Have you ever dealt with a child with SPD, also known as sensory processing disorder?

Question

I have a 3 year old boy, who has SPD. His pain receptor is not firing right and he is constantly hurting himself-but doesn't see it as hurting himself.

He'll eat stuff right out of the oven, and though he says, Hot, he still eats it.

He split his head on a car battery on our back porch a few months ago, because he was standing on one of those kids tables and the leg broke off throwing him forward-he had to get 4 staples in his head. The boy enjoyed it! At the time he also had a black eye, so of course the hospital questioned us, and I told them, I dont know how he got the black eye, because he doesn't cry when he gets hurt. He jumped out a window last Summer when my MIL was watching him, almost gave her a heart-attack, he ran across my daughters full size bed and took the screen with him...he wanted to do it again.

He is constantly getting in tight spaces and getting stuck. He is into everything, and he is so smart that he can figure anything out. He's 3 and he has already discovered how to get his buckle undone on his car seat, even when turned around backwards and duct taped. He has learned which key goes in the egnition of our van and knows how to start it-needless to say, I dont leave the keys anymore!

He can get baby locks open. We had to put a padlock on our fridge. He is driving me insane cause he is always into everything and always getting hurt. Any suggestions? He is already seeing a behavioral specialist and was getting physical, occupational, and speech therapy...but since he turned 3, he is now out of the program. He starts 2 schools this month and I am so afraid he is going to get hurt and no one will check him, because he doesn't fuss. I even got him a dog tag that tells his name and address on one side and his phone number and that he has an extreme pain tolerance on the other side.

Any suggestions on how to deal with this kind of behavior?

Answer 1

The 1st thing you need to do that will help you understand your son the most and help guide him towards productive activities for sensory input is to get a copy of The Out of Sync Child. by Carol Kranowitz. This book will break down for you the different senses and what activities you need to do with your son to help with balance out his sensory system. Your son is hypo-sensitive, meaning he is not receiving enough sensory input. This has turned him into a sensory seeker and he will do dangerous and outrageous things to give his sensory system the input it needs. I read this book last spring and made it my mission to help me son regulate his system. We had to turn a room in our house into a mini sensory room and my son goes for a big hike each morning, swims 2 times a day and plays at the park each afternoon on top of the time we spend in the sensory room. I know this sounds like a lot. I slowly built up to this but he so much better. He can get out of control very easily if he doesn't have a productive way to gain sensory input, but its much easier to live a very active sensory lifestyle, then to constantly watch him like a hawk and be scared every second he is going to climb onto the roof or watch him run into walls.

Another thing to look into is a neurological developmental therapy such as Handle or De Jong. These programs help rewire your son's brain so that eventually he will not need an intensive sensory program and his brain will actually regulate itself.

I hope some of this big post helped. Get the book and follow the activities, it will help your son tremendously

Answer 2

I know exactly what you are going through I have TWO sons that are SPD and also PDD.NOS.  It does get better, my sons are 7.5 and 2.5.  My older one is not as clever and he became more manageable by age 4.5-5.  However he did get stitches, did pull down an 88 lb tv and it would have crushed him but the cords held it up by staying plugged in, has stuck a toddler potty seat on his large head and we had to saw it off, and has gotten stuck in our coffee table, I had to call the fire department to cut him out of it.  My younger is just like yours.  He like yours has ridiculous executive functioning skills, is very clever, and mine most likely is asperger's.  Neither feel pain much and I have been questioned by authorities about abuse.

A good OT who knows sensory integration will help him feel pain, it won't help the high risk taking behaviors.  They call this a sensory seeker and it is on the way to becoming sensory integrated.  Some of what we did is we bolted down our tv's by drilling into them, we have beds low to the ground and not near window sills so he can't climb into them, the window locks i haven't found ones that will keep my son out, or door locks.  We have chain locks at the tops of our interior doors and have the handle cover on.  He gets into them.  We have medicines in a lock box in a lazy susan type cabinet that is locked.  He has gone out the window, and does unbuckle his carseat.  As far as the oven we automatically put things in the freezer for 3 minutes to cool down before handing it to him.  He has opened the oven (yes the lock was on and he unlocked it) and grabbed the rack resulting in a burn.  We keep our keys on a hook that is in the top of the doorway crown molding.

Are you doing any sensory diet things like deep pressure, weights, wilbaurger brushing?  These things help decrease some of the risk taking a bit.  We have a sit and spin and a swing(vestibular), a ball pit, a trampoline, (deep pressure), and weighted blankets, animals, and ankle weights

Answer 3

I'm not sure exactly what program he's getting out of, but you should try to get him into another one. The only advice I have for you is to continue to monitor him carefully and somehow let him know to tell you when he gets hurt - even if it doesn't feel like it hurts.

Also...two schools sounds pretty intense for a child of that age. I'm not sure of the situation, but maybe he shouldn't be in two schools o_o

Answer 4

My daughter also has SPD, she is turning 2 next month.  She's also undersensitive like your son, but not to the degree that your son is.  

You said he's out of the program now because he's 3, I assume you mean a birth to three early intervention program from your school district?  My daughter is in the program now, and will get evaluated by the next program (that serves 3-5 yr olds) just before she turns 3.  Have you checked with the school district to see what services they offer now?