hi thanks for the welcome Dan and Lac1961 , sorry it too so long to reply. i did mention some of my symptoms but deleted them cause i was afraid it was too much to post at once. but i think i will post some of my symptoms here now.
i would like to ask. what is sensory integrative therapy? i know i can just google it but i will ask here as well. is it something only an OT can do or are there methods for helping SPD that i can do on my own?
anyways i hope you guys wont mind me posting a lot of my symptoms here right? I'll start with the most prevalent. some of them are mild or are just little quirks i have or had, others actually bother me or get in the way of normal functioning. also i am a little confused if i am over or under sensitive, maybe i dont have SPD because it seems i am both at the same time it doesn't make much sense but i have to find out for sure or at least get opinions here.
I'll start with some things from when i was little and go from there, really I'll just add them as i think of them. when i was little and still had my hair washed in the sink, i HATED it so much, i actually cried and no my mom never hurt me i just didn't like the way it felt, the shampoo was so slimy, the water didn't bother me i have always loved water, its just the shampoo and conditioner and anything else. i also disliked having my hair combed a lot more than i think most kids would have at that age. both of these diminished after a while though and now i actually like the feel of shampoo or i dont mind it...go figure.
i had a thing for chewing on the insides of my cheeks a LOT, i think to the point where there might still be lines in my mouth where i chewed, i dont chew on my cheeks anymore though. also i am a picker, like I'll pick the skin at the sides of my fingers until they hurt then i stop. right now i cant seem to stop (very unhealthy but extremely hard to stop) chewing my lip and it looks weird but i do it without even thinking, or i notice it but still cant help it unless i really concentrate on not chewing my lip. its like a compulsion, an itch you cant ignore.
i often walked on the tips of my toes, just when normally walking around. i dont know why i did this and still sometimes do though not as much anymore, also i did and still do walk barefoot as much as i can i always liked feeling the ground beneath my feet.
some ways i think i am sensory seeking is that i love the feel of water, i could spend a whole day in the pool if allowed and i love swings and swivel chairs, and really anything like that that moves. recently i have found that keeping a spray water bottle beside my bed and spraying my face and arms actually help to calm me if i am stressed or wake myself up if i am tired, or i just use it cause i like the way it feels. also i love it when its windy out, i mean REALLY windy. most people probably would think im crazy cause i like to go outside on realy windy nights cause i love the way the wind feels and sounds when its a bit stormy, and if its drizzling thats even better. of course i know better than to be outside if there's lightning thats dangerous. so now you know why my name here is Breeze, i am extremely picky about screen names so using just Breeze should tell you just how much i love the wind. this is probably just preference but i haven't found anyone who is like this yet.
i didn't think i actually fidgeted a lot cause i never really payed any attention to whether i did or not, but i have been reminding myself to catch myself when i do and i notice i do it a lot. if i am not actually engaged in some activity which i need my hands for i will almost always find something to fiddle with, a string, a piece of paper, really anything. i do it mainly if i am thinking or daydreaming but i also do it at other times as well. also i tap my foot a lot when sitting still, never really thought about it but i guess its worth mentioning, i try not to do that too much out in public though, people will think im strange.
i am always told i talk either too loud or too soft. i have good hearing as far as i know but when i get excited i talk VERY loud, i dont really notice it though until someone calls me down on it. on the other hand if i am nervous or feel intimidated i will almost always mumble, maybe thats normal i dont know, but the one that really concerns me is my talking too loud. i only know this may be a symptom cause it was listed on the check list, its something that has always been a problem.
also last i am going to mention some things that may or may not have anything to do with either SPD or ADD but i feel is worth mentioning, i want to know if else experiences these symptoms here and if they are related to SPD or not.
first there are three strange things i have had all my life, tinitus (ringing in ears) in both ears, its loud enough to definitely hear it but i have had it all my life so it doesn't really bother me unless there's total silence. the other is visual snow, a sort of fuzzy static in my vision, also i see these little white specks if i look at a really bright surface like snow or the sky. i dont know what this is or if it even is related to SPD but it might be. and then the other thing is very mild but still noticeable synesthesia. i basically can hear movement even when its silent, for instance if i mute the tv and keep watching with every movement i can hear a little "whooshing" sound, not literally hear it but its like my mind associates movement with this sound for some reason, it doesn't bother me i didnt even notice it until i found out about synesthesia, i knew it was there but i thought it was normal and its very subtle so kinda hard to notice. it neither bothers me or helps me its just there.
there are other symptoms but this post is getting way too long now. i think as i discuss things in the forums I'll eventually get around to telling about all the different experiences, but I'll do that as i go, not all at once here. what do you guys think? is it SPD? something else? are these things normal?
by the way the checklist i mentioned which i scored around 300 and something was this one here, im sure a lot of you have already seen it but if not you can check it out if you like:
http://spdsupport.org/resources/symptoms.shtml
i was just wondering, it would be an extremely long post (much longer than this one even) but could i make a thread perhaps in another forum and post my results? i would basically copy and paste all of the ones that apply to me so that people here can see a more fully list and. i would only post the ones that i would give a 5 or 4 but not the others.
