SPD In 4 Year Old

Would he drink a smoothie, with ice, and maybe some veg snuck in there? I would also work with him on trying to use words to describe what he needs. My DD will say "that" and we'll say "what? I don't know what you mean. Can you please describe that?"

Is it a certain kind of pizza or can you use the pizza concept for an english muffin with something on it? Can you use the pizza as a vehicle for veggies? If he'll eat chicken tenders, what about other forms of chicken? Maybe baked with a healthier crust?

I am going to strongly suggest your pediatrician is good for treating colds and some other general illnesses but he/she is not a psychologist that is trained to evaluate for these diagnosis. Please call your insurance provider and find out who is eligible through your insurance to do the diagnosis then call them to make an appointment.

A psychologist who is trained to do these evals will have you and other important people fill out questionnaires to better see a picture of your child's daily behaviors and activities. They will do many things to find out what to rule out and what to follow up on more.

A pediatrician is a good doc to have information from but they are not licensed to diagnose mental health issues. They need to be on board for treatment as part of the team but not necessarily the only medical person drawing up this diagnosis.

Oh boy! I have a six year old son with ADHD and SPD. I can count on one hand what he will eat. It sounds like you're doing great!! My son has been working with an OT since he was 3 and it has made a HUGE difference! I would look in to that. My son also asks for very cold ice water and milk with ice in it! I didn't think about it being related to his SPD. Best advice I can give is to provide lots of different choices and try to figure out what it is exactly that bothers your son about food. It can be smell, texture, how it looks, taste, color.... you name it. It's great you are figuring it out now so you can know what to tell his teachers about him once he starts school. Good luck!

My 4 1/2 has SPD, although his doesn't affect what he eats, just that he is unaware of the sensation of being hungry so it affects whether or not he will eat in general. (I also see signs of ADD, but at this young it's hard to know if it is age/maturity-related or something that will follow him as he is older. I have a hard time with it as well.)

We see an OT at our children's hospital but the ped had to make the recommendation after a visit to her. That is hospital policy, I guess. And (as we found out that hard way) if things are going well and we choose to not make an appointment within 6 months of the last visit, his "prescription" expires and the ped has to send over a new one. Luckily, her office didn't need to see him again before sending it this time.

I wish I had some suggestions for you, but as SPD is very personal to each kid - my son's friend has it, sees the same OT, has some of the same issues, but treatment is very different b/c of what/how they respond to things (e.g. mine is high sensory seeker, the friend is a sensory avoider) - it's kind of hard to share.

Two books we like are "why does izzy cover her ears?" and "arnie and his school tools."

We are on the wait list for "the out of sync child" at our library but it is supposed to be very good.

Perhaps for the foods you can try to find what is similar about them that makes him like them or if it is a timing thing as to when he eats? My son eats the most at his bedtime snack. Seems odd, but that is when he finally chooses to eat, and eats the healthiest things. I think some of it is that there is nothing else to do in the day - he can't get down and play like after a meal or other snack is served - and he is a creature of routine and that is just what happens. Oh, and from what I've seen of his friends, these limited foods also seem quite common among kids this age regardless of SPD! The smells from other foods are more of an "aha!" than just the same, kind of boring foods all the time.

Good luck!

http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/

As you've already seen, SPD can be seen in many different facets....

Some may be SEEKING more input... thus they may be the hyperactive child seeking more input from their surroundings.... they may want spicier foods, or more textures, or things like that..... they may be the ones humming or singing to themselves, seeking more sound input....

Or they may be ones that are overwhelmed with too MUCH input... much like your son and the overwhelming smells he was trying to deal with. They may be the ones that have a lot of oral sensory issues, and have a very self-limited diet... they may be the ones that are driven crazy by certain textures.....

Try to get an evaluation with a specialist..... we could see a lot of issues with our grandson, and once they got the evaluation, that qualified him for OT, PT, and speech therapy......

His SPD isn't THAT overwhelming, but we do see where it interferes with his life.... he doesn't like loud noises, and the hand dryers in bathrooms (and the exhaust fans, too) really scare him..... he will almost refuse to use the toilet in a public bathroom if it is too noisy in there. He does get used to them, though.

We have seen a BIG improvement on several areas since he started therapy 8 months ago...... it has also given his M. tips and ideas on how to work with him and around the issues.

As far as food issues, my grandson will eat almost anything... he even ate Kimchee! However, all of a sudden, he has decided he doesn't like pizza... what kid doesn't like pizza? He usually loves spicy/sour foods, and used to eat raw onion. However, he doesn't like food to be too hot..... he wants us to put it in the freezer to cool it down.

And yes, ADD often co-exists with SPD......

There are two books that are quite inexpensive if you get them on Amazon and are very, very helpful in determining Sensory Integration Disorder and how to cope.

"Raising A Sensory Smart Child" and "The Out Of Sync Child." The authors of these books have more in the series as well, but these two books are THE BEST place to start. You may see yourself in them too. They do relate much of the SPD/SID to Autism, but focus mainly on the sensory aspects. The discussion in the books is great and written for the general audience.

You may have your own thoughts but it is really important to go to a neurodelopmental pediatrician, not just a pediatrician to help you with this. Regular pediatricians have some basic knowledge but are not experts on neurology, especially not specifics like SPD. Your son likely does not have SPD, but rather, sensory processing difficulties. His limited diet is certainly indicative of this. An Occupational Therapist can help him with this and there are things like a sensory diet (is not about food but about experiences) that you can do. I do a reward chart when my son tries a new food but often he flat out refuses. My son also had some sensory processing issues and with help and time he has mostly outgrown them. Starting the process now is a great idea.

Here's my theory: my kids will ask for food right before dinner. Instead of saying, "No, you need to eat dinner with us" which may or may not be the epitome of healthy (one night it was pizza, I recall), I tell them they can have endless fruits and veggies before supper. Sometimes they decide they're not that hungry (fine), sometimes they eat an apple and not much else for supper (fine; I limit them to one kind of each fruit per day) and sometimes they really, really fill up on various veggies (great! most kids don't get enough). I'm really hard pressed to find a meal that I'd rather have them eat INSTEAD of raw broccoli, peas, carrots, apples, strawberries, etc. Their only limitation is that they can only have ONE serving of each fruit--so no eating 3 bananas each day. Yeah, they eat on their terms (rather than mine) more than I'd like, and they suck at sitting still at the dinner table. BUT...eating well is SUCH a huge thing for them--their attitudes and ability to cope (my kids also teeter on the ADD/SPD border a bit; I've debated about having my oldest tested, but it's not a huge problem, yet...) that I opt for healthy options that keep them well-fueled as opposed to a lengthy sit down time at the table--we have abundant family time, so if dinner is only 10 minutes, well, then it is.