SPD Vs ADHD + Autism

I don't know. It seems crystal clear to me between SPD and ADHD. Our son has sensory issues and ADHD and they're totally different. Sensory: Fabrics, foods, noises and lights can bother him to various degrees. ADHD: he's inattentive, extremely hyperactive (he has ADHD-combined type), no impulse control. I'd say the clearest difference is that sensory issues really bother a child. ADHD bothers everyone else.

In the end, it's best to leave it up to the medical specialists to figure it out. They have the specialized education and experience to identify the markers of certain conditions. I wouldn't lose sleep over anything until getting the official word from the doctors.

All three of these things are syndromes. And, "syndrome" refers to a collection of symptoms; it doesn't indicate a known cause.

So, there are some symptoms that are associated with all three. There are a lot of kids who have so many symptoms of two (or even three) of these syndromes that they get a dual (or triple) diagnosis.

That said, in the abstract state, they way they're described in the DSM, these three syndromes are associated with fairly different "profiles."

ADHD refers to a child who is hyperactive and can't pay attention.

Autism refers to a child who has fundamental difficulty relating to other people. The autism spectrum is so wide that it can include people who are nonverbal, self-destructive, and incontinent, and also people who are just socially awkward or extreme introverts.

SPD refers to a child who doesn't register sensations the way other people do. It's often diagnosed in kids for whom sensations that we regard as mild (say, a tag in the back of a shirt) register like knives of fire. But it's also diagnosed in kids for whom sensations are too mild -- and they crave things like super-spicy food and rough surfaces.

So, these symptoms overlap all the time. Autistic children are often sensory-sensitive, and they can process this sensitivity by acting really hyper. And the whole things is so poorly understood, there's really no figuring out what caused what.

I don't know if this is what you were looking for at all, but I hope it helped.

I love what NewName said as well, especially the part about sensory bothering the child, ADHD affecting those around the child.

But..

My 5 year old son has both ADHD and SPD and there is some link/overlap to how those work together to work against him. For example, he is a high sensory seeker, with low modulation. In essence, they've determined with his constant "seeking" he takes in about 5 times more information than I do in any given environment, but does not have the control to process and respond to it properly.

So, give a kid with ADHD five times MORE things to distract him, and then pile it on a system that fails to react to impulse control and process it all properly and yeah, things get out of hand.

Your daughter sounds a bit like my son - he has a high pain tolerance, likes big motions, squeeze/squish/compress, makes a lot of loud noises but afraid of external ones, can't stop moving/touching/licking/exploring. He is also wicked smart and 'socially awkward' (according to his psych doc).

The SPD works with the hyperactivity as well. He's looking for sensations, whether it's repeatedly jumping up and landing on his knees...on the hardwood floors (how does he not feel that?), whacking himself with anything, whacking something/someone else, licking the fire hydrant (sigh), spinning in circles, etc., and he finds it hard to stop what he's started, kind of like getting into a loop.

Of course, only you, your daughter and her doctors know her unique needs and how to address them. I'd bring up any new concerns or things you'd like more information on at her next appointments and see if they can help.

Good luck!

I guess I'm stuck on your subject line. My middle daughter has Autism, ADD, and Sensory Processing Disorder. There's not any sort of "versus" anything in there. The combination of alphabet soup, if you will, and signs and symptoms equals Autism Spectrum Disorder and that's INCLUSIVE of SPD and ADHD.

That said my eldest has SPD and ADHD without having ASD because she shows no signs of ASD at all. Like, none ever. There's just no question about it. It's very common to have comorbid diagnoses like this when it comes to ADHD, but especially with ASD.

I highly recommend reading:

Raising A Sensory Smart Child
The Out of Sync Child

Two amazing books.

My 6 year old boy has all 3 disorders too, although technically he has not been diagnosed with autism but he is probably on the spectrum. I have AD/HD and I used to think AD/HD and autism had nothing to do with each other-boy, was I wrong! It is now thought by some people that all 3 of these disorders are "on the spectrum" and have much in common with each other! My son is on meds and it has helped, taking your kiddo off meds if they are helping doesn't make sense. If she needs the meds, then she needs them-regardless of diagnosis.

The book the out of sync child, is awesome. This book might hlep you to see the differences.

My son has SPD and ADHD-so I am told. But diet changes, and accupunture (No Needles) have made a huge positive difference. Unfortunatly there is a some overlap, and that book will go into it.

Good luck.

NewName put it better than I was going to, and NewName's point is the same I was going to make.