Yip that totally sums it up.  Currently this thing called Sensory Processing Disorder is kicking my butt.  Because in all honesty it is HARD having 2 kids with sensory issues.

When we first found out our oldest had SPD (around 6 years ago) we dived into the world of occupational therapists, reading books about SPD and just trying to figure out what to do.  We have learnt a lot over the past 6 years and we have made lots of mistakes too.  Both my kids have SPD but they react very differently to different situations.  So most people think I am a total nut when I say my youngest also has it. He has a completely different personality and on top of that he is a sensory seeker whereas my daughter is a sensory avoider so YES they do on the surface look like they could NOT possibly both have SPD but honest just please believe me they both DO.

The past few months have been tough.  We have had a series of bugs one after the other and just when the kids have started feeling better I have gotten sick.  So we have not been getting out as much as we would like.

Even in their normal routine, going to a normal weekly class, seeing the same kids my youngest still had one of those sensory moments when the world just came crashing down and we ended up having to cover him in my winter coat.  (Trying to deal with a sensory meltdown while you are out, waiting for your one child to finish their dance class sometimes means you sit and cover your other child in a thick coat so that the light, noise and world around them gets blocked out – Looks strange I am sure but it worked.)

Yes we are doing all those activities that we can at home – the trampoline is out, bouncing balls are there, our scooter board, our therapy tunnel, sensory tubs, thick warm blankets, routines, oh I could go on and on.  We are doing all of that.  Everything that normally works but at the moment it just is NOT.  And even after my 6 years of learning all I can about the kids, all my chats with their therapists, using my own sensory experience, right now SPD is just kicking my butt.

My husband disagrees.  He gets to leave the house and go to work so he gets a bit more distance than I do and he is saying that I am not seen the big picture.  He sees the fact that my oldest is finally loving movies (she is highly sensitive and in the past gets so involved  with the characters that she would be an emotional  wreck after a movie but in the past 2 months this has changed and she is managing to distance herself from the characters and enjoy the story).  My youngest is reading, and loving it, he is reading 3 or 4 young stories at a go, he is reading every day and trying so hard.  My oldest has gained confidence with her maths and is getting more confident to try new maths concepts and seems to be enjoying them and science they have discovered a love for science stuff.  And then the smaller stuff, managing bath time all by themselves, my youngest allowing cream to touch his skin (I admit I cried the first time we got this right), sorting their own snacks and drinks out, helping me with stuff around the house.  He sees all the meltdowns that could have happened but didn’t.

He sees my kids new desire to go grocery shopping as a big win.  My once a week escape into the world of a grocery buying which I can expertly drag out for a nice break has now become two kids who want to push the cart, want to read my list and find the food, want to use a calculator and work out what the unit cost is and if buying something in bulk is cheaper or not.  And Yes for 2 sensory kids who always have HATED shopping this is massive and I know it.  But for a full-time sensory mom who does not get many breaks sometimes you struggle to see the positive. Sometimes a sensory mom just gets dragged down with all the stuff that she sees day in day out, the stuff that makes you think you are not making a difference.

And then your sensory daughter hugs you and suggests “Mom why don’t you go and lie in the bath while I put Rio on.”

Yip My husband is Right.  We have got this.  We are going to continue kicking SPD’s butt because for all the battles we are still having victories, we just have to acknowledge them.

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