My son was diagnosed back in March with ADHD, and I have been researching every little thing I can find on it since. I came across Sensory Integration Dysfunction by mistake and honestly, my jaw hit the ground because it was like I was reading about my son!
I had a big meeting at his school yesterday with all the teachers and doctors that have been helping us. I brought this finding up to the physiologist and asked her what ADHD and SID have to do with each other. She told me that they over lap each other. That was all she said! That was it! I told her that I read that there is therapy for children with this and I am interested in looking into it, and she said to ask his pediatrician to refer me to someone!!! Isn't that her job? I talked to his ped today and he was shocked that she never gave me any names and told me he doesn't know of any specialists that deal with this.
I am bring this up because in another thread it was said that some of you know someone or have experienced SID being misdiagnosed for ADHD. If you could tell me your stories on this matter it would help me so much!!! I have pretty much hit a brick wall and don't really know where to go from here!
I live in Winnipeg Canada, and if anyone knows of a specialist here that can help me... please feel free to pm me or leave a post:)
Thanks!
Cindy,I am not having any luck with the psychologist the school has provided, but my sons pediatrician has been very open to the idea. I sent him a disk of all the websites that I have researched. One of them includes someone from my city!!! (I found it last night) I can't find him anywhere in the phone book except for his home phone number..would it be out of line to call him at home?? My gut tells me YES!!LOL He is the only OT in the city that I can find that has the experience my son needs.
Should I call him at home?
Thanks for your responses btw!!! they are much appreciated!!
iVillage has a good sensory integration dysfunction message board. We are having my 4 year old son, who has just recently been diagnosed with ADHD and Opositional Defiant disorder, evaluated by a developmental pediatrician for another opinion on his diagnoses and also for sensory integration dysfunction. This can be another route. If they find there is a SID diagnosis, they will refer you to an Occupational Therapist (OT) for sensory therapy. If you feel comfortable with the other diagnosis and you only want an eval for SID, it probably would save you some time and money to go right to an OT for the eval. Then you can work with the same one for therapy. That second book mentioned above is Fun with the Out of Sync Child (or something like that.) The Out of Sync Child is an awesome book. Good luck! PS-Is your child receiving special serivces through the school district? If so, it is the school district's job to help you get an evaluation. If not, check with your insurance company as some companies are not keen on paying for an eval for SID, because for some it's a controversial diagnosis. Apparently, some doctors don't believe it's a separate condition. I checked with our insurance and we can go to an occupational therapist without a referral. Some will need a referral from the pediatrician. Does your child's pediatrician know of anyone? Your insurance company should have some names and you can call the OT's office and ask if they are certified in sensory integration before making an appointment. Hope this helps! DanielleHi There,
You will want to ask for a SID evaluation by the school's occupational therapist and also get an evaluation on your own, through a private occupational therapist. If the school persists in telling you your child doesn't qualify, continue pushing. They will get tired of hearing from you and eventually give in.
My son, now 10, has ADHD. He was diagnosed at age 7, along with anxiety disorder. I had noticed early on that he was a very tactile child (needed tags cut out of clothes, no wrinkles in sheets, soft fabrics, etc.). He was also a head banger as a toddler and put himself to sleep that way! I found out about SID by happenstance. I read a wonderful book on it. The Out of Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz (you can order it at this link on Amazon):
Following the advice in the book, I requested an evaluation by the school OT. The findings were on the low side. My son's SID exists, but his scores on the evaluation did not qualify him for OT services. The OT gave me instructions on therapy to do with him at home and he hated it. We now just live the with tactile side of his personality.
The book "The Out of Sync Child" by Kranowitz is a good resource if you have not read it. There is also a new book--I'm not sure of the title but something about activities to help the Out of Sync Child--also by Kranowitz. I haven't read it, but it might be something to look into so you could start some simple things at home. Many activities are fun to do, so you child would probably not mind doing them with you.
If you go to an O.T. (which I think is a great idea) you should look for someone who is certified in S.I., which would demonstrate they have a good understanding of it and work with alot of children who have it. Good job in tracking down the info you need to help your child!
If your uncomfortable calling him at home maybe you could write. Does the phone book have his home address. That may be less intrusive. Good luck. My daughter is ODD and SID (I personally think the ODD is because of the SID). Our OT was great. We have therapies to do at home that have helped her a lot.