Would anyone have any information about this?I saw someone commented about SPD so I looked in to it .I am starting to think that Dennis has a lot of these qualities and perhaps they are some of the problem we are seeing but never knew of this sensory thing. no one, Doctors included) have ever commented about this.I am also reading that it is not uncommon in DS and ASD and that you don't have to have the autistic gene to have autistic traits.So I would like to hear if anyone has or knows where to find information.I gs you say about your kids that remind me of mine.That is nice.Dennis also loves to swing and blow bubbles.I laughed when I read that one.Last week the swing broke and my husband said we'll fix it before the grandkids come again.I told him Dennis can't wait till then!He said Dennis must be the only 24 year old that swings I said I don't think so -now I can tell him for sure the are others.Living in such rural rural towns are not easy not much outreach programs for us.So this site is good for me. Thanks,again your site is amazing !!!!!

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Dennis' mom

David has SPD, and an OT is usually the person to diagnose and treat it. It is not yet considered a true condition but the SPD foundation is trying to pass legislature to make it one.

Of course, when your Dennis was little, SPD was barely on the radar yet at all, and it wasn't diagnosed outside of the autism community until quite recently.

Most people think of sensory defensiveness as just being a texture thing, but people with SPD can have issues with all the senses...going into "overload" when a sense is overstimulated and seeking sensory input when they don't get enough. The most common sense to be affected is of course tactile, but David also has issues with auditory overstimulation and I know of kids who can be visually overstimulated or have an aversion to some scents.

When people with SPD need sensory input it is usually seeked out in movement. This is probably why Dennis likes to swing so much and is a positive sensory seeking behavior with no need to redirect (although you may need to help him find an alternate sensory seeking indoor behavior for rainy days). David tends to bang his head on things when he needs sensory input and we initiate horseplay in a safe environment, like on the bed to give him the sensory input he needs so he won't hurt himself.

The best way to treat sensory defensiveness is to slowly introduce more of the textures/sounds/scents/etc...that the child has an aversion to. However, I don't know that this would work very well with an adult who is already quite set in his ways. I have some sensory defensiveness myself, especially in my feet and I very rarely go barefoot because of it. At 34 years old I am used to avoiding textures I dislike and it doesn't really affect my day to day living as long as I wear socks so I haven't really attempted to have it treated and couldn't tell you how effective treatment would be in an adult.

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http://www.carepages.com/carepages/DavidLucas

Oops...I meant to give you the link to the SPD foundation.
http://www.spdfoundation.net/

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http://www.carepages.com/carepages/DavidLucas