Hi again Breeze. I have no problem with you making large posts, but I agree that, since this post was so long, it might have been on the "too long/didn't read" side of the fence for some people. I always try to respond to those too, but I often feel bad if I don't have the time to respond to everything a person has said.

(05-31-2013, 12:26 AM)Breeze Wrote: 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?

Sensory Integrative Therapy is generally provided by an OT, yes, but it is the overall concept that some people have sensory integration (processing) issues that interfere with their daily lives, and that by addressing those issues, one can anticipate widespread improvement in their ability to function. As far as how it looks, well that depends upon the person and the therapist. I good therapist will allow you to lead the way in therapy and do things only when you are ready to do them. They will know how to detect subtle signs in your body language that indicate how you are doing with a specific treatment method.

The methods tend to involve things that are aimed to help the body appropriately process input in the everyday environment. There are also protocols that can help the nervous system regulate, like the Wilbarger Brushing Protocol, therapeutic listening, and the interactive metronome. It really depends upon the therapist's qualifications, experience, and evaluation of what you could probably use.

Right now, before you are even seeing an OT, you can start up a sensory diet. It's a fairly simple concept, really: identify possible things in your environment that cause you sensory overload, remove those items or replace them as best you can, identify possible things that might help you feel calmer or more energized/focused, and work those into your daily life on a regular basis. If you want more in terms of ideas, just ask.

Quote:symptoms

Ok, I just decided to do things this way rather than a ton of quoting:

As for the shampoo and tiptoe walking, I would say that both of those sound like they could easily be related to tactile defensiveness. I am curious, how are you when it comes to light touch, as in very gently touching or being touched on the skin? If it drives you crazy or at least causes anything besides a soothing feeling, then it's a good sign that you are living with that part of the spectrum. I have a ton of issues in that area, myself.

When it comes to speaking too loudly, chewing on your cheek and stuff, and fidgeting a lot in general, those all sound like possible sensory seeking behaviors to me. I would say those could very well be related to SPD, indeed. There are of course other explanations for some things, but if doing those things comes natural and helps you focus, then I would say that is definitely an SPD sensory seek.

You mention loving water and wind, and that tends to be a common theme for a lot of people: either they hate it, love it, have a situation like mine, where it's kind of both awesome and rough. I pretty much always have a fan on me because I need to feel air moving or else I'll feel overloaded easily. At the same time, though, it does generate some light touch sensations, which can be annoying. I also love water, but only if it's the right temperature. If it's too cold, then going in is horrible.

Oh, and it is also very common for the body to signal sensory overload by making your ears get hot and red and start burning or become painful. I find applying ice or water can make me feel a lot better when I'm really tense or overwhelmed. So, that very well could be SPD-related as well.

Also, speaking too loud or too soft and going back and forth between them indicates general auditory processing issues to me. It could be that you have a combination of both sensory seeking/under-responsiveness and over-responsiveness. It could also be the case that you have problems discriminating between volume levels and how they sound/feel when you are using them. I have a lot of problems with that one, too.

Quote: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.

Now, with tinitus, I know it has been brought up many times by people, the ringing in your ears. You see, when a person has SPD, I see it as a sign that the person's nervous system is under-developed to begin with, which means they will likely have an increased likelihood of having other neurological issues. Tinitus can be SPD-related, since even mundane noises can be perceived as harmful.

Seeing specks? That could be a lot of things. Of course, if the nervous system has a hard time processing very bright visual sensations, then it makes sense it would have abnormal reactions like seeing specks, and possibly even getting major headaches, when it is being called upon to try to process the stuff. I don't know if I'd consider it a different vision problem, like degenerative issue or anything, since I believe that would generally lead to seeing stuff like that all the time. If it's a problem for you though, I might recommend getting it checked to make sure it isn't something else first.

Synesthesia is something that comes up fairly often on here. Again, I believe this harkens back to the 'dysfunctional/under-developed nervous system' and how having wires crossed or malfunctioning in your brain could lead to processing issues and/or synesthesia. I wouldn't necessarily call it a part of SPD, but it is interesting and I do believe people with one have a higher likelihood of having the other than people in the general population would.

Quote:what do you guys think? is it SPD? something else? are these things normal?

Answers: many things, yes, possibly, and not exactly.

I believe it's quite possible and fairly likely that you do have SPD. Not just a simple case of it, either. I am seeing symptoms from several areas of the SPD spectrum, so you could have a case that is at least on the moderate end of things. There are other things some of this could be, but the symptoms you list are fairly convincing to me, at least. Because you seem to be 'all over the map' on the sensory stuff, I find it unlikely that you have about a dozen different mild disorders and instead have a wide spectrum of similarly related sensory issues, a.k.a. SPD.

I would also say that, while some sensory tolerance differences and sensory preferences are very normal, the inability to function with or without certain forms of input are indicators to me that something is going on that could easily be interfering with your daily life. I think you probably have SPD and could benefit from an evaluation/treatment.

Quote: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.

Go right ahead! That would be great.
In fact, I think we used to have one of those a while back. Feel free to create a new one, though, as I imagine the other one is pretty old, hehehe. I hope this helps.