The response to our fill in the blank was overwhelming! And now we’re on to Part II of people’s responses. It’s amazing how many of us have had the same experiences.
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Finish this sentence… “You know you’re an SPD parent when ____.”
You still carry a diaper bag full of stuff (clothes, a surgical brush, lotion, wipes, etc.) but it’s for your 6.5 year old SPD kiddo, not your 2.5 year old – Jody P.
You can spot another child with SPD in a crowd – Nanda G.
You automatically put your hands over your child’s ears when the train is coming – Jeannine G.
You find gum on clearance and buy EVERY SINGLE PACK and then wonder if that will last you the next two weeks….
You have to constantly rub his back or hand just to get him to sit still at church for an hour – Manal J.
You use words and phrases like “crazy body” “safe hands” and “big squish” – Amanda L.
You spend a 1/3 of your time avoiding the meltdown. A1/3 of the your time managing the meltdown and the final 1/3 recovering from it! – Karen M.
You run everywhere instead of walking – Meagan W.
When you plan a quiet room for every relatives house – Amy S.
When you don’t even bother asking your six year old to put on sweats and just let him go to the grocery store in his PJs. (Or Target. Or the library.) – Jennifer H.
For further reading about Sensory Processing Disorder:
The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Differences
Raising a Sensory Smart Child: The Definitive Handbook for Helping Your Child with Sensory Processing IssuesUnderstanding Your Child’s Sensory Signals: A Practical Daily Use Handbook for Parents and TeachersHelping Your Child with Sensory Regulation: Skills to Manage the Emotional and Behavioral Components of Your Child’s Sensory Processing Challenges
when your 8 year old son is constantly doing acrobats on the stair well.
My son even jumps on the trampoline while playing video games… just can’t sit still!
Yep! Just got of a Disney Cruise my 6 year old spent all the time in the room doing handstands from the bed and falling his legs to the walls. All the time waiting for character meets rolling around on the floor. The rest of the time he was in the kids Oceaner Club he was an angel because of all the stuff they had going on for sensory seekers.
when you see another parent and child at the store in a halloween costume in July and you give them a thumbs up.
For the past month my 2.5 year old has went EVERYWHERE dressed as Iron Man!
When you find yourself saving all your dryer lint for your lil guy to carry around
Must be a tactile thing, right?
When your kid hasn’t worn jeans for over a year.
Yeah. We finally gave up on “regular” pants a while ago. He can only do sweats. They don’t look great but at least he’s happy.
When you have to sit in your driveway for 2 hours so he can watch and hear the cars driving by…the backyard is too quiet
Brilliant! I was a special education teacher before staying home with my daughter. They all had me nodding, particularly the one about gum.
We buy gum in bulk at Costco we go through it so quickly!
That’s is simply hilarious, because it’s so darn true 🙂 I think I can sign up for a few of those on that list 🙂
Have a lovely week end
I love the replies I got! And yes, I can certainly relate to a lot of those!
When you carry a sticky note pad, not for notes, but to put over the sensor of self-flushing potties.
Boy do I hate those self-flushing toilets, too! Never gave it a second thought until I had my boys.
I baby sit an autistic child and he’s terrified of those things, but my daughter who doesn’t have it is even worse. She refused to use public bathrooms for a month because she was so scared of the toilet flushing. She hates it when other people in the bathroom flush. We have to sing at the top of our lungs when in the bathroom. Your welcome for the off key duet.
oh goodness! Why haven’t I thought of this?? Great idea! THANK YOU! You just made my “going out in public” experiences more bearable!
Agreed, off to find post it’s to add to the earplugs,Kleenex, glasses cleaner, IPad earbuds, fruit gummies……..
Brilliant!
What a great idea!
When you see that look on your childs face and you automatically start doing squeezes and compressions.
When you go take out the trash in the pooring rain and wind and just stand out there because its calmer then inside….
Oh I’ve been there! Good luck and just keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Thank you for posting these. My daughter was just diagnosed and this made me feel like I wasn’t alone or going crazy or a bad parent
You are definitely not alone!
I feel the same way. My 3 yr old almost 4 yr old daughter wakes us in the middle of the night to watch umizoomi. She’s up at 6:30am everyday, goes to daycare till about 4pm an thinks she has to sit in front of the tv till bed. In the mean time she is very rough with her 10mth old brother. She constantly yells an screams. Can’t wear anything tight or certain fabrics, no tags in clothing, socks on just right if messed up a tiny bit freaks out. Hates shoes. Has started peeing herself an not telling anyone. When she has been potty trained since 2. I don’t know what to do. Me an her father divide our attention between the two kids. Someone help
you have to explain that your child LIKES to be separated from the other kids in the lunchroom…it isn’t a consequence! It is a relief!
MY SON TEACHER DOESN’T UNDERSTAND WHY HE LIKES TO SIT ALONE. AS LONG AS HE IS EATING AND HAPPY, LET THEM BE.
when you move to a new place and have to warn all of your surrounding neighbors that they may hear banging noises because the sensory child is banging her head into the wall.
You have your kid do heavy work BEFORE a soccer practice!
You have your child do heavy work BEFORE a soccer practice Or you barely flinch when he face plants on the ground.
When you talk about having a padded room in the house, but it’s not for the adult in a straight jacket.
Having a trampoline in your living room is award, but the best purchase ever, because your child loves to bounce/jump.
When you hear another child either sibling or playmate burst into tears, you automatically yell from the other room “_____, what did you do? Remember Mommy said to use your gentle hands while playing or you don’t get any more gummy candy!”
You’ve given your son more deep tissue body massages in one week than you’ve gotten in one year.
I have so many…but I learned to leave my 2 year olds socks at the door because even though he will have worn them half a day in the house with no issues, as soon as you put on his shoes…the socks don’t “feel” right! And instead of running up and down 3 flights of stairs…you can just switch them with getting out of breath.
meant to say *without getting out of breath.
Karen Ms made my day. ?
When every bite on their plate is a perfect work of art or they wont eat it. And of course, nothing can be touching. Thank God for divided plates!!
When everyone is singing in Church and your 2.5 year old covers his ears and yells Stop that it’s hurting my ears…ohhh the stairs I get from some ppl..I want to yell at them but remember I’m in church so I just rub his back!
When you go to the grocery store at 11:00 at night so you can get yogurt (the one thing my SPD kiddo will eat half the time) because she ate it all and you don’t want to deal with a meltdown before coffee the next morning. Oh my word I love this post, it makes me feel a little more normal!
When you leave the grocery store to take the “car stack” of extra pants to school because you got the call “mom, my pants are touching me!”!
When you have to sneak your teen’s five year old underwear from his drawer, and hope he doesn’t notice.
Lol , u have an answer to ur chaos !!!
When I just let my son smell the dirty laundry he says smells soooo good because I don’t want a meltdown.
No underware. No jeans. Only one kind of socks. LOVE the idea about the post a notes for public toilets!