Kid from Missouri travels

Starting our journey with SPD

I began this journey to understand sensory processing disorder as a grandmother and mother to a son and grandson with sensory issues. As a clinical therapist specializing in children’s therapy, I often work with clients on the spectrum or with attachment disorders and complex trauma. I noticed these children needed sensory diets, large motor activities, and coping skills for meltdowns. To advance my career, I pursued a Theraplay certification, a therapy modality that combines attachment and sensory processing to address each child’s unique sensory needs.

A sensory diet, as I became aware of with personal and professional experience, provides activities for children struggling with sensory processing disorders, helping them succeed without meltdowns or extreme behaviors. These can include avoiding certain tastes, sounds, or textures, as well as sensory-seeking behaviors such as messy play, running into walls, or jumping and falling.

When my grandson started having daily meltdowns at school, he was referred for an assessment and quickly diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder and Auditory Processing Disorder. His needs deepened my understanding of sensory processing and fueled my commitment to learning more.

Following his diagnosis, he was referred to an Occupational Therapist for exercises and gym sessions to help him understand his strengths and weaknesses. His therapist relayed to him that, as he became aware of his needs and followed his program, his meltdowns would decrease.

Introducing a sensory diet can be daunting, as the concept is often unfamiliar and typically associated only with Autism. After gaining new insight, I began integrating sensory strategies into my clients’ therapy. I noticed several children in residential care had sensory issues that were often misdiagnosed as rule-out ASD or RAD. Creating sensory plans for these children led to positive changes in behavior, attitudes, and abilities.

Working with my grandson has shown me how important his sensory exercises are for his daily success. After discussing his sensory needs, we identified that proprioceptive exercises are vital to a good day at school. Additionally, we focused on vestibular exercises, as they are connected to his delayed speech. Applying this same principle of addressing sensory needs, I have incorporated similar approaches into my daily work with clients.

My experiences with clients and my grandson revealed the significant gaps in support, insurance coverage, and affordable services for families facing sensory challenges. Many children need a safe environment to develop coping skills for daily life, but access to necessary resources often falls short. This reality drives my commitment to advocate for better support and practical solutions.

This realization became even more significant when my son asked me to help my grandson. I explained that I’m not an Occupational Therapist, but as a clinical therapist, I saw value in researching OT’s role in Theraplay. This led to the understanding that my training could help address vestibular and proprioceptive needs in clinical practice—activities that may contribute to Theraplay’s effectiveness with children who have Autism or Sensory Processing Disorder.

My grandson is now very open about his struggles with Sensory Processing, understanding that it is part of who he is. To clarify, he is not Autistic, not on the spectrum, and not diagnosed with ADHD, but he experiences auditory and sensory processing challenges across multiple settings. He seeks sensory input but also avoids certain tastes or touches. His delayed speech and communication difficulties led to a referral to a speech therapist at two and a half years old, building on our earlier interventions.

At age 3, he began to speak; however, it was still hard for anyone except family and close friends to understand him. As a result, he would become frustrated when others did not understand what he was saying and would use books, puppets, and gestures to explain his meaning. His auditory needs continued, for example, as he called “suit” soup and experienced other word confusions. When he entered kindergarten and first grade, he struggled with spelling, often spelling words as he heard them, which was not always correct. This ongoing difficulty concerned his teachers. Consequently, the school would ask if he had a diagnosis, as they could sense something was wrong but could not identify what it was. (Remember, Sensory Processing is difficult to diagnose, as an O.T. must diagnose it, and it can mimic other diagnoses.)

A diagnosis is tricky; you need it to get help for your children, but did you get the right one? Most doctors or therapists tend to slap ADHD or ODD on children without looking into other options or needs. This is not because they are neglectful; however, most children will see a primary care physician, a therapist, or a psychologist who can diagnose and possibly prescribe medication.

Having a sensory or auditory processing diagnosis turned out to be a huge ordeal to obtain. The diagnosis of SPD will be made by an Occupational Therapist, and your insurance may not cover it, or if it does, the testing might be billed after you meet your deductible. We paid out of pocket. The auditory testing is conducted by an audiologist and is very expensive. I have been informed by many insurance companies, as well as the audiologist, that insurance does not pay for it.  This one test costs over $ 1,000 out of pocket. Not many of us have that kind of money for a test that the school may not use, or that is not considered a school disability. Even though the school mentioned he needed the testing, they did not put it in his IEP or address it. This is so frustrating  to everyone, especially the child.

As a therapist, this dilemma always annoys me, as it labels our children with letters while it does not address or take into consideration personality, sensory needs, or comorbidity. It does not address the need for billing or payment for services. If the child has a neurological or developmental disability, it is difficult to bill insurance unless we add in ADHD, Anxiety, or attachment.

As a therapist, I understand that getting paid is important. However, my primary goal is to help your child achieve the right diagnosis and create a happier, more successful home life. Achieving this often requires support from professionals outside the home, such as clinical counselors, psychiatrists, psychologists, or occupational therapists. The challenge arises when financial, insurance, or time constraints prevent access to these services: how can we still ensure our children receive the care they need?

This blog answers common questions I receive as a therapist, sharing strategies that have helped my clients and could help your family. My main message is that I tailor support to each family’s unique needs by combining listening to children, collaborating with occupational therapists, incorporating Theraplay, and considering sensory diets and activities, as I do with my grandson, whose needs differ from those of many clients.