I’ll never know now because it’s way too late in the day, but it would have been that I would have had a little more to go on had my father and my consultants over the years discussed my disability and my presenting symptoms. You couldn't make up what I've had to go through.

I have cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is the physical condition, but along side that I have Sensory Processing Disorder symptoms that are made up of the following co-occurring disorders:

Sensory Discrimination Disorder

Those with this disorder have problems assigning proper meaning to the qualities of particular sensory stimuli. Children or adults with this condition may struggle with interpretation of characteristics of sensory stimuli that is associated with poor skills performance and Dyspraxia.

My symptoms include:

  • Difficulties following directions;
  • Problems finding an image in a cluttered background;
  • Poor balance;
  • Uses too much or too little force;
  • Poor balance.

Sensory Modulation Disorder

Sensory Modulation Disorder is where children or adults have problems regulating the nature and intensity of sensory input. The responses could be behavioural, emotional, negative responses to stimuli not averse to others, but the problems are also exacerbated by stress.

My symptoms include:

  • Withdrawing from lights and unexpected touch;
  • Difficulties with textured foods;
  • Strong preferences to certain types of clothing, including textures;
  • Over-sensitivity to sounds or visual stimuli;
  • Avoidance of messy textures such as lotion or dirt.

Co-occurring Disorders

Sensory processing disorder can occur with other types of disorders.

My co-occurring disorders include:

  • Autism;
  • Asperger syndrome;
  • Learning disabilities.

My learning disabilities explain my struggles in school and college. My sensory symptoms also fall into the above three co-occurring disorders. All the symptoms I have outlined in my blog here are me down to a ‘tee,’ and there is more.

In my next personal blog I will continue to outline the rest of my symptoms. My SPD symptoms confirm what I have known all along about how I present and what I have been dealing with for all of these years.

Source: https://www.ascentchs.com

Ilana Estelle is a mental health and wellbeing advocate who combines educational insight with her personal experience of living with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. She holds diplomas in Counselling, Diet and Nutrition, Nutritional Therapy, Psychotherapy and Counselling, and Stress Management. Through her writing, Ilana supports others in navigating their emotional, mental, and physical health challenges. In addition to writing for The CP Diary, her work has appeared in healthy lifestyle magazines. Ilana is also the author of three books: Cerebral Palsy: A Story – Finding the Calm After the Storm, Spirituality, Healing and Me, and Survival: The Covid Years – Time for Change.

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2 comments on “Extra pieces of the jigsaw”

  1. Yes, it would have been fantastic for you if you had have known what your conditions were when you were a kid, but sadly your parents kept it from you like it was something to be ashamed of.

    This is one of the many stigmas that people have to deal with on top of everything else, which is why I am guessing they never used to even talk about these issues.

    It isn't like you can pretend they don't exist, but your parents did a pretty great job at it. I'm sure that my parents would have done the same if we would have had those issues. It is a miracle that we didn't, considering what meds my mom could have been taking back in the 60s.

    I guess I just can't understand that mindset, since I made sure that my daughter had everything she needed and most certainly wasn't ashamed of her condition!

    1. Thanks Randy. Yes, all we can do is change things for our own children, which is what you have done. Children don't often see what their parents do for them until they have their own children.

      It takes us a while to connect their actions with our lives. Although as a child I internalised a lot, I must have unconsciously been playing it down. It still got stored, it never left me, perhaps part of me didn't want to believe that this was happening to me.

      Your last paragraph resonates with me. I am happy for your daughter that you got do do what I wasn't so lucky with. It's important we stand proud next to our children, whatever they get to deal with.

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