[mamaof5boys]

Our 8 y/o son was dx with ADHD- inattentive type this past fall by a psychologist. His WISC-IV processing score was in the 20th percentile- inconsistent with his other scores. I know the psychologist did other testing for processing and he was low across the board.

We met with an OT yesterday to have him evaluated for motor issues as well as SPD. She felt that he had very significant modulation issues. His eyes were flickering (as if he was too tired to keep them open), he was lethargic and bored, and had a difficult time maintaining arousal to complete the testing. Once they moved into the large play gym he completely changed and was talking and alert.

I'm wondering if anyone has had experience with this? Our OT thinks that he probably doesn't have ADD but more SPD with modulation issues. She said we'd know after 2 months of therapy to see if he's making significant improvements. I'd love to hear other people's experiences with this! TIA!!

 

[EJP]

my son presents with ADHD inattentive (among other things) but i don't think it's ADD - it's really has SPD - his OT said the same thing - he has poor self regulation and motor planning problems (the motor planning accounts for the poor motor coordination). Anyway, OT for sensory integration is a great way to help - your OT will also be able to give the teacher classroom tips, e.g. lots of movement breaks, heavy lifting exercises, etc. to get the energy levels moving - there is also a special seat (something like a disc n sit - can't remember he name) that gives the body feedback and helps with energy levels - my ds is so lethargic at school (where processing demands are much higher,etc.) and then is a different child once he's out.

 

[mamaof5boys]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EJP my son presents with ADHD inattentive (among other things) but i don't think it's ADD - it's really has SPD - his OT said the same thing - he has poor self regulation and motor planning problems (the motor planning accounts for the poor motor coordination). Anyway, OT for sensory integration is a great way to help - your OT will also be able to give the teacher classroom tips, e.g. lots of movement breaks, heavy lifting exercises, etc. to get the energy levels moving - there is also a special seat (something like a disc n sit - can't remember he name) that gives the body feedback and helps with energy levels - my ds is so lethargic at school (where processing demands are much higher,etc.) and then is a different child once he's out.

Thank you SO much for sharing your experience with your son!!! I feel really terrible that we didn't know how lethargic our DS is at school until recently. Like you said, we don't notice that too much at home. Our son received a 504 plan recently, where we requested some activities to get him more alert. His teacher said that she often has a a difficult time getting him motivated to do the exercises- he's often too tired.

If you don't mind me asking, did you have your son evaluated for ADHD, and was he low in processing? I'm wondering why our DS didn't have more variation in his scores if it is only SPD related?

 

[mamaof5boys]

Anyone else dealing with SPD and ADD issues? I'd really love your feedback!

Thanks!

 

[DandeCobb]

i have no feedback for you. but i am sitting here in SHOCK. i never even thought that the sensory overload when we are out in the world could be causing DS' lethergy!!! never once crossed my mind. at home or in a comfortable environment he has periods where he is HIGHLY distractable and can't stay on task but when we were at a parade the other day, he was riding in the stroller (it was loud and crowded) and would barely respond at all to stuff that should have been very exciting. *jaw dropped open*. well, i just don't know what to say! he is, coincidently, having an OT eval next week for a major increase in sensory seeking behaivor (he always wants to be squished, wants a million shirts and coats on at a time, ect).

WOW. thanks for this thread!

 

[Peony]

I had a nice long reply and the wireless here decided to go out.

DD1 was dxed with ADD and SPD, we did another eval and they came back with just SPD. We have done intensive OT with her and have seen improvements.

 

[LauraLoo]

You may want to check out this site:

http://mislabeledchild.com/html/Library/index.html

 

[EJP]

we are in the process of getting ds evaluated by a dev. ped team. BUT i am at the point where the label doesn't really matter - ADHD inattentive /SPD both or whatever. the most important thing to me is figuring out what his needs are and seeing what we can do to help him. To that end, we are seeing a pediatric homeopath, osteopath, hematologist (b/c he has low platelets, which may contribute to his fatigue or be symptomatic of something larger going on with his system), being referred to a gastroenterologist (this past year ds has had a bunch of gastro issues - vomiting, nauseu, food intolerance, etc.) - i want to test him for gluten allergy/intolerance, etc., and i am trying to get referred to a metabolic doctor to see whether there is a metabolic disorder going on - it sounds like overkill but i think we have been too laissez-faire about everything and for awhile we were treating his physical issues separately from his psych. issues and well, i just need to know that i'm not missing something. anyway, if at the end of the day nothing turns up, then we will just focus on getting ds what he needs - a healthy diet, lots of love, learning opportunities, some speech therapy (for social communication) and some OT for motor coordination and sensory issues......

 

[kittysmama]

I think that there was a good description of the 2 categories ADD and SPD and how to tell if it was one or the other or both in the book Sensational Kids by Lucy Jane ******.

In our experience, regulatory issues had a LOT to do with what looked like inattention. Once those were addressed through lots of OT, swimming and gymnastics, what had looked like attention problems went away. We still see fragmented behavior that looks more like ADHD when the demands of a situation are a complete mismatch with DD's abilities, but that is rare nowadays.

We also saw slow processing come up with testing (to clarify, we did 2 rounds of testing a year or so apart), the OT and fish oil seem to have really helped it. The fish oil helps with apraxia and dd swears that it helps her brain "work faster".

There are things your son could do at school, sipping cold water, chewing gum, going for a walk to the office, that could boost his arousal level without requiring it to be higher in the first place.

I hope that the OT is able to be helpful. You might also want to see if she can teach him The Alert Program or How Does Your Engine Run. My DD has been really helped by it.

Good luck!