♪♫ ♪♫ La-La Loud Noises! ♪♫ ♪♫

Before we got the "official" ADHD diagnosis, there was emotional and social delay and Sensory Processing Disorder.

According to a review by the National Institute of Health, " More than two thirds of the clinical samples of children with ADHD have at least one co-morbid psychiatric disorder which are more likely to be oppositional defiant and anxiety disorders." Although many children with ADHD are also diagnosed with some type of sensory processing disorder, there are no studies that show sensory within ADHD itself, says the NIH review. So, we still look at it as separate diagnoses.

"Sensory processing disorders are impairments in responding to sensory stimuli such as impairments in detection, modulation, or interpretation of stimuli," according to the NIH review. 

Little Dude is so loud sometimes, I forget his reactions to loud noises in confined spaces. For example, we went to church with my parents when we were visiting this summer and the church has a full-on band that plays music before the service. It's basically like a rock concert in church. He sat with his hands over his ears and tried to bury himself in my arms during the music.

That over-stimulation set him off so that during the sermon, he was unable to sit still or be quiet, as would be expected of an almost 8-year-old boy. But also, we aren't church-goers anyway, so how would he even know how to behave in church?

This weekend, we went to a restaurant to watch the Auburn-LSU game. It was loud and there were a lot of people. This can be agitating to him and sometimes we have to leave events like that early, because it's just too much for him. However, this weekend, he had his Spiderman headphones, which he uses with his Tablet. And even though his Tablet had died and the headphones were no longer connected to anything with sound, he kept them on and was able to tolerate the noise and even joined in on the cheers, because his hands were free to do so.

My Little Auburn Fan shouting "Waaaar Eagle!"

And while some sensory stimuli is too much for him (loud noises, certain materials, certain textures of food), he seeks other types of stimuli. He wraps himself tight in a blanket when he's upset. When it's jacket season, he wants to keep his jacket on, zipped up all the way.

Honestly, I'm not very educated about how this works or why he reacts this way to noises and touch. I just know there are times when he can't bear the noise and there are times when I can't hold him tight enough. I know when he is overstimulated, he melts down. People don't always understand that. They see a child, as big and old as he is, screaming and they think I must be a bad parent and he is spoiled or needs more discipline. Those people can bite me. Because what I see when I see my child reacting that way to something as normal as a crowded grocery store is my child in pain. And I admit, sometimes I feel lost. Sometimes I'm not sure what to do. I'm still learning. All the time, I'm learning how to handle these things.

As the report from the NIH shows, the medical profession is still learning about sensory processing in kids with ADHD and whether it's even co-morbid conditions or if sensory processing delays or disorders are part of the ADHD symptoms.

So, when you see a child melting down in public, please don't judge. Be compassionate. That child may very well be hurting from all that light and noise because their little bodies cannot process all that all at once.

Oh, and here is an excellent link to a blogger explaining Auditory Sensory Processing.