When Pudding was first diagnosed, I had to learn a whole new vocabulary just to understand her therapists.  I thought it would be nice to post a cheat sheet so that we all understand each other, my definitions aren’t exactly standard, but they do describe our life with SPD.  So what does SPD stand for?  Read on.

SPD- Sometimes Pretty Demanding.

IEP – Incredibly Enervating Process.

Motor Skills – What we develop as we drive our kids from OT, or PT, or ST, school, social skills groups, doctors, and specialists with reluctant, squabbling children doing their best to distract us.  Requires…

Motor Planning - bringing enough snacks/ juice/ stickers/ fidgets to keep the kids relatively calm for the journey.  Inevitably leads to a…

Gross Motor – how my car looks after all the snacks/ juice/ stickers/ fidgets end up dumped out on the floor.

Sensory Diet – The comfort foods we consume in response to stressful parenting.  Similar to…

Sensory Craving – of cake and chocolate.

Bilateral Coordination – Arranging the conflicting therapy schedules of two children.  For more than two kids: Multilateral Coordnation (also, somebody should give you a medal).

Sensory Avoider – One who leaves the room to let their spouse deal with an impending  meltdown.

Balance - Harmonious blending of work, family, marital and self-care needs.  SPD families don’t tend to have this.

Picky Eater – How the annoying neighbor describes her chubby toddler who won’t eat green beans.  NOTHING like the texture issues of a kid with SPD who eats a total of 4 foods, and they’re all white or yellow.

Interoception - A cool film I never got to see because we can never get a babysitter.  I believe Leonardo Di Caprio starred in it.

Arousal Level - Not what my husband wants it to be.

Hypersensitivity – What makes me want to yell out to complete strangers that it isn’t bad behavior, just sensory overload.  Then realize nobody is even paying attention.

Occupational Therapy – Career counseling to lament that your current profession is unskilled, unpaid, overworked, under-appreciated servant to your household.

Under-responsivity – Not noticing for several days that there is marker pen on the walls, or paint on the carpet.  Associated with lack of sleep.

Space Invader - One who insists upon touching or getting too close to my son.  My daughter.

Expressive Language - Colorful words I’ve spoken at the end of a trying day.  Never in the presence of my echolaic children, or I’d be hearing them spoken back at me for eternity.

Auditory Processing Dysfunction – An explanation of the process whereby my words, “Go and put some more trousers on” are interpreted as “Bounce on the bed, diaper stuffed animals, and return half-naked.”

Do you have any alternative definitions you’d like to add?

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