorder

As a mother of children with SPD, the hardest thing about it is that it is the unseen disorder. My darling son and daughter look just like other kids, so when other people see their behavior, they do not understand. I have been told that if I was just better at discipline, I could make this go away. One day at the doctor’s office a lady actually told me, “I better spank my son, and learn how to control him or my daughter will turn out the same way.” Ironically, my daughter has been diagnosed with SPD too, they just didn’t know it. One of the most helpful books I have found to help my children is called: Understanding Your Child's Sensory Signals: A Practical Daily Use Handbook for Parents and Teachers by Angie Voss OTR. Voss gives you several ideas on how to help your child through a certain behavior. I use this book daily to teach my children coping strategies to help them learn how to react in this over stimulating world. My heart is to help them the best that I can and bring awareness to this disorder.

 

Choose Awareness

He hides under tables, you stare.

He crawls across a floor, you stare.

He spins in circles, you stare.

He screams and covers his ears, you stare.

He makes soothing noises, you stare.

He is clingy, you stare.

He chews on everything, you stare.

He bangs on things to make loud noise, you stare.

He curls up into a ball on the floor, you stare.

You have no idea how he feels, as he is trying to process this over stimulating world we live in.

You do not see his daily struggles, and how much time we spend to help him.

You are not aware of all the testing and clinics we have been to.

You have not prayed and cried for your child wanting to make it better.

You judge- the parents and the child, instead of seeking understanding or wanting to help.

Choose awareness; do not judge.

 

Sensory Processing Disorder.