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Sensory Processing Disorder - as a stand alone condition

Shelley Gee

Hello Folks! I'm a single Mum of one gorgeous (just) 13 yr old boy. He was born a surviving twin, 7 weeks early and spent the first three weeks on his life in SCBU. No major shakes as a baby or toddler (other than grommits at 18 months and slightly delayed physical developments. No academic nor learning difficulties at all but always "shy"/reluctant eye contact around new people, especially adults...not with peers or family. A year or so after our divorce (he was aged 7) he started displaying huge anxiety when going to and fro the two parental homes. Dad went on to drag him places he didn't want to go, including forcing him round the London Dungeons and onto the biggest theme park rides at both Alton Towers and then Disney. This all proved way too much and brought on massive anxiety and full blown panic attacks. Horrendous. After a few years of therpy sessions various, him not wanting to see Dad and refusal to stay over there, I finally had him properly doagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder. HYPER sensitive to all 5 external senses and HYPO to all 3 internal ones. Whilst never diagnosed with Asperger's, as a LSA/TA I've got my suspicions he may be borderline (but to be honest it's mild and I think more self-confidence that makes him shy). We are getting a lid now on the panic attacks and the dianosis was a real relief, for us both, it gave him something to blame for his feelings and high anxiety. JUST WONDERING IF ANYONE KNOWS ANYTHING, OR HAS ANY ADVISE, OR IS IN SIMILAR SITUATION, AS HE ENTERS TEENAGERISM WITH ANXIETY/SHYNESS/SLIGHTLY CLUMSY WAYS (similar to Dyspraxia due to poor spatial awareness and hypermobile joints). Thank you! :))) 

  • One of my friends from work has a daughter with sensory processing disorder as a standalone condition. It obviously has a lot of crossovers with autism (which I have) in terms of the sensory needs, but also in that if often affects the person's self-confidence, and so can increase social anxiety/reduce eye contact/need for routines etc. I know my friend's daughter (who is 11, just about to enter secondary school) struggles with some social skills (is very shy and struggles to make friends), but her mother, who works in education and is quite knowledgeable about sen and autism, feels quite confident with the standalone diagnosis of SPD. 

    I don't know how helpful this is, other than maybe reassuring you that there are other people out there with the standalone diagnosis and who feel confident in that standalone diagnosis. 

  • Former Member
    Former Member

    A number of things you say would suggest, or at least could be consistent with, autism.

    Divorce and an insensitive father suggest that the father may have been affected by autism. Undiagnosed people with autism are very likely to get divorced and his lack of awareness of what his son liked and disliked suggest a lack of awareness of people's feelings. (I speak as a father with a diagnosis and some uncomfortable memories of being a parent pre-diagnosis!)

    I really don't know how a professional would separate the SPD from what might be the consequences - his inability to communicate may be a by-product of SPD or it could just be a co-morbidity - I'm really not qualified to comment.

    As a side issue, I had hypermobile joints - I think this is a common thing for people with autism and I now suffer from bad joints - I would advise that he avoid any sports etc that would put excessive strain on joints. I played squash (badly) for many years and I don't think that was good for me as I have had to have hip replacements at just 58. In hindsight I am on the dyspraxic spectrum as well as being on the autistic spectrum.