Happy Birthday Colin!!

Yesterday evening someone in one of my Asperger's online groups posted this STORY. I also read this STORY about him. This young boy was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder and is hypersensitive to lights and sounds and has a disorder similar to Asperger's. He will be 11yrs old March 9th. His mom mentioned having a birthday party and he said, "there would be no point in throwing a birthday party because all of the kids at school don't like me and make fun of me." So she posted a FACEBOOK PAGE so family and friends could post birthday wishes and send him birthday cards. His story has been spreading like wildfire and even made the national news, I believe on GMA this morning. How cool that she has been receiving cards for him from all over the world! If you'd like to send him a birthday card, you can do so at:

Colin
PO box 756
Richland, MI 49083-0756  USA

So what the heck is SPD??

 

So for those that do not know, SPD, or Sensory Processing Disorder, is a condition in which there is trouble interpreting sensory input; difficulty processing information from the senses that can cause irritability, anxiety, pain, depression, mood swings, exhaustion, heightened sensitivity, fight or flight. One may have issue with one or multiple senses. As I have been finding, it can be called different things, such as Sensory Integration (SI), Sensory Integration Dysfunction, Sensory Defensive, or Highly Sensitive Person (HSP). Not everyone affected experiences the same symptoms, one may be hypersensitive, under responsive, avoiders, or seekers. It is usually caught early when a baby or child is a very picky eater, is fussy, covers ears to drown out noises, withdraws, has mood swings, reacts unusually to pain.

Here are several websites with further info and symptoms checklists:

SPD Life

Sensory Processing Disorder

SPD Foundation

Sensory Processing Made Simple

Sensory Smarts

A Sensory Life