I found an article that talks about the kind of SPD my son has.
http://sensoryandmore.com/2011/08/04/muscles-exercise-and-sensory-processing-disorder/Even though he could read at 2 1/2, read at a 5th grade level with good comprehension at at 5 and do some mental math including some multiplication, he would become fatigued before other kids, had trouble doing some of the physical things other kids did because he didn't have their strength and endurance and he also seemed to have loose joints (a friend of mine once described him as loosey-goosey) which made him seem not as coordinated as other kids. He had trouble catching a ball but we worked on that at home and it seemed like it took him longer to learn dance routines in musical theater class, but I later realized that when he had to sit out some of the dances to rest he was not getting as much practice as the other kids and I think that was part of the reason.
My son could not get more than six weeks of OT because he didn't have a diagnosis. By the time he got a diagnosis of dyspraxia and dysgraphia at age 11, the doctor said it was too late for OT. If my son really has dyspraxia it is very mild because he can learn dances, he gets lead roles and does very well in musical theater, has no trouble with balance, has no trouble learning and learns much faster and retains much more than I can and I usually made straight A's in school, never had any trouble speaking and speaks more clearly than a lot of the kids in his musical theater group, but we both have some symptoms of dyspraxia when we get migraines and he was getting one when he was tested in one all day session even though we told them about the fatigue issues.
My son is homeschooled but he took a writing composition class last year. He said he had trouble paying attention to the teacher in class but is able to learn the material by reading and learning on his own. He made a 98 in the class. He also has dysgraphia but can write legibly for a short time until his muscles get tired. He has no problem with composition or spelling and he used to do well in spelling bees. He had to wear an uncomfortable scoliosis brace during the class also which might have contributed to his attention issues. His sensory issues used to cause him to be distracted by things like clothing tags or his socks not being quite right or his hands were sticky or whatever and sounds sometimes distracted him. He hears and notices things before our dogs sometimes. But even with SPD he has learned to tolerate a painful scoliosis brace and is up to about 10 hours of pain a day now. He needs to be able to tolerate it 16 hours a day which means he needs to sleep in it and he had trouble sleeping before the brace.
Days when he had several musical theater performances were very difficult because he would get tired. He could still perform and he could act like he wasn't that tired but it was not fun for him.
We live in a small town where boys are expected to be involved in sports. They are judged by their sports ability. Most of the kids his age don't want to read or talk about the things he is interested in. Adults describe my son as very articulate and personable but kids think he is shy because he doesn't talk that much around them, but then what does he have to talk to them about?
He took a martial arts class with adults last summer and would do really well for about 45 minutes. He could easily balance on one foot and do the required kicks and punches but it was a one hour class and the instructor said it wasn't fair to the people without his physical issues when he couldn't continue fighting after he became fatigued. He would try so hard and would get to the point where he was going to throw up. There was no place for my son to further develop his motor skills in our small town except for musical theater and dance.
I think my son would have difficulty completing the amount of written work they require in our public school. Time management to me means figuring out how to learn the material in the fastest way possible before the fatigue sets in. He did not have time to color in the lines like the school wanted him to do. The fatigue is not something he can help and sometimes I think it is hard for other people to understand this because I try to explain it and they don't seem to believe me. I am still trying to figure out how my son will advocate for himself when he is just a kid and they don't even believe me.
