A little more about me...

I am writing this post because I want to offer you a little more background on my life and my disability journey. I would like to learn about you too, so please comment if you relate to my story, have any thoughts or questions, or just want to say hello!

This is me, at 3 years old... 

Yes, I am aware of the tiny mouse pointer in the picture. 

What can I say? My tech skills are enviable ;)  

It's all about the attitude! Feeling frustrated? Itchy tag on my shirt? I have no idea... but that look meant something! I joke, but seriously, I was a very happy toddler. It wasn't until maybe 5 years old that the dreaded "sock and underwear wars" (as my mom called them) began. I have little memory of that time, but my mom would tell you that putting socks and underwear on me was an epic battle! So I guess that was the start of my sensory issues.

As I grew older, I only became more sensitive to sensory input. My best friend, Nicole, knew I didn't like certain sensations, but it never bothered her much; she accommodated me when I asked her to chew more quietly or to not breathe (haha! What a request). She loved me and was always able to sort of laugh off, and also ease, my sensory challenges. I am grateful to have such a wonderful friend!! 

Here we are in our youth. Like most children, we took ourselves very seriously (note sarcasm)...   

That's me strapped into Nicole's suitcase! 

We knew how to have a good time!

But it wasn't all fun and games. I spent many hours, particularly in my pre-teen and teen years (when stress and hormones are already giving you enough trouble) curled up in a ball in the corner of my room, sobbing, covering my ears, trying to tune out all of the sensations that were bothering me. I remember sitting there wishing and praying for it all to stop. I would pull my hair, scratch at my arms, and cry and cry. These were very hard days, to say the least. To top it all off, I had other difficulties as well, such as dyslexia and other learning challenges that seriously affected my ability to do well in school. Between the ages of 10 and 18, I saw many therapists, worked with several tutors, unwillingly attended IEP meetings with my Mom, and had a disability counselor attend classes with me. I will write a post on my experience of having a counselor attend classes with me... not great. 

I had no clue that my inability to cope with certain sensations was due to a condition called Sensory Processing Disorder. Maybe it was the time (late 1980s to late 1990s), but none of the therapists I worked with ever mentioned sensory integration or SPD. That's not to say that they did not think my senses were involved (some even said that I had problems with vision, problems with coordinating the left and right sides of my brain and body, etc.) but they just never quite zeroed in on what the problem actually was. Nowadays, I see that more people are aware of sensory issues, autism, and other similar conditions; it's a relief to see that so many kids today are getting properly assessed and that they are receiving the help they need. The autism and SPD communities are amazing and I am honored to be a part of them! 

Fast forward to university. At Sonoma State University (Shout out to my SSU peeps!), I finally learned about SPD through a two semester course on autism. I majored in psychology and in the psych department, they had this AMAZING program called the Collaborative Autism Training and Support (CATS) program, developed and instructed by Dr. Lorna Catford. If you are in Sonoma County, California, this program is a wonderful resource for both families and students!! Click here to read a great blog post about the CATS program, written by Sonoma County Autism Resources. Of course, it wasn't long before I realized I had a lot in common with the kids I was working with! I started to seriously wonder if I had SPD too? I already identified as a person with disabilities due to my learning disability diagnosis and major issues with school, but I wondered, "could it be that some, if not many of my challenges, are actually related to SPD?" 

Fast forward to the next few of years:

• I learned about occupational therapy and about the profession's enormously important role with SPD
• I took a physiological psychology class from a great professor, Dr. Michael Debellis, who led me to the book "Sensory Integration and the Child" by A. Jean Ayers (occupational therapist) and I completely identified with it!
• I decided that occupational therapy was the career for me! 
• I began shadowing an incredible pediatric occupational therapist (OT) who helped me learn that I have SPD
• I got into grad school, started learning how to be an OT, and began advocating for those with SPD
• In grad school, I was introduced to the sensory profile, an assessment for sensory processing issues - I completed it and it uncovered many of my sensory issues  
• I graduated, passed the OT licensing exam, and I am now an OT!! Woohoo!!

This is me now!

I have to say that my hubby is amazing with my sensory challenges. He understands that I HAVE to sleep with headphones on with white-noise playing, that sometimes I can't eat in the same room as him due to his eating sounds, that yes, I may have to change my clothes 10 times before I leave the house because they feel painfully scratchy or just plain wrong, etc!! He is amazing and I am grateful to have him in my life!

My work involves getting people engaged in life in satisfying and meaningful ways by helping them manage their physical, cognitive and emotional challenges. Advocacy is a very important part of being an OT and I hope that I can continue to be a strong and effective advocate for the SPD community. OT is one amazing career! 

I hope to connect with a team of fellow health professionals who can provide me with a full assessment and help me learn more about my SPD life. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find teams that assess adults, as most teams are more familiar with assessing children. In fact, as I understand it, the only "real" diagnostic tool for SPD is designed for children. Regardless, I still think a team assessment would be helpful and I hope that once I find a group of people to work with, I can share the story here on Navigating the Chaos to provide information and guidance to other adults seeking assessment/diagnosis!

Please stay tuned for more stories; ideas; resources; Sticky, Itchy and Downright Icky Sensations; and much more!! 

Thank you for dropping by and for taking the time to read my SPD story; I know we are all very busy so I appreciate you fitting in time for a visit to my little corner of the internet. I invite you stay and share your own stories, ideas, questions, and thoughts as well! 

Best regards,
Paula