Considering A Change

Dearest Family & Friends~

Recently, we have discovered that my little man, our 3 year old, has Sensory Processing Disorder.

This has required me to change my thinking on a few things. Possibly shifting the focus of this blog, or creating another one all together, to share our journey through this.

There are a lot of kids who are diagnosed with ADHD when in reality it is Sensory Processing Disorder.

Here are a few definitions that I found on various websites, including some symptoms, that will help those of you who do not know about this, to understand it, and maybe accept children with this disorder with a little more understanding that, they aren't really acting out, they are missing a "link" that helps them process the activities in their environment in a healthy way.

SENSORY PROCESSING DISORDER:

Sensory integration is a normal, neurological, developmental process which begins in the womb and continues throughout one’s life. Although, it is important to note, the most influential developmental time is in the first seven years of life. Sensory processing is the process by which our brain takes in sensory input and interprets this information for use. ( http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-integration-dysfunction-symptoms.html )

There are three things that MUST be clear to you and I want to make sure you understand them...

First, a Sensory Integration Disorder is a neurological disorder; not a spoiled child, a product of bad parenting, ADD, ADHD, defiant child or a mental illness! Although, it is important to note, any of these could co-exist with a sensory processing disorder.

Second, we are talking about reactions to specific sensory input. It is about how this input is taken in, organized, and utilized to interpret one's environment and make the body ready to learn, move, regulate energy levels and emotions, interact, and develop properly.

And third, when sensory integration dysfunction symptoms appear, the must be taken seriously as early as possible and treated properly by a knowledgeable professional!
( http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/sensory-integration-dysfunction-symptoms2.html )

As a mom, I was baffled at some of his actions. His aggressive behavior at school. The way he would cover his ears at the sound of loud noises or the anticipation of them. His lack of looking at you in the eyes upon repetitive asking him to when trying to communicate with him.

Glances we'd get from family, friends, and strangers at the store really made me question what I was doing wrong. I couldn't figure out where my loving little boy had gone...the one who loved all people and treated them with such an unconditional love.

I've realized, he hasn't gone anywhere. As he gets older, he is learning more about communicating his emotions, and since he has difficulty processing those emotions, he can't "correctly" share them and they come out in behavior that others deem "unacceptable".

Please pray for him, that God will work in his precious mind, body, and spirit. Please pray for wisdom for myself, that God would lead me to the right professionals to seek help and to the most accurate literature and support groups.

Our family is still separated. This doesn't help him at all. At Grandma Gayle's he is in one environment. Here at Melissa's, it's different. I don't have a cash flow in which to buy him everything he sees or wants. We need to be out of Melissa's by the 1st of the month ~ I don't know where we will go. So, please pray for that as well.

STRUCTURE, consistency, and routine are vitally important to a child with SPD (or you might see it called Sensory Integration Disorder ~ SID). I long, as a mother with unconditional love, to offer this to my children. They are everything to me and my love knows no ends for them!

In His Grip~