As the Parent Connections Group host here in Kansas City, I often get phone calls and emails from parents that are new to the SPD world. Often they’ve been told that their child has “sensory issues” by a pediatrician or at school but no one ever gives them any direction past that point. Many times no one has even explained what “sensory issues” mean much less what to do to help them. All this leads to a ton of frustration. As the mom of Jackson, my 11-year-old son who has SPD, I can completely sympathize.

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) has given me some scares as the mom of our 11 year-old son, Jackson. I have to say the worst of it all is his high threshold for pain.  Often time’s kids with SPD are on one far side of the spectrum of pain awareness and tolerance.  Many parents I talk to have kids with a very low tolerance for pain, while others like me will report their child having an incredibly high tolerance.

My oldest son was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) in 2008.

I woke up the other morning and walked out on my deck to find a cool, crisp breeze blowing. Ahhhh, I thought and smiled. Fall is coming. While sitting there enjoying a warm cup of coffee and the quiet before the boys woke up, it dawned on me again with no smile this time. “Oh no, fall is coming,” and a disgruntled sigh left my body. If you’re an SPD parent you’ve more than likely had this same thought when you realize that with the upcoming season change your life is about to get crazy for a while.

“Back to School” is a phrase that the majority of parents look forward to and dream about for two months. However, as a parent of a child with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) I know that these feelings are very different. The smiles can be replaced with nervousness, fear, and a sense of anxiety on both the parent and child’s part. As we all know, parenting is like a curvy road and you’re not quite sure where it will take you. A parent of an SPD child is maneuvering the “road” of life, but the path is not always paved. Often, we are maneuvering on an unpaved or even gravel road.

It’s been 8 years since a team of therapists from Early Intervention diagnosed my oldest son with Sensory Processing Disorder. Before that evaluation I had never heard of Sensory Processing Disorder or the acronym SPD. At that point in my life, my family life was so chaotic. Most nights I would get into bed feeling utterly exhausted and defeated. I felt hopeless!!

Siblings that have a brother or sister with Sensory Processing Disorder deserve an Olympic gold medal. Our 11 year-old son Jackson has an amazing brother in our 13 year-old son, Bryce. Bryce’s life started out fairly uncomplicated minus a few first-time parent moments that we all have as we learn the ropes of parenting.  At the age of two, though, his life was changed along with ours when SPD entered our world.

Last month, my son Brennan graduated from 5^th grade.  This was truly one of the proudest moments of my life as a mother so far.  This was a day that we had talked about for the last couple of years.  What Brennan had talked about most was what he would be wearing.  Brennan had goals of wearing a suit to his graduation when he was in 3^rd grade and we went to his friend’s graduation.  In 4^th grade, he talked about wearing dress slacks and a tie.  Every year he talked about his outfit for graduation so there was a lot of pressure already built up about h

Former Chicago White Sox baseball player, Paul Konerko, has designed a limited edition t-shirt that will help raise awareness of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) with proceeds going to STAR Institute for SPD (formerly know as SPD Foundation).

Being a parent is like being a calendar.  Every day is different.  You go to bed at night and awake to something new.