The serious game changer to our life was the GAPS diet - despite years and thousands of $$ on speech and OT my youngest was still non verbal at 5.5 years old, I tried it out of desperation after being told that he would be one of the kids that never talk and we needed to integrate him into the deaf community to lower his risk of suicide as a teen... But he had already invented his own version of sign language and refused to learn ausign. We done the first week of the GAPS protocol, it was seriously hard for the first 3 days as he starved himself and went on a food protest refusing to have anything till he got a curry pie - through the tears I held out and I hate to think of where he and we would be right now had I not stuck it out. He has a number of neurological conditions, and ALL of them greatly improved after we tried GAPS including the SPD - and within a week he started saying words, within the fortnight he was putting together 3word sentences... And I met my son. He was always very advanced intellectually - but he was trapped in a body he couldn't control. I made the whole family do it or it just wouldn't have worked, 3 of my other kids, and myself also have SPD and they all improved - they still have their quirks, but the improvements are really obvious - I highly recommend trying the first week with anyone who has any neurological, autoimmune, gut or psychological condition.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience with SPD, Michelle. I also find that trying to gauge the situation or minimize a meltdown can look like coddling to others. It's a testament to your gentle mama heart that you "coddle" before discipline. I strive to do the same with ADHD quirks.
For The question of whether you should take your child to occupational therapy? You can always schedule the appointment because they will do an initial Evaluation. From there they can determine if therapy would be helpful for your child. I would just make sure to do a little research on the company if they specialize in working with ASD &/or SPD. In order for insurance to pay ...you usually have to take them to a therapist to get a diagnosis. (Again, do research on therapists) even if your child has “the traits”, it will usually qualify them. As far as helping in school you can write a letter for an evaluation for the 504 plan vs an IEP. The school is required to do an evaluation.
Hello, my son has been diagnosed with a SPD since age 4 and was in ST since age 2. He is now in 1st grade but the school is refusing to help me with a 504 plan...we had 2 IEP meetings and they say he doesn’t qualify for services or accommodations in the classroom. I take him to a private OT once a week and it has helped him so much. I would like more information on how I can get the school to cooperate with me on a 504 plan so that my son has a successful year at school. Kindergarten was a nightmare and he just continues to get into trouble. He’s a very brilliant boy but is his behavior that concerns me. He comes home everyday with very low-self esteem. My email Chris.carmen.arredondo@gmail.com thank you 🙌
Chris & Carmen Arredondo I’m sooo scared of exactly this happening with my baby who’s now 5. Had to take him out of private school last week because they “don’t have the resources available” for him that public school would have but I’m terrified for him so I don’t what we’re going to do now!
I so love that you are doing this series, it is so important and it is great to hear how other parents are handling situations. Thank you for doing it!
Omg iv been looking for all this answers ! I'm so scared that my son has this but iv been watching and lots of things you say I have seen in my son ! Pls do more videos you are my light at this moment 🙏🏻😭
Thanks so much for sharing the information - I will seriously go back and view them all again and can appreciate all the information. much respect to you and those beautiful blessings of yours as well as all the beautiful blessings and gifts of ours who come into our lives to teach us many lessons....our child or children.
I'm really glad you did this series. I believe my daughter has this, she has times when she really can't control what's going on with her and she cries and gets soo upset. I'll be asking her dr. About it and hopefully we can get some tools to help her.
Thank you for this video! My son has sensory issues & I couldn't agree more when you say it's so hard to tell the difference sometimes between an actual meltdown or a tantrum! I have 2 questions for you: how old were your boys when you first started noticing something was going on & what kind of things were they doing that made you wonder? & also when you say your one son struggles with life skills & needs coping mechanisms; can you explain more about what kind of things he struggles with? Thanks again!
Crystal, I will answer these questions here because I don't want to put too much of their personal info in videos (just to protect them a bit). With my oldest, I knew from age 1 that something was different, but, at that time, Autism was diagnosed differently and everyone said he didn't match the check-list. It was incredibly frustrating, so I researched everything I could for years. Then, at age 6, his pediatrician referred him to a psychologist, who later diagnosed him and sent him to OT. With our younger son, his sensory issues were present at birth. He screamed and hardly slept the first 9-10 months of his life. That year is a blur to me. I don't remember much at all. He is the one who can't really handle life. He falls apart over the littlest things and sometimes he will be completely fine and other things, in the same exact situation, location, with the same people, etc, he will fall apart. So it is nearly impossible to know how to help him. He has been in OT and is currently being evaluated for ASD as well. My older son has learned to cope and is doing well; we just live life differently than other people. My younger son still has a long way to go.
My son is 2. So many questions! Is repeating words over and over normal for his age? Also seems to be behind for kids his age slightly. He was just checked for Autism and it was ruled out. Any help is appreciated! Thanks
How do you get insurance to cover OT? My daughter needs OT again for the coping mechanisms you spoke of. However they said after her evaluation they couldn't help her. I have been very discouraged by this and not sure how to get her help. 😔
Hello there , A Common Life I have a 5 year old son who is on the spectrum. I have a question about sensory processing disorder. My son hates baths and washing his hands & face. He puts up a fight when we give him a baths. he screams and hits us and cries inconsolably and it has been like this for 4 years now. Do you have any advice on what I can do to help make bath time more suitable for him. thank you for taking the time to read this....
We have found that showers work best for our kids. I have taught them to "look up to the sky" and I just wash their hair with the shower water flow and do not get water in their eyes. Sometimes, if you give them the control, they do better. So give him a wash cloth and let him do the work. Or you could use a fun bath poof and squirt a little tear-free soap on it. We always made it super quick and fun.
we do bath paints, bubbles, fun toys ect and it helped my daughter like the bath more. we put stickers on the ceiling and she looks up at them so we can rinse her hair. it's all still a struggle but it helps
My daughter is 11 and has always had issues washing her hair. She freaks when water gets on her face or in her ears. I have had to cover her ears and wash it for her. She's getting older now though any ideas of what I can do to help her wash her own hair?
Washing hair is a difficult one for kids with sensory issues. I would recommend getting a shower head you can hold and spray yourself. Teach her to look up (I always say "Look up the sky") and only let the water touch her hair, not her forehead or anywhere else. Then slowly teach her how to do it herself. I hope that helps!
You mentioned one of your kids keeps their sensory struggles more on the inside, and that when you tried public school that child was having panic attacks at the end of the day, because they were keeping it all in. How did you figure out he was struggling and keeping it all inside? My daughter is in public school, but she keeps it all inside during school as well. So because they don't see any major issues it's like there is no help available. I sometimes feel like they think I'm crazy because she doesn't open up and/or meltdown on them during school.
I completely understand what you are saying. For us, it was obvious because he was stressed while at school (even his teacher said it) and then when he let down at home, he fell apart. There are definitely coping mechanisms that have helped.
A Common Life okay. That makes sense! I am on a mission to get her some help but there doesn't seem to be any available. She saw OT when she was first diagnosed, but that was several years ago. She has always had struggles off and on since, but she has really regressed in the last 6 months . When we went back for what I hoped would be therapy they said they couldn't work with her for SPD anxiety, stress and coping mechanisms. So I'm really at a loss on what to do to help her.
I am really sorry that they couldn't help you. My children do well and then regress, too. My younger child has had an amazing summer, but sometimes the anxiety really gets a hold of him. I really hope you can find some answers.
The serious game changer to our life was the GAPS diet - despite years and thousands of $$ on speech and OT my youngest was still non verbal at 5.5 years old, I tried it out of desperation after being told that he would be one of the kids that never talk and we needed to integrate him into the deaf community to lower his risk of suicide as a teen... But he had already invented his own version of sign language and refused to learn ausign. We done the first week of the GAPS protocol, it was seriously hard for the first 3 days as he starved himself and went on a food protest refusing to have anything till he got a curry pie - through the tears I held out and I hate to think of where he and we would be right now had I not stuck it out. He has a number of neurological conditions, and ALL of them greatly improved after we tried GAPS including the SPD - and within a week he started saying words, within the fortnight he was putting together 3word sentences... And I met my son.
He was always very advanced intellectually - but he was trapped in a body he couldn't control.
I made the whole family do it or it just wouldn't have worked, 3 of my other kids, and myself also have SPD and they all improved - they still have their quirks, but the improvements are really obvious - I highly recommend trying the first week with anyone who has any neurological, autoimmune, gut or psychological condition.
What kind of probiotic did you use?
@@aleathiawilliams5102 just the juice from sauerkraut
@@tuathadesidhe1530 Wow... Getting my little one to drink the juice will be a challenge. I appreciate this information
Thanks so much for sharing your experience with SPD, Michelle. I also find that trying to gauge the situation or minimize a meltdown can look like coddling to others. It's a testament to your gentle mama heart that you "coddle" before discipline. I strive to do the same with ADHD quirks.
Thanks, friend ❤
For The question of whether you should take your child to occupational therapy? You can always schedule the appointment because they will do an initial Evaluation. From there they can determine if therapy would be helpful for your child. I would just make sure to do a little research on the company if they specialize in working with ASD &/or SPD. In order for insurance to pay ...you usually have to take them to a therapist to get a diagnosis. (Again, do research on therapists) even if your child has “the traits”, it will usually qualify them. As far as helping in school you can write a letter for an evaluation for the 504 plan vs an IEP. The school is required to do an evaluation.
Thank you for sharing!
Hello, my son has been diagnosed with a SPD since age 4 and was in ST since age 2. He is now in 1st grade but the school is refusing to help me with a 504 plan...we had 2 IEP meetings and they say he doesn’t qualify for services or accommodations in the classroom. I take him to a private OT once a week and it has helped him so much. I would like more information on how I can get the school to cooperate with me on a 504 plan so that my son has a successful year at school. Kindergarten was a nightmare and he just continues to get into trouble. He’s a very brilliant boy but is his behavior that concerns me. He comes home everyday with very low-self esteem. My email Chris.carmen.arredondo@gmail.com thank you 🙌
Chris & Carmen Arredondo I’m sooo scared of exactly this happening with my baby who’s now 5. Had to take him out of private school last week because they “don’t have the resources available” for him that public school would have but I’m terrified for him so I don’t what we’re going to do now!
I so love that you are doing this series, it is so important and it is great to hear how other parents are handling situations. Thank you for doing it!
+The Purple Alphabet Thanks for your support and encouragement!
Thank you so much for all of your videos on this topic. I finally went and saw an OT with my daughter, we are on the road to some help!
I'm so glad you were able to reach out and get some help for your daughter! I hope things go very well for her and you!
Omg iv been looking for all this answers ! I'm so scared that my son has this but iv been watching and lots of things you say I have seen in my son ! Pls do more videos you are my light at this moment 🙏🏻😭
Thanks so much for sharing the information - I will seriously go back and view them all again and can appreciate all the information. much respect to you and those beautiful blessings of yours as well as all the beautiful blessings and gifts of ours who come into our lives to teach us many lessons....our child or children.
Thank you for your kind comment. I am so glad these videos help you 💜
I'm really glad you did this series. I believe my daughter has this, she has times when she really can't control what's going on with her and she cries and gets soo upset. I'll be asking her dr. About it and hopefully we can get some tools to help her.
+Hannah Costa I hope you and your pediatrician can find ways to help your daughter ❤️
Thank you for this video! My son has sensory issues & I couldn't agree more when you say it's so hard to tell the difference sometimes between an actual meltdown or a tantrum! I have 2 questions for you: how old were your boys when you first started noticing something was going on & what kind of things were they doing that made you wonder? & also when you say your one son struggles with life skills & needs coping mechanisms; can you explain more about what kind of things he struggles with? Thanks again!
Crystal, I will answer these questions here because I don't want to put too much of their personal info in videos (just to protect them a bit). With my oldest, I knew from age 1 that something was different, but, at that time, Autism was diagnosed differently and everyone said he didn't match the check-list. It was incredibly frustrating, so I researched everything I could for years. Then, at age 6, his pediatrician referred him to a psychologist, who later diagnosed him and sent him to OT. With our younger son, his sensory issues were present at birth. He screamed and hardly slept the first 9-10 months of his life. That year is a blur to me. I don't remember much at all. He is the one who can't really handle life. He falls apart over the littlest things and sometimes he will be completely fine and other things, in the same exact situation, location, with the same people, etc, he will fall apart. So it is nearly impossible to know how to help him. He has been in OT and is currently being evaluated for ASD as well. My older son has learned to cope and is doing well; we just live life differently than other people. My younger son still has a long way to go.
So much yes, really to all of it. I love that you did this series.
+Creating Essence Thanks, Megan ❤️
I'm so so glad you're sharing!
Thanks, Joy!
Nice video. Love it.
Thank you!
The best thing to teach them is how to self soothe, like go over with them the things they need to tell themselves to be ok.
I agree! Thanks for sharing!
How to help my child thru a meltdown??
My son is 2. So many questions! Is repeating words over and over normal for his age? Also seems to be behind for kids his age slightly. He was just checked for Autism and it was ruled out. Any help is appreciated! Thanks
How do you get insurance to cover OT? My daughter needs OT again for the coping mechanisms you spoke of. However they said after her evaluation they couldn't help her. I have been very discouraged by this and not sure how to get her help. 😔
For a while, we paid out of pocket for OT. Now that we have diagnoses, our insurance covers it. Every insurance and state is different though.
Hello there , A Common Life I have a 5 year old son who is on the spectrum. I have a question about sensory processing disorder. My son hates baths and washing his hands & face. He puts up a fight when we give him a baths. he screams and hits us and cries inconsolably and it has been like this for 4 years now. Do you have any advice on what I can do to help make bath time more suitable for him. thank you for taking the time to read this....
We have found that showers work best for our kids. I have taught them to "look up to the sky" and I just wash their hair with the shower water flow and do not get water in their eyes. Sometimes, if you give them the control, they do better. So give him a wash cloth and let him do the work. Or you could use a fun bath poof and squirt a little tear-free soap on it. We always made it super quick and fun.
A Common Life thank you I will give these ideas a try....
we do bath paints, bubbles, fun toys ect and it helped my daughter like the bath more. we put stickers on the ceiling and she looks up at them so we can rinse her hair. it's all still a struggle but it helps
My daughter is 11 and has always had issues washing her hair. She freaks when water gets on her face or in her ears. I have had to cover her ears and wash it for her. She's getting older now though any ideas of what I can do to help her wash her own hair?
Washing hair is a difficult one for kids with sensory issues. I would recommend getting a shower head you can hold and spray yourself. Teach her to look up (I always say "Look up the sky") and only let the water touch her hair, not her forehead or anywhere else. Then slowly teach her how to do it herself. I hope that helps!
You mentioned one of your kids keeps their sensory struggles more on the inside, and that when you tried public school that child was having panic attacks at the end of the day, because they were keeping it all in. How did you figure out he was struggling and keeping it all inside? My daughter is in public school, but she keeps it all inside during school as well. So because they don't see any major issues it's like there is no help available. I sometimes feel like they think I'm crazy because she doesn't open up and/or meltdown on them during school.
I completely understand what you are saying. For us, it was obvious because he was stressed while at school (even his teacher said it) and then when he let down at home, he fell apart. There are definitely coping mechanisms that have helped.
A Common Life okay. That makes sense! I am on a mission to get her some help but there doesn't seem to be any available. She saw OT when she was first diagnosed, but that was several years ago. She has always had struggles off and on since, but she has really regressed in the last 6 months . When we went back for what I hoped would be therapy they said they couldn't work with her for SPD anxiety, stress and coping mechanisms. So I'm really at a loss on what to do to help her.
I am really sorry that they couldn't help you. My children do well and then regress, too. My younger child has had an amazing summer, but sometimes the anxiety really gets a hold of him. I really hope you can find some answers.
A Common Life thank you!!