or Sensory Dysfunction? The book I'm reading seems to say the two are almost exact in symptoms.
????
They certainly mimic each other but they are not the same. AD/HD people can have sensory issues, but not necessarily. I would say most of us are just on the sensitive side, like being bothered by noise when we are trying to concentrate. Most of us though don't have food aversion, aren't bothered by clothing, aren't over or under responsive to noise and touch. Of course everyone is different and some may have no sensory issues, or may have co-morbid SID, but generally speaking, sensory issues don't seem to be real pronounced in AD/HD.
Sensory Dysfunction causes problem with attention and focus but usually only when the person is being sensory challenged, like in the classroom, or while on overload. On the other hand, with AD/HD you can't focus in a quiet room, noisy room, any room, unless it's something they are interested in. Of course a noisy room does make it more difficult.
Just to give you an example, my youngest has some sensory issues. When she is at home, in a quiet environment, that doesn't have her on overload, she does absolutely wonderful. She could sit for hours and play with one thing. She is happy, content, not at all hyper, and is not a behavior problem. If we go to a store she gets more upset by the minute. She gets more hyper by the minute, and at any moment may have a full melt down. Pubic toilets flushing have her crying with her hands over her ears because she is over reactive to certain noises. She definitely is harder to get through to, and is less able to focus and be rational in environments like this. The more overstimulated she gets, the worse she gets. Having the older two kids at home during the summer, has been difficult for her. She doesn't have the down time, the quiet, and she is having frequent melt downs.
I on the other hand, with AD/HD, can get overstimulated, but it takes me longer, and it's not as much about having to be in the environment, as it is having to be in a chaotic environment and concentrate at the same time. I could be just as easily irritated in a quiet environment, while trying to concentrate, if something broke my concentration.
So while they may look the same, and can present with the same symptoms, they are really different.
I disagree totally that it's the diagnosis du jour, and I strongly believe it will be put into the DSM when it is revised again.
I do however totally agree that the kids need to adapt, instead of adapting the environment because life doesn't always allow for the "perfect environment". BUT, I think that's why sensory integration therapy is so important, because these kids don't just "adapt". That's like asking an AD/HD child to just adapt to their issues. Yes we all have sensory issues, but kids with sensory integration disorder have disabling sensory issues to the point of making it a "disorder", and don't just adapt, that's the problem. Just as everyone has focus, and attention issues at times, but that doesn't mean AD/HD doesn't exist. It's the degree to which it affects someone that makes the difference between normal and a disorder.
At the time when most of us adjust as infants and toddlers, these children don't. Without integration they just suffer. I know this from my oldest, who is 9. He had the same issues, although not as severe as my 3 year old. We never changed his environment, he never had therapy for it (didn't know about it back then), and he's never adapted. I would bet 70% of his problems today are from sensory issues. He is still walking on his tip toes. He is still over reactive to noise, smells, and touch.
I think it's like everything else that doesn't get recognized. It will take time for everyone to catch up, but a large portion of the medical community recognizes that this is real problem now. There are still doctors out there that don't believe adults can have AD/HD, that doesn't mean it's true
[QUOTE=BPQW]A pediatrician told me today that sensory integration disorder was the "diagnosis du jour," revealing her own personal biases. She feels that we all have SID sometimes and that kids just need to adapt, instead of adapting the environment, which can't always be done and most likely won't be done when they are adults. Any thoughts?[/QUOTE]
A pediatrician told me today that sensory integration disorder was the "diagnosis du jour," revealing her own personal biases. She feels that we all have SID sometimes and that kids just need to adapt, instead of adapting the environment, which can't always be done and most likely won't be done when they are adults. Any thoughts?My daughter is 9 and has both SI and ADD; for a while we went to an OT who I swear believed that SI kids should be in therapy forever, but then we switched to a different OT who really believed in teaching coping skills, and that OT should be a short term thing that gives the patient concrete solutions to their daily problems. My daughter was in it for exactly 6 months, and is still, 4 months later, doing remarkably better. She no longer has meltdowns because it's too noisy, her clothes are too itchy, etc and for her was quite empowering.