Does anyone who also hates the feeling of socks have and recommendation for socks my manager is insisting I wear them and I really can't sand the feeling. Edit: It's mostly the seams, the tightness, and the restrictiveness as I wiggles my toes to self sooth

Can anyone suggest a good affordable fragrance free or very lightly scented hair conditioner? Scented products can trigger my migraines, causes sinus pain and causes my scalp to itch. I finally figured out that there is 'fragrance free' and there is 'unscented'. Being as sensitive as I am to smells, I dislike the smell of unscented products. To me they smell like mildew (I know, it's odd).

Hello hello - I'm really looking for some insights/advice as I think I have a toddler (3M) with some sort of sensory processing disorder and it feels quite extreme. Haven't had much luck navigating the health/education system here in NZ so trying to glean wisdom from the masses.

Sometimes our boy is a model toddler. You'd want to clone him. We couldn't ask for more. Then a switch seems to go off for him, and it's like war has been declared on the household. He wakes up in a rage and spends the day being triggered into wild meltdowns that can last for 45mins with hyperventilation. It's roughly 1 month of dream followed by one month of nightmare.

Watching him closely, I've developed the following hypothesis. When he is in his struggle phase (and we'd love idea on what triggers that) he can't seem to interpret his bodies signals such as hunger, heat, tired and physical pain He just knows he feels awful and he's PISSED. Or overwhelmed. Or both. He's only regulated with a steady stream of bottles, books and Bluey.

Other things that trigger him hugely:

• wind. It can be 37 degrees in the car but if I open tue windows before the AC kicks in, lord help the whole suburb
• being naked
• having his nappy changed
• t shirts going over his head
• food being too hot or too cold
• his plate not being washed between different types of food.

It is so exhausting. I'm wondering if anyone's experienced similar where the sensory struggles are sometimes there, sometimes not. And if so, have you got clues about what flips that switch?

He's so demanding and unreasonable when he's in his funk, it's such a mission to balance the grace we need to give him when he's overwhelmed vs what's feeding bratty behavior. That sounds terrible, but it can be hard to distinguish what's a concession you need to make to keep him even keeled vs when he's just trying his luck!

Help please! Any nz based child Psychologist recommendations also highly welcomed.

I was diagnosed as a child (prior to 2009) with both SPD and ADHD. As an adult I have wondered if I truly have SPD, or if it is autism. I find certain sensory inputs, especially ones I can't control or understand, to be excruciating. Neighbor's dogs barking sends me into a fit of rage, I almost constantly need noise canceling headphones on. Many jobs are impossible for me as an adult, because I can't even go into the grocery store without headphones, or loud places without compartmentalizing my feelings, or falling apart. The only loud crowded places I truly love are concerts/live music venues. If the stimulus is connected to something I am very interested in then it doesn't seem to bother me as much.

I have never met anyone else in person, nor talked to anyone else online with a diagnosis. I was wondering if anyone here found a correlation between ASD and their SPD, and if not, what makes the difference for you? In general, I am interested in talking to more people with SPD, I have been diagnosed with it for so long, I am now 23, and recieved the diagnosis when in pre-school, as I was kicked out of several pre-schools, but I feel like I don't understand SPD at all or the personal impacts it may have on my life or on others.

I would also be interested in any articles or sources of information that are credible where I can read more about SPD. Thank you for reading.

I have a few weighted blankets and I love all of them, but taking them from my chair to my bed all the time can get a little annoying, and I'd like a bit of weight while outside

I have just turned 16 years old. I never had any sensory issues growing up. I recently started developing symptoms akin to SPD (auditory issues, intolerance to touch, etc). I first thought it was caused by stress, but I have now had these symptoms for 1+ year and rarely go away, even in times of calmness. Therefore I ask, is SPD something you can develop later in life? If so, is it permanent or temporary?

half of the time when someone gently pokes my arm, side, or thigh it feels like they jabbed me and hurts for ages. Ive been told im over reacting by my parents for ages and im confused if its spd or something else? My doctors havent been much help so i thought id see if anyone else shares this weird trait. Running into the corner of a table takes me over a minute to recover from, its so odd!

My 4 year old has SPD - primarily sensory seeking. Bedtime has been incredibly tough for the past 3 years. I have a routine of bath time, brush teeth, books, or “vooks” if she’s struggling to wind down. She cannot sit still, sometimes it almost looks painful the way she can’t get comfortable. I am trying to teach her about herself and what she likes, what she doesn’t like so she can feel more in control.

I try to do a lot with my kiddo. I try to fit in the whole sensory diet because I know she will struggle if I don’t.

I use the body brush, I do “squeezees” on her joints, I have a furry weighted blanket, a light blanket just in case. I have a fan going. I’m trying to regulate her every night, and I’m just tired.

The ceiling projectors for my child do not work well, she gets freaked out by them. So I bought the tape lights to put around the perimeter of her ceiling to help unwind, relax. I’m hoping that will help.

She has been going to bed past 9, no matter what we do all day. She needs more sleep than that.

I’m just at a loss. Anyone have any words of wisdom?

I’m mid twenties, and have always been an anxious person. I have noticed that I have started to become very overstimulated from auditory input, very quickly. This isn’t my “norm” and I’m not sure why there’s been such a change in my tolerance in the past month or so. Stores with loud music and crowds, repetitive clicking/fidgeting.. I’m bothered by such different ends of the noise spectrum. I’m not sure if there could be a deeper root to this new sensory defensiveness, or if it could be amplified by my high levels of anxiety at a new job recently. Help?

I've got a new baby and there's a pitch in his scream that just pierces my brain. I want to be able to attend to his needs properly but this sound just completely overwhelms me and I either curl into a ball or get really angry which isn't fair on him. I need something to help tune it out, but I don't want to block all noise - I still need to be able to hear him and also be able to answer his older brother who talks non stop lol.

I've tried Loop but it doesn't do the trick and it also makes it too hard to hear my toddler talking to me when he is quiet or looking in the other direction (we're working on looking at people when we talk but it's still a work in progress).

It also needs to be something in-ear as headphones are too bulky when I've got a baby up on my shoulder

Any suggestions? Would one of the Bose earphones be ok?

My classmates and I have been trying to build a solution to the nightmarish texture of paper for those who are bothered by it. We have this prototype of an 100% cotton sleeve for use while writing on paper. It acts as a barrier between skin and paper.

Here's a short video of the sleeve and some other textures we're considering using. If you're sensitive to the texture of paper, or you know someone who is, please leave feedback down below!

Thank you :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q616Dw_Xr6k

We started toilet training our almost-3 year old son today. He has SPD but no other diagnosis (as of now), although he has a strong need for routine and consistency. He goes to OT twice a week which has been helping alot for sensory avoidances.

Two sensory issues came up, which I'd love recommendations for how to deal with:

1. Many methods (Oh Crap and other similar ones) recommend doing bare-bottom for a few days. We tried this but he absolutely couldn't handle it, clearly because of the sensation of nothing against his skin. We ended up switching to commando (pants but no underwear/diapers) which he was fine with, but therefore we weren't able to catch him mid-accident at all today... which AFAIK is one of the first steps of teaching a child to understand what "peeing" means.

2. There were a few times where he looked like he really needed to go, but seemed unwilling to release it into the toilet. One of these times, he had a huge pee accident while washing his hands (immediately after sitting on the toilet for a few minutes). I suspect he's scared to let it go into the toilet, either because of sensation or newness or something else.

Due to the above 2 issues, he did not pee/poop in the toilet even once today. Anyone have tips for how we can help him overcome these two difficulties? Classic toilet training guidance seems to be quite lacking in the area of sensory challenges.... :(

It was so ridiculous I just had to laugh.

I would like to invite you to take part in my research study, which concerns cognitive/psychological traits in relation to eating behaviors. This study involves the use of completely anonymous clinical instruments that assess autistic traits and eating behaviors. This project has been approved by the IRB/ethics committee at Pace University. If you agree to participate in my research, I will ask you to complete 2 assessments via a Qualtrics questionnaire. The session will begin with a brief participant demographic survey to ensure diversity of results and will be followed with the administration of the subsequent assessment measures. The first instrument to be administered consists of questions regarding psychological traits. This will be followed by a brief questionnaire which will assess eating behaviors. We would like to gather a diverse range of participants to make the results applicable to a wider range of the population.

Click the link below for more information. Clicking the link does not mean that you must complete the study. Once provided with further information, you will be offered the chance to consent to participate but may deny consent or choose to discontinue whenever you please.

https://pace.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6nCcdalQGTS8pds

Link: ~https://redcap.mountsinai.org/redcap/surveys/?s=3NAXRAYFAAWNWHDX~ 

• Study Title: Validation Study of the Broad Anxiety Scale
• Eligibility: English-speaking, 18+ years old

Duration: 25 min

I just overheard two workers in Target making fun of me for not being able to find an item that was, technically speaking, right in front of me. I asked them where the batteries were and they said "Right in front of you." Along with a bunch of other crap. It was, in fact, on the other side of two counters and a stack of TVs. Thanks for being specific, ladies.

I find stores overwhelming on the best of days, and now with the holidays and so many things on stands in the aisle, music playing, and tons of people, I either need very specific directions or someone to physically lead me to the item.

Any strategies to recommend, besides Loop earplugs and sunglasses, to reduce sensory overwhelm? And maybe suggestions for how to effectively ask for help in a way that doesn't involve disclosing or explaining a disability? I may just be expecting too much from seasonal help.

My 4 year old has a very difficult time wearing clothing that is form fitting or tight. She will only wear a loose, flowy dresses. Now that it’s cold (36 degrees this morning) she needs to be wearing pants but she screams her head off that leggings hurt her. She also says socks hurt her feet.

I’ve tried buying looser pants but haven’t found any she’s even willing to TRY ON! Usually after she gets out of the house she is more amenable to her leggings, but getting out the door in the morning is a battle.

Wanted to see if anyone else’s kid is the same and what pants or socks they recommend? I bought some flared sweatpants type material pants from gap kids back in Sept that she finally tried on this morning and they’re way too long, so need something else! TY!

My daughter is age 10 and had had sensory issues since age 2, she also has adhd. Her occupational therapist says she is a sensory seeker who needs sensory movement before sit down activities to help her better focus. I've told any family my daughter may spend time with about this, my mother in law disagreed and didn't seem to want to understand sensory then she acted like she knows about it then her house became less sensory things than was before but I thought things were okay still since my daughter hadn't said anything.

My daughter told me last night that a few months ago closer to summer that grandma wanted her to sit down and do memorizing multiplication flashcards. I dont allow grandma to be involved with that area because my daughters needs she needs certain things to help her when doing school and especially anything math related. Daughter said she told grandma I can't sit still I need sensory movement first and grandma told her "It doesn't make a difference if it's before or after, we are doing this right now. Sensory isn't real, it's just an excuse not to do something." Ummmm that's way opposite than I have ever discussed with her, that sounds like how her opinion was in the verg beginning when I first discussed sensory needs with her. In past when I bring up this happened grandma pulls the "she must be remembering from years ago, I don't do that stuff anymore." My daughter said she just remembered it after i had told her grandma invited us over for thanksgiving and she said grandma doesn't care about my needs then I was told this story. I asked why she took so long to tell me and she says she remembers things that cause her anxiety sometimes and then she said besides grandma tells her not to tell me things or grandma will take something away.

What would you mom's of sensory kids do here?

My son is 3 years old and is struggling with a few things that I’m not even sure how to explain. First of all he is the pickiest eater in the world. He lives off of Danimals, yogurt and chocolate chip mini muffins. He has a pretty severe underbite so I question sometimes if it’s a chewing thing, but he also gags when I try to get him to eat something he doesn’t like. He tells me things like food is bad for him, food will make him sick. He is constipated a lot so I question if he has gluten or dairy intolerance or if it’s just from a terrible diet. I brought this up to his pediatrician at his wellness check and he basically told me to keep offering new foods and it’s normal. The concern is he also is showing signs of pica. He’s done this since he was able to sit up pretty much. Always chewing on a rock, wood chip, paper. His swim teacher told me he was taking full chunks out of his pool noodle and told me she’s never seen anyone do that. I cannot give him a marker or crayon without it going in his mouth. Bubbles/soap from the tub he will eat. Chalk always in his mouth. I know sort of normal toddler things but he knows it’s not ok to do so I catch him trying to be sneaky around it. Always eats dirt. Like why would a 3 year old tell me food makes him sick but will chomp on a leaf. I feel like it’s so out of his control if I yell at him he just cries but not in a behavioral way almost like he’s disappointed in himself. It’s so strange. He also will do things like find a bottle of lotion and pour it all over himself (face,hair,body) and when I ask him why he did that he’ll just start crying out of shame. I’m unsure how to react without yelling at him but I just feel like it’s not the appropriate t response to his situation. He did have occupational therapy a few years back and I’m wondering if I should seek some sort of therapy out for him but don’t know what. He’s also home with me so I’m unsure if he’d grow out of it at a preschool setting or if he’s drive his teachers nuts with eating all of their markers. If anyone has ever dealt with a similar situation please give me any and all advice!

I have a student who mentions that he doesn’t like the lights in the classroom. He said the lights are too bright. Are there children’s glasses that can be used for this?

For anyone struggling with SPD, I wanted to share my story about having OCD as well.

I believe there’s a huge stigma around OCD. It’s not just about the stereotypes we often hear—like fear of something bad happening, counting, germs, or repetitive behaviors. Personally, I feel OCD often goes hand in hand with untreated sensory processing disorder (SPD), developing as a coping mechanism alongside hereditary factors.

I’ve been diagnosed with both OCD and SPD. My journey started with diagnoses of SPD and ADHD at the same time, followed by an OCD diagnosis two years later. That came after a year of weekly therapy with a wonderful psychologist (PsyD) who I still see twice a week.

Side note: All these acronyms can make one feel a lil extra, I know, but bear with me. 🤗

One of my major compulsions involves handwashing—not because of a fear of germs, but because of the sensory feelings that trigger my anxiety. For me, compulsive behaviors are habits formed to cope with the anxiety I feel around my inability to control sensory discomfort. When my hands feel a certain way, it heightens my anxiety, leading to what my therapist calls “sticky thoughts.” These obsessive thoughts drive compulsive behaviors like washing to temporarily quiet the anxiety or avoiding situations entirely to prevent triggering the sticky thoughts in the first place.

At my worst, I avoided cooking, eating at restaurants, and going to places like the grocery store, gas station, or pharmacy. I wasn’t leaving the house much and relied entirely on my partner and online ordering for everything—including food. (I work from home, which made this avoidance even easier to fall into.)

I also struggle with the same issues involving my feet. Before I understood it was an SPD issue—and before ADHD made me procrastinate buying a good pair of house slippers (I have to research first)—I would painfully walk on the sides of my feet to avoid feeling things like dirt, crumbs, or water. Eventually, my feet became so sensitive that I couldn’t tolerate any sensation on their soles unless I was wearing certain shoes. That unchecked sensory issue even led to germ-related fears, like needing to wash my feet before getting into bed.

I also developed compulsive behaviors related to acne and full-body eczema, including on my face. This led to constant worries about germs and “harmful” ingredients on my face, pillows, or surfaces where I might lay my head. These sticky thoughts kept me stuck in a cycle of obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors, like swapping out my pillowcase every night, constantly trying new products, and researching ingredients.

All of this combined to put my body in a constant state of fight-or-flight, which blood tests confirmed through my severely unregulated cortisol levels (stress hormone).

The surprising part? Both my acne and eczema started clearing up once I began treating these fears. Through hard work in action-based exposure therapy paired with IFS therapy, I was able to loosen the grip on needing to control every aspect of my environment. As I slowly reframed my thoughts and relaxed my hygiene routines, my skin also started clearing up. It was such a powerful reminder of how deeply mental health and physical health are connected. It’s an ebb-and-flow process, but progress is possible.

I’m currently treating my OCD without medication. I’ve been hesitant about SSRIs because of a negative past experience, but weekly therapy has been a huge help for me. My psychologist and I focus primarily on Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, which I recommend to literally everyone, especially those who are neurodivergent. IFS helps me view OCD as just one part of me—one that developed to cope with the effects of untreated SPD and ADHD for 27 years of my life. (For context, I also had severe depression, which improved dramatically after starting ADHD medication.) Seeing OCD from this lens makes it less overwhelming, as though I’m not just adding another disorder to the list.

Exposure therapy has also been life-changing for managing anxiety. It’s helped me more than anything else I’ve tried. While exposure therapy is very challenging when you’re deeply embedded in sticky thoughts, it’s not impossible. I always felt better after each session because I was overcoming a fear I’d come to believe was impossible to face.

Finding out I had OCD was scary at first, which is why I feel so strongly about reducing the stigma. My OCD doesn’t define me—unlike my ADHD, which often feels more front and center—and it’s totally treatable. Over time, my sticky thoughts have become less sticky (I can move on more easily when one pops up without diving into it completely), and my OCD has become much more manageable. It’s something I’ll always deal with, though. And I’ve come to feel it’s a reminder of my strength and a cue to show compassion for the part of me that developed it to cope during some really dark moments in my early life.

This is just my experience, but I feel it’s worth discussing with your therapist. I wanted to share in case the thought of OCD feels stigmatized or scary for anyone. You’re on the right track by being here and seeking guidance for sensory issues that can tighten the grip on life. You’ve got this. 💓

Can anyone recommend shirts or pants for a girl size 12/14 ? Right now she will only wear dresses. We have tried on an absurd amount of pants, but can’t find anything that doesn’t bother. I haven’t even tried shirts yet.. Thanks!

To get peaceful sleep, I need relative stillness, and consistent sound volume (doesn't have to be completely quiet, I can sleep with music or TV, but volume changes while sleeping are unpleasant). When he snores, my sleep is worse, and sometimes it's loud enough to wake me. The other thing that contributes to nighttime sensory hell is when he tries to do a bunch of adjustments to the sheet, taking multiple minutes to pull more of the sheet towards him, meaning I have to deal with a bunch of unexpected sensations on my back, torso, chest, even my neck sometimes. I don't even really understand how it's this much of a problem, since we have queen sized sheets on a double bed.

I decided to ask about potential solutions because last night, he was doing so much sheet tugging that it woke me up. When I thought he was almost done I tucked a little bit of sheet under my shoulder to try to stabilize it, he said he barely had any, and in my sleep-deprived sensory-hell state I ripped the sheets off of my upper body, shoved them over to him, and just wrapped myself in my weighted blanket, making sure some of the weighted blanket was acting as a barrier to his movements.

If anyone has suggestions so I won't have to deal with all his sheet tugging all the time, hopefully while staying in the same bed, that'd be greatly appreciated. Could a sensory sheet work if it's specifically for me to be under, and he lays on top of it? Or maybe a twin-size sheet just for me? I just really need my sensory environment to not be messed with so much while I'm trying to sleep.

Hi guys, I’m not diagnosed with anything but I’m 99% sure I’m autistic or something with the way I can’t stand the sensation of things touching my goddamn ankle.

Does anybody have any idea of any shoes (not crocs or dress shoes because my school won’t allow me to wear crocs to participate but wants me to participate or they’ll fail me) that do NOT even GRAZEEEE the outer ankle. I’m telling yall let the sole even tickle my ankle I’ll explode like I’ve genuinely torn off my skin over it I’m so sick of shoes that touch my ankle. If anybody has any idea please tell me please I’m desperate

Edit: pls anything like a sneaker

I’m looking for a good bracelet to wear that hugs my wrist. I used to wear Zox bracelets which had that perfect wide stretchy tightness but they kept stretching out and becoming too loose. Something like a stretchy adjustable smart watch band would be perfect since it can be loosened up to slip over my hand and then retightened around my wrist but I can’t find anything like that. I’ve even tried those terry cloth sport wristbands but those aren’t a daily wear bracelet and the tightest part is too far back. Anyone have suggestions?

Hi there. I have a sensory seeking child who flaps his hands/arms when he's excited. There is more flapping when he's both excited and tired at the same time. I'm wondering if you have thoughts or experience around what sensory need is being unmet or what input he might be seeking. For a little more context, it's pretty much guaranteed that he'll engage in hand flapping frequently while playing a board game. Another time he's likely to flap would be if someone gives him positive feedback or feedback that he was expecting. Another time he's likely to flap is if he's watching a marble run, popcorn popping in stir crazy machine, or a complex video game. Any thoughts, experience, etc. you'd like to share would be much appreciated! Thank you!

My 10yr old has spd adhd and other needs which family knows about. My daughter visits my mother in laws house for grandma/grandpa time and ive informed them of sensory needs involving sensory movement when showing sensory seeking signs etc and especially to do before any sit down activity. I've had lots of issues with mother in law disagreeing, not taking spd seriously, doing opposite of what I discussed with her, kids tell me of issues where she forces things and chooses what they are to do etc.

My mother in law is big on doing sit down activities however I've discussed with her for it not to be school related like math because she's known to stress the kids out with it and the kids tell me she won't do sensory movement beforehand so makes it hard for my adhd spd kid to focus. I feel grandmas should be fun and not math or school subjects. Well my oldest told me grandma has been tearing out math workbook pages calling it structured time and saying they have to do what she chooses from the math workbooks and they must do it before going outside (they say they need to move their body first which OT has told me sensory movement first before sit down activities but grandma refuses) the kids tell grandma ive said not to do math at her house but she tells them its her house her rules but thats in direct opposition of what ive told her.

I feel like shes undermining me and ignoring needs. Is it my place to say they can't visit unless no structured time and only fun things at grandma's house and sensory movement time is a must or am I wrong here for wanting to get that implemented when my kids visit her? They only visit at her house because that's how she wants it, she won't ever come to our house.

i have naturally wavy, thick coarse hair and it gets in my face a lot. i don't like having my hair put up and i can also feel it against my neck and face when I'm trying to sleep or when im in classes and it's so bad that it's overwhelming and causes certain negative thoughts because have no idea what to do about it 😭 i wish i could get it to become softer so if anyone has suggestions on how i can deal with this lmk (sorry if this doesn't rly make sense im sleep deprived as i type this because im also struggling to sleep for above reasons)