Sensory Processing Disorder

Tuesday is back to school day here. We moved from out of state in June, so Son and Daughter will be starting at yet another new school. (seems like almost every year has been a new school)  Son is going into sixth grade and has yet to finish two years in a row at the same school. We sure didn't plan for things to go this way. As I mentioned, Son has a diagnosis of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and also AD/HD inattentive type.  We have spent years trying to figure out the best ways to help him succeed, and every new school is a bit of starting over, although I am really hoping that this school will be better for him than the last one was. The lack of responsiveness at their last school to the needs of both children was a big factor in our decision to move again. 

So what does SPD mean for our son? Well, his issues are in the mild to moderate range. In fact, he's basically a very normal boy. Which means the biggest struggle for many years has been to have teachers and staff recognize that if he is performing poorly in school it is not due to laziness or lack of effort on his part, but due to real neurological causes. It has taken many years to qualify him to receive help in school under special education laws. He now has some minimal modifications under the AD/HD label, but nothing under the SPD diagnosis, which he just got in December, even though SPD is probably where the real issues are. 

So, we have a new school, and a new occupational therapist who I'm hopeful is going to help us get Son the best situation we can in school this year. My goal is for Son to be successful in school this year without taking stimulant medications, which he doesn't respond well to anyway. This is an important year, because next year he goes to junior high, and will have to be much more self-sufficient. Meanwhile, we'll see how the school also responds to Daughter's need for gifted and talented education...

Shoes!

School starts in less than a week. I've been going through the kids' things and doing a little back to school shopping. To my horror, I realized that both kids' feet have had a major growth spurt and neither of them had any shoes that fit! Well, other than some flip flops for the pool.  So over Son's protests, we set out today to acquire shoes for school, multiple pairs since they need some at school for gym and when they wear snow boots (which still need to be purchased).  Anyway, I spent a small fortune and outfitted the kids with new shoes.

Son has a diagnosis of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), more about that to come. As part of this, tying shoes is very difficult for him. He can do it in a pinch, but he hates to because it is so hard. Unfortunately for him, his feet have reached a size (as big a mine!) in which it is almost impossible to find velcro straps or anything other than laces on trainers. Mom to the rescue! On Clean Run.com I found Lock Laces and replaced his regular laces with these elastic laces which have a little slider to keep them tight.  I use them in my agility shoes. So Son will be able to slide his new shoes on and off with out tying them. In true pre-teen fashion, he has expressed no appreciation of my genius and resourcefulness. 
We found some New Balance in a narrow for Daughter at Stride Rite. What a find! She says, "Mom, these feel great!"  Yeah, because they fit. It's so hard to find shoes in a narrow width.
Okay, so I came home with new shoes too. I bought the new dog walking New Balance trainers I needed at Famous Footwear, but it was buy one, get one half off. Couldn't pass on that. I've been wanting a pair of Rocket Dog shoes for ages. Aren't these cute?