As an adult with SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder), and as someone who works with children who have SPD, I've come to realize just how little people understand about it.  This post is hopefully just to shed some light on what SPD is and highlight some of my own experiences.  I would love to make people more aware of this disorder, and how it really affects people.

I remember as a child I would cry every single time my mom brushed my hair.  It didn't matter how many times I told her it hurt, or how loudly I screamed, she would insist that there is nothing painful about having your hair brushed.  Unless you have SPD.  On "bad days", I spend the entire day alternating between a ponytail and letting my hair down, trying to help with the scalp pain.  My husband offers a massage, but just having fingers brushing against my hair is painful.  Sometimes it is like this for days at a time.  Sometimes my scalp is fine, but my eyebrows hurt.  Yes, eyebrows.

When I'm overstimulated, or fear that I may be, I have panic attacks.  When I was younger, I self-injured as a way of stopping panic attacks.  As an adult, knowing now that I have SPD, I keep an eye on how I am feeling and avoid excess stimulation.  I'll remove myself from it.  Sometimes this means we stop a grocery shopping trip even though we only have half of what we went out for.  It means I may have to walk out of a restaurant in the middle of a family outing, or decline to go altogether.


I have a mild version of the disorder.  There are people out there who are crippled by SPD.  I work with children who (typically) have SPD along with another disorder, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder or ADHD.  Each individual has their own set of tolerances.  I am "defensive" - I don't like touch and noise, struggle with body movement/balance - I typically feel "too much".  Some people are under-responsive, meaning they feel too little.  Others are "seekers", they look for stimuli, like daredevils.

Take, for instance, Bob (not the real name).  He's four years old, and absolutely can't stand to be touched.  But he loves to give hugs!  Why?  Because he controls the hug, it is his decision.  Is that really SPD, or is it Bob trying to be "controlling"?  Its both.  He honestly cannot stand to have someone else initiate physical contact, because on a bad day, it is too much stimulus.  But on a good day, Bob is like any other kid and wants to be affectionate.  He also refuses to wear gloves, even though the temperatures have been sub-zero for weeks now.  He says they make his fingers feel funny.

Kyle (again, not the real name) is nine and has "gustatory" defensiveness.  Because of this, he eats the same meals week to week.  His family only eats at restaurants they have been to frequently, so that he knows the menu.  They don't go to other people's houses for dinner.  We pack him special bags on holidays because he can't have candy like the other kids.  He also has Autism and echolalia - so we listen to him ask the same questions 20-30 times per bus ride, and we have to answer.  "Eat chips?"  "Then we eat chips." "And we eat chips?" "Yes, then we will eat chips." "Then bed?" "Yes, then bed."

http://www.spdlife.org/symptoms/general.html#social-emotional
This site is a really great place to find information that is geared towards adults.  Most information on SPD is geared towards children, since this is a disorder that is just beginning to come to light, though people have struggled with it for decades.  My husband would tell you that everything on the "Social and Emotional" checklist applies to me, and some of it really has a huge impact on our lives.  Some people are very understanding, others are not. 

If any of you have children, know children, or even know adults who seem "picky" or "strange" - just stop for a moment and consider that it may not be their fault.  They may honestly not be able to wear gloves, or eat broccoli (texture!), or eat chicken with their fingers.  This is just my story, but there are so many people out there struggling day-to-day with SPD.  So many are not even aware they have a disorder; they've just been told they are stubborn or weird or sensitive.  Maybe they are (who isn't?!), but there is a reason for that.

http://www.spdlife.org/fun/spd-for-dummies-part-1.html
I love how this quy puts it all together.  He also goes on to tell about how his life changed after discovering he had SPD, how it felt to know he was not to blame.

If anybody read this, thanks!  Hope it helps shed some light on SPD and how it can impact those who have it.

Very interesting read :).

Very informative. I've never really heard of SPD before. Thank you for sharing!

I haven't heard of SPD, but I've had a patient with allodynia.  I was completely horrified with how her pain was handled (I was told by the CNAs that "she screams no matter what you do, so it doesn't really matter.")  There is a distinct lack of education on these types of disorders and how to manage them effectively.  It's definitely a daily struggle for those who have these conditions.

Thanks for sharing this! Very informative (: you never really think of what people struggle with on a daily basis until its brought to your attention & hear about it. Thanks for shedding light on this! Ive never heard about it before

I have a friend who has a mild diagnosed case of this as well and I'm always mindful when I'm doing things that could be triggering.. I know my friend can't handle the sound of folding/cutting/ripping paper. Sometimes even just talking about doing some things (ripping paper, holding a wooden spoon) makes her upset. I think she's gotten better as she's gotten older, or at least has developed better coping mechanisms for dealing with things that set her off.

Thanks for sharing! :)

this was very interesting and informative. thank you :]

Wow...that's so interesting. I've never heard of it before!

This was extremely interesting and am glad you shared.  It's always important to understand those around you how may not fit into society's view of "normal".  Thank you for the education and personal knowledge on this subject. ☺

Hi,

I wanted to thank you for postng about SPD and ASD.

Me and my little sister both have SPD and ASD.

Its great seeing people get the word around.

I find there are alot of people out there who have no idea and who are not educated on the matter.

Really, thanks. :)

It's weird cause a lot of this sounds familar to me. o.o I hate new places or "going out to explore". I have to know where I am going. Hate touching a lot of gross looking food. I have to wear gloves when washing dishes. As I am typing this my husband is messing with me by blowing on the edge of paper to mess with me. And chairs sliding on the floor is just unbareable. Thank you for posting! I always just assumed it was weird things about me.