Tell me what you think. I hate tight clothes they irritate me.the sheets must not have even tiny dirt on them because it bothers me(kinda like the story the princess and the pea) its gotta be completely quiet or I can't sleep.I am sound and light sensitive they make me extremely anxious.I feel like I am walking around in a cloud.It takes me a long time of repetitions to do something(as in my past jobs)to get it right I used to get yelled at alot.Never good in sports or learning dances.I I have been this way for a long time.The first memory was ice skating I was in a class and we had a pagent or whatever it was called I cried because my partner didn't show and I couldn't do the moves by myself. I am 43 and I never learned how to drive. I was originally diagnosed with panic disorder when I was 14 and it explains a few things but not others.Now I see it in my grandson...he throws up at textures like cotton.I have been so miserable thinking I've had a terrible disease for most of my life and no real treatment for it. Can anyone help me with suggestions on how to test or who to see my counselor so far is not a great big help.

Tight clothes, dirty sheets, and lights when attempting to sleep all irritate me. Princess and the Pea is the perfect description of someone with SPD.

I was never the best at sports, but I was able to compensate for my lack of physical skill with strategy and figuring out the opposing players weaknesses. I could square dance and do Hebrew dances (that give sensory input through holding onto others), but line dances were impossible for me. Otherwise, I have to dance completely freeform and I look like a fool. Thankfully I have no pride and don't care how I look when dancing.

Ice skating was tough for me. I learned enough to skate around a ring slowly without falling. I can't stop without hitting a wall. There are turtles that skate faster than me. I even took lessons, but my body just wouldn't let me do much more than skate forward and a little bit of turning at a curve if I was careful. My teacher didn't understand how after the first weeks lessons I actually got WORSE over the next 8 weeks of lessons. I didn't understand either until much later in life. My Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis is cold sensitive and the more I use my muscles the more they tire out. The combo led to skating fail.

Driving has been a challenge for me. I know how. I can drive well, but... 1) I run the risk of falling "asleep" behind the wheel. 2) My muscles cramp up and twist my body into positions that make it difficult for me to see properly while driving. 3) If the car stops suddenly, I run the risk of hitting the wheel with my head. 4) I can only drive for about 15 minutes before the problems start getting too nasty to drive. 5) Stop and Go traffic guarentees I will have problems with my body for hours if not days later.

So I no longer drive much. I can count on two hands the number of times I have driven in the last 5 years.

On clothing. I can't handle Polyester, Synthetics, Wool, and a few other materials. Cotton is the only truly safe one for me. It has to be 100% cotton no blends. My skin is so sensitive that I can tell the exact composition of a material just by touching it. I will be in a lot of pain from it though, so it is not a trick I do to entertain people.

On testing. See an Occupational Therapist that specializes in SPD. Call them first and make sure they treat adults with SPD before you see them. Otherwise you are just wasting your time.

(02-02-2012, 03:49 AM)beck7422 Wrote: So I no longer drive much. I can count on two hands the number of times I have driven in the last 5 years.

On clothing. I can't handle Polyester, Synthetics, Wool, and a few other materials. Cotton is the only truly safe one for me. It has to be 100% cotton no blends. My skin is so sensitive that I can tell the exact composition of a material just by touching it. I will be in a lot of pain from it though, so it is not a trick I do to entertain people.

On testing. See an Occupational Therapist that specializes in SPD. Call them first and make sure they treat adults with SPD before you see them. Otherwise you are just wasting your time.

I'm the same way. It has to be cotton or else it's too itchy. Even some cottons are too stiff and scratchy sometimes. Good luck. I hope you find an OT that can help and an insurance company that will pay for it unlike mine. The little OT I got made a lot of difference.