Hello everyone,

Today is a sad day for me, and for the many of us that are hoping and battling for SPD to be included in the next Diagnostics and Statistics Manual (DSM). As many may already be aware, Sensory Processing Disorder has never been listed, as it well should be, in the manual, which happens to be the premiere source used by medical professionals and insurance companies abroad for diagnosing and identifying disorder that effect the brain.

Yesterday, we received word that the committee responsible for producing the new manual has already agreed fully to its content and has given it their stamp of approval. I regret to inform, however, that Sensory Processing Disorder was outright rejected from the manual! This means that not only will it not be listed as a full-fledged, known and identifiable disorder, but that it won't even be included in Section 3, which lists the disorders that are in need of further research (which was the section the SPD Foundation was hoping to at least reach).

Dr. Lucy Miller, leader of the SPD Foundation, has already released a statement to her followers. It can be read here:
http://app.e2ma.net/app2/campaigns/archi...7ffa10d81/

This decision is devastating, but ultimately, it does not change who we are, or what we do. The goal of the SPD Foundation is still to push to get SPD included in the manual (and wherever else is necessary to gain acceptance and acknowledgement throughout the disability world at large).

As owner of this site, I don't really have a say in how this decision went, and I am not affiliated with the research being done currently to help assure its inclusion in the manual the next time around. I do, however, greatly support the tireless efforts of the SPD Foundation and whoever else shares the greater goal off acceptance and advocacy for this cause.

This is a sad day, but it doesn't set us back. It merely further delays the process.
As always, thank you for being a part of this site, and the community at large.

(12-04-2012, 12:46 PM)Dan Wrote: Hello everyone,

Today is a sad day for me, and for the many of us that are hoping and battling for SPD to be included in the next Diagnostics and Statistics Manual (DSM). As many may already be aware, Sensory Processing Disorder has never been listed, as it well should be, in the manual, which happens to be the premiere source used by medical professionals and insurance companies abroad for diagnosing and identifying disorder that effect the brain.

Yesterday, we received word that the committee responsible for producing the new manual has already agreed fully to its content and has given it their stamp of approval. I regret to inform, however, that Sensory Processing Disorder was outright rejected from the manual! This means that not only will it not be listed as a full-fledged, known and identifiable disorder, but that it won't even be included in Section 3, which lists the disorders that are in need of further research (which was the section the SPD Foundation was hoping to at least reach).

Dr. Lucy Miller, leader of the SPD Foundation, has already released a statement to her followers. It can be read here:
http://app.e2ma.net/app2/campaigns/archi...7ffa10d81/

This decision is devastating, but ultimately, it does not change who we are, or what we do. The goal of the SPD Foundation is still to push to get SPD included in the manual (and wherever else is necessary to gain acceptance and acknowledgement throughout the disability world at large).

As owner of this site, I don't really have a say in how this decision went, and I am not affiliated with the research being done currently to help assure its inclusion in the manual the next time around. I do, however, greatly support the tireless efforts of the SPD Foundation and whoever else shares the greater goal off acceptance and advocacy for this cause.

This is a sad day, but it doesn't set us back. It merely further delays the process.
As always, thank you for being a part of this site, and the community at large.

I responded to your post on facebook, again, all we can do is keep on doing what we are doing until the realization hits about how important this is! We need to keep on educating people, spreading awareness anyway we can, support our own and others as well. I do as much as I can in the position I am in working with all ages of kids everyday! I carry my wing nut pencil toppers with me and hand them out to those I know need to silently fidget when nobody else understands and says they have a "behavior' issue! What you are doing and have done with this site is great! We as a group can make a huge difference and hopefully someday SPD will be listed! This is just a little speed bump not a brick wall, it is not something to make us be discouraged but to encourage us to push harder! Thank you for all you do!!!!!

(12-04-2012, 09:44 PM)heather40 Wrote: I responded to your post on facebook, again, all we can do is keep on doing what we are doing until the realization hits about how important this is! We need to keep on educating people, spreading awareness anyway we can, support our own and others as well. I do as much as I can in the position I am in working with all ages of kids everyday! I carry my wing nut pencil toppers with me and hand them out to those I know need to silently fidget when nobody else understands and says they have a "behavior' issue! What you are doing and have done with this site is great! We as a group can make a huge difference and hopefully someday SPD will be listed! This is just a little speed bump not a brick wall, it is not something to make us be discouraged but to encourage us to push harder! Thank you for all you do!!!!!

You are quite welcome.

This is a very good point, and I want to really stress that this is by no means an end. Just because the medical field isn't entirely convinced (or they are convinced but have gone against this just out of political/financial reasons) that doesn't mean they will always reject it.

Virtually no invisible disorder has ever been immediately embraced and accepted throughout the world. It is an ever growing and developing science. It can be painfully slow in its growth, but we have come a very far way indeed. We are in such a better place now than we were 10 years ago, let alone 20 years ago, let alone 30!

We will prevail. We know SPD is real. I know it's real. It has impacted me in so many ways that I have no choice but to believe it. There just needs to be more research, more convincing evidence being gathered. I wish I could support the foundation more financially myself, but I can give my time and my social support, so that's what I'm doing.

Oh, and thanks for all you are doing Heather. It sounds like you are helping many.

I am going back to the school I was at yesterday and dropping of some of my books, three kids in afternoon pre k class are in the spectrum! The teachers know it, two of the parents are not in denial, one is. So they wanted to know more about it, the aid is awesome she really understands the different needs but does not know how to address a lot of the issues! So, I told her I will be dropping off stuff for them today!!!!! I am telling you, there is at least one child per every classroom I visit! My philosophy is... "There aren't behavior problems, there are problems that cause the behaviors". There are kids that need to be saved out of some of these "self-contained" behavioral classrooms where they are made to sit still, be quiet, do not get to leave the room for specials or lunch because they cannot control their behaviors they aren't allowed out of their seat!!!!. It makes me sick, and adults that think they know what they are doing make up these "rooms', they are not helping these kids at all! I know of one girl in one of these rooms that wrote to the people who made this program and told them "This room makes me want to kill myself", another kid told me that they have to sit for 30 days and not talk so they can move up a stage in order to get to go to the lunch room!! This is a program that a district pays for to have at their school! I wish I could start an advocacy that goes into schools to check on children! This is why parents HAVE to keep up with what is going on at their children's school! Never allow them to be labeled a behavioral problem! Realize what your child needs to make them successful not to rot their self-esteem! UGH! Sorry but it just makes me so mad! They are being made to hate school and themselves!!! Well I am stepping down off my soap box, lol have a great weekend!!!!! Heather