My son was diagnosed of Global Development Delay and the therapist figure out if he has sensory processing disorder (SPD). At this moment, therapist does not confirm to me if my son really have SPD so I decided to search for the warning signs or symptoms of SPD.
Here are checklist for Sensory Processing Disorder:
- Picky eater. If a child is always refusing certain food textures such as smooth, crunchy or lumpy or resisting certain flavors or temperatures. Most toddler are picky eater but children with SPD are have significant difficulties with feeding and child’s nutrition are being disrupted. Children with SPD may want only crunchy food such as chips or crackers or starchy food like French fries, bread and pizza.
- Trouble with grooming task such as having teeth brushed, hair and nails cut and washing hair and body. A child might need to hold tight in order to cut nails or taking a bath.
- Hate to play in the sand or having lotion on skin and wearing certain fabrics. A child may have the hard time to play activities where the stuff stays on their hands like finger painting, sand play and shaving cream.
- Fear with having feet off of the ground such as swinging, stepping off curbs.
- Don’t want to get messy face and hands during feeding and playing.
- Endless climbing, jumping and crashing. A child has trouble sitting still to play, write, eat and other activities that requires long sitting.
- Doing spinning, swinging and other movement activities excessively. A child with SPD may spend time spinning in circle, run around in the family room, running back and forth for hours.
- Loose or floppy muscle. A child may fall often because of poor balance. Also may appear clumsy and with uncoordinated movements.
- May need constant touch people or texture even it is not inappropriate to do so
- Distracted to sound or noise that others don’t seem to hear