benefits of a Sensory Processing Disorder diagnosis?

[jes h]

I've been pretty hesitant to consider DS 'gifted' at this point... but we're having some (negative) issues in preschool, and now I'm looking for some advice on proceeding.

Some background;  I suspect he is on the lowerish end of 'giftedness' he has always been a very intense child, very observant, natural learner, natural conversationalist.  Always very precocious and prefers the company of adults/older kids to kids his own age - he intuitively discovered how to read and did a 3rd grade informal reading assessment for me yesterday... read with 90% accuracy and 85% comprehension... (I'm a former sped teacher).  He was formally taught his letter/sounds at 18 months.  The rest he picked up from our simple occasional word games and books.  He's always had an amazing logical/spacial sense as well.

He has some minorish sensory integration issues, or what I thought was minorish till we started preschool.  He isn't bored at preschool;  he has mastered all the curriculum basically but doesn't seem to mind, so that isn't an issue. The issue is when he has time to himself or group play time he gets overstimulated very quickly by the chaotic noises, can't handle when other kids interfere in his 'projects' and can't handle sudden changes in the routine.  His teacher has not handled him well, and now we are moving classes to one with a fantastic sped teacher who is eager to help us with his sensory issues.  She observed him independently and came to the same conclusion that DS IS NOT a bratty, spoiled child (the assumption by previous teacher) but has some real sensory issues.

SO... We have him enrolled in a Montessori charter school that I am pretty confident will be able to accomodate/modify for his accademic needs, so that isn't too much an issue for next year, but I am worried about his sensory issues.  I'd like to hope that the teachers we encounter at such a school will also be interested in working with him, but my own experiences as a Sped teacher suggest this won't always be the case, and he needs simple modifications like being allowed to have a quiet time, being allowed to self-stimulate during calm activities (usually play with something soft), listen to music/poetry on his MP3 player during chaotic times, using timers to cue for change, etc. 

Has anyone seen a benefit to getting a diagnosis of Sensory Intergration Disorder or Processing disorder to allow for an IEP or 504?  I really don't care to have him in Sped; I sincerely doubt any resource teacher is going to have time to address this, and the other alternative is more restrictive.  Not necessary.  I can see arguments for a 504 plan to allow for acomodations listed above, but I also don't want to stick a label on him if it ultimately won't help.

Any thoughts there?

[Linda on the move]

What I've been told that is that Sensory Processing Disorder on its own is NOT a basis for an 504 Plan. This may vary by state, but in the state we live it, it gets zero official accommodations. Individual teachers vary widely in what they are willing to do unofficially. Your child wouldn't qualify for an IEP because he is ahead of the curve on academic skills.

My experience as a parent is that the better information I have about my child, the better I can help meet their needs. I would therefore encourage you to get a diagnosis. Not for the diagnosis but for all the other information that comes with it -- real advice from an expert about what might help your child.

One of the things that was most helpful to my DD, who has intense sensory issues as part of being on the autism spectrum, is being in after school activities that met her need for certain types of sensory input. Swim team was a miracle for her -- it was the perfect therapy that never once felt like therapy and that she got ribbons and trophies for.
 

[KCMichigan]

Originally Posted by Linda on the move 

What I've been told that is that Sensory Processing Disorder on its own is NOT a basis for an 504 Plan. This may vary by state, but in the state we live it, it gets zero official accommodations. Individual teachers vary widely in what they are willing to do unofficially. Your child wouldn't qualify for an IEP because he is ahead of the curve on academic skills.

My experience as a parent is that the better information I have about my child, the better I can help meet their needs. I would therefore encourage you to get a diagnosis. Not for the diagnosis but for all the other information that comes with it -- real advice from an expert about what might help your child.

One of the things that was most helpful to my DD, who has intense sensory issues as part of being on the autism spectrum, is being in after school activities that met her need for certain types of sensory input. Swim team was a miracle for her -- it was the perfect therapy that never once felt like therapy and that she got ribbons and trophies for.
 

I agree fully!

Though-- if your DS is between 3 and 5 (which I assume since he is in preschool) he may qualify for an IEP w/o academic needs. ( My DD had an IEP for gross motor/social delays (SPD & PDD_NOS) but lost it upon entering K due to a lack of academic impact) But that would change once he is in K- there has to be an academic component for an IEP otherwise a 504 is needed if there is a disability. 

FWIW- our school did not complete the cognitive assessment, they simply tested far enough to establish that her behaviors/actions/physical weaknesses were not related to a cognitive disability (which we knew, but had to have proof). At 3.5 accurate cognitive testing is very debatable.

504s allow for accommodations in the general education classroom for specific disabilities/health needs. I do not think SPD would work as a stand alone diagnosis since it is not an official diagnosis (often to get SPD therapy you need another co-diagnosis for insurance to cover). If your DS had auditory processing, speech, ADHD, or another diagnosis, you could likely tag the SPD on to it.

OR if the SPD manifests as a behavioral concern large enough to be quantified as an emotional or behavioral disorder then you could go the 504 or IEP route. Does that make sense?

Have you done outside therapies? We found OT to be VERY helpful. They gave us great tools to use in preschool and at home to help DD function better. We still use some of the ideas years later (she gets overstimulated easily as well).

A change of preschool may also help- depending on your DS and the new environment.

I am open to labels and my view is that labels are labels- they are NOT the definition of a child, but merely a way to establish a plan to help support them. We have lost/gained/changed labels for our kiddos as they grew/changed/needed other things. I am find with it and think that intervention/support that is needed and beneficial is fantastic : I would rather have too much support and pull back than not enough and wish I had more later.

[Aufilia]

My daughter has an IEP that was written when her only formal diagnosis was SPD.  The sped department in our school district evaluated her and determined that her SPD-related behaviors were far enough from the norm to qualify her for occupational therapy, regardless of her having or not having a medical diagnosis.  She was given an IEP and placement in the district's preschool program and received sped services there starting at age 5.  At the time she entered kindergarten she was reading on a 5th or 6th grade level and working at least a grade above in math, so her IEP was not based on her being academically behind (although her behavior was academically disruptive to the rest of the class).  She has since been formally diagnosed with ADHD as well. She is currently seeing the special ed teacher daily and the occupational therapist weekly.

[forestmushroom]

You can have a 504 plan for anything, including SPD. A 504 plan won't address his academic needs like an IEP, but will all for him to step outside if it is too loud in the classroom etc.

my son was diagnosed with "Anxiety" and had an IEP (didn't really need it) and then a 504 plan (which just communicated to the teacher if he left the room, or had to go outside that he wasn't being a trouble maker, but just needed to deal with being overstimulated.)

my son was never diagnosed with SPD, but has many of the same traits... and can be very anxious in certain situations. Looking back, he may have had some SPD, but has compensated well. Also check out overexcitables, which may be in play as well.

So, basically, *anyone* can have a 504 -- even some teachers have them.

Also, if he is going to be in Montessori for elementary, could you move him to Montessori now?  For children's house my kid loved it... it was very peaceful, and a lot of the early works focus on sensory learning... Lower elementary can be a bit loud  at times, so knowing how the classroom functions and knowing when to leave (to work in the hallway, etc.) are good skills to have before starting.