How My Journey Began
When my youngest child was seven months old, I had that nagging feeling that something was wrong. He wasn’t making any audible sounds, which continued for the next 11 months. At 18 months old, I took him to the lead agency in Illinois (Department of Human Services) that oversees the Early Intervention Program for an evaluation. They gave me the devastating news. My son had developmental delays as high as 70% in some areas. When I asked what the problem was, the response was, “We don’t provide diagnoses, only evaluate children for developmental delays and refer them for services within the early intervention program.”
Subsequently, we started therapy within early intervention (The Birth to 3 Federal Program) and transitioned into private therapy when he aged out at three. When he started school, I found the school district to have little understanding of my child’s regulation issues. Consequently, I set out to create my own support system for my children. I read every book I could find on the subject. Although some of these books helped me identify the disorder, I couldn’t find the book that was written from a parenting perspective that provided comprehensive information on each sub-type of SPD, as well as the concrete strategies to help minimize the challenging behaviors of my children.
As a result, I decided to write that book. Occupational therapist Heidi Clopton contributed major portions to the book and served as the project leader. In addition, many other wonderful consultants assisted with the project, who are leaders in their discipline. Several years later, we gave birth to The Sensory Processing Anthology: A Comprehensive Guide for Parents and Caregivers of Sensational Kids.
In addition to Heidi Clopton’s OTR/L invaluable contributions, my personal experience helped guide the content as both of my children have experienced many of the challenges in the book. In addition, I have SPD and know firsthand what these children experience and how they feel, which enables me to lend a unique perspective. Today, my children are functioning without delays, and are excelling academically, socially, and emotionally. It has been an amazing SPD journey, and I hope this book facilitates your successful voyage as well!
