SPD vs Sensory Preferences

I've heard of many kids who have aversions to many things, especially during toddlerhood.  How do you know this is SPD and not just a matter of preference?

My husband asked our son's OT the very same question.  She explained that we all have sensory preferences.  For instance, some people don't like how clay feels on their fingers.  Others don't like the sensation of lace on their skin.  Some others just don't like certain foods because of they way they feel going down their digestive tract.

Sensory preferences are just that, preferences.  But if you were to ask these same people, and if they do not have SPD, to tolerate said sensations for a short while, they will and won't make a huge fuss about it.  They can cope with the sensations no matter how unpleasant it is.

Not so with SPD people.  Case in point, I talked about how R screamed bloody murder the first time we took him to the beach.  He hated, hated, HATED how sand felt against his feet.  But I noticed that the manner of his screaming was not the scream that said, "I don't like this!"

His screaming actually sounded, to me, like this.  "It hurts, Mommy!  IT HURTS!"

We took him out of there in minutes, and brought him to the bathroom in our hotel room to rinse out the sand.  I had washed everything off, toweled him dry, and dressed him in his clothes.  Still he screamed and rubbed his legs and feet as if the sand was still there, and didn't calm down for half an hour.

It took around 2 weeks of OT sessions before we tried again to take him to the beach a year later.

R walks on the sand with me... barefoot and without complaints.

And that is how SPD differentiates from sensory preferences.  Everyday things either become a huge source of distress, or the child completely ignores it.  In the latter case, it's not that the child deliberately ignored whatever it was, it just really didn't register or process at all in his mind.

It reminds me of how much I hated wearing lace as a kid.  Or why I avoid carbonated drinks to this day.  They weren't just weird sensations to me, they actually register as pain to my brain and senses.  That was how it felt to me, and that was how sand felt to R.

I'm dubious.  SPD is not recognized as a condition by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).  How do I know this isn't some scheme to bleed me of my money?

Actually the AAP released a statement asking regular pediatricians to not use SPD as an independent diagnosis and to refer these children to developmental and/or behavioral pediatricians for a more thorough assessment and diagnosis.  This is done to make sure that it's not any of the disorders mentioned previously (i.e. ASD, ADD or others) and that the child is not wrongly diagnosed.

We all know that doctors can only work with the information we give them, and based on the information they make a diagnosis before making a treatment plan.  Same thing with SPD.  You need to have all the correct information so your doctor can decide on the best treatment for you or your child.  Your regular pediatrician/doctor should work closely with your developmental pediatrician/doctor and your OT.

I know therapy and appointments can get very expensive, but it's an investment to give your child or yourself the very best.  Again, nobody knows yourself or your child better than you.  So if you suspect something's off, don't be afraid to ask questions and find out what you can.