One In Twenty Is A Lot Of Kids

My son had his annual physical today. His pediatrician asked if he was still receiving occupational therapy for the “sensory stuff”. I talked about food dyes having an impact on his behavior and even snuck it into the Physical Form that goes to school in the “food allergy and reaction” section. I know we’re sort of The Weird Parents and am always prepared to provide her with information.

She is not an Autism specialist, nor is she specially trained in Sensory Processing Disorders. She knows the basics, but I think it’s time for the pediatric community to realize that as many as one in twenty children are affected by Sensory Processing Disorder. They probably see a few each day; and given the number of times I have had to explain SPD to people my guess is that many of the parents of those pediatric patients have no idea what it is.

In my dream world {it’s quite nice here; you would totally like it}, pediatricians continue to discuss feeding issues past infancy. In addition to the screening questionnaires about guns in the house, bike helmets, and seat belts; parents are asked about how often their children are exposed to neurotoxins.

Can you imagine that conversation? How shocked and scared the parents would look? What if on the School Physical form, right under the “Is your child taking any medications” was “Is your child eating anything that might disrupt their nervous system? Please check yes or no.”

We have a long way to go before that happens, though. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics…”most physicians are either unfamiliar with the concept or reject SID as a diagnostic entity.”

One in twenty is a lot of kids to have their condition avoided or not believed.