How to Help Your Child with Sensory Processing Disorder

Sensory Processing Disorder can be hard to see and hard to know what you can do as a parent. Our children's challenges may seem willful, but there is so much they can't communicate with us.

Carol Kranowitz is a wonderful resource to learn more about SPD, and she has such a compassionate approach that we can all learn from. She shares some of her tips on what we can do as parents to support our kid's challenges.

See more from Carol here:

And connect with me, other parents, and guest experts in the Child with ADHD - What Now? Facebook group.

[mamma_G]

I love carols way of thinking shes amazing

[jillanderson]

Thank you so very much. I believe I understand a bit bc I’m realizing at 49 mothering a seven year old son- I myself ‘masked’ this and though I empathize so much it hurts your heart sometimes— gathering the knowledge and feeling the compassion of this conversation is Appreciated.

[StephaniePinto]

Such a great interview! Thank you Veronica and Carol :)

[florentinac.]

So bless to find you.
What can be done in visual processing ?My child is a seeker and he spends a lot of time looking out the window at the boulevard full of cars..😢
Thx.
Keep the good work.

[shortbread]

Thank you for the input.
I just don't onow how to implement it when zhe child that would need my attention, help with emotional regulatiom, boredom and clashing with society's norms competes with my fulltime job that keeps zhe family housed and fed and the other child's "normal needs" and my need to sleep or eat or have a consistent thought for a minute or just telax for 15 minutes. All other family members and three institutions for daycare have thrown the towel bc my child is "too needy" and stresses them out too much. So, it's all on one set of shoulders. Going to a restaurant and having to entertain my special child all the time while still giving the other child enough attention so he doesn't feel.left out and also regulating the father's emotions bc he's much easier stressed out and needs being calmed down also is such a grim outlook that I refuse to go to a restaurant as a family.
Your ideas work for moms who can refill their tanks once in a while also, so no fulltime job or help with the kids or the household so mummy has the energy to come up with interesting or soothing games to help the special child. But for moms.like me we can only avoid the meltdowns by depriving ourselves of sleep and hiding our special kid from the world. We go on playgrounds at night, so my child doesn't get overloaded with kids noises. We buy groceries online bc our child can't endure a aupermarket situation and we can't find a family member who would either get the groceries for us or watch the child while we do it. I haven't been to a doctor or dentist for several years for myself bc all the free time my job allows is fot appointments for the kids. We've gone through dozens of babysitters who never came back bc they found more manageable kids than mine. So, it's me and only me and there're just 24 hours in my day every day.

[sandrasulzbach]

What about chronic sensory issues in teenagers?