Some weeks and months as the mom of a child with Sensory Processing Disorder stretch on and on. I can only imagine that those same weeks of struggle feel eternal to the child involved. The past month has been that way in our house.

I won’t expose the specifics of the trials we’re enduring, but suffice it to say that I had a major meltdown over the weekend, I’ve cried nearly every day this week, I’m not getting nearly enough sleep and my heart stays very heavy for my son right now. (Oh, and the cherry on top—can we say Monistat? And pregnant hormones, of course!) It is almost as though Little B has regressed by two years in some respects. Why this season is so hard for him, I do not know. But somehow, every fall, he struggles harder than any other time of year. We start into a cycle that takes so long to break. It’s early this year, by about a month. I truly hope it’s not an indicator that this will get worse before it gets better. His self confidence is taking a beating and he almost seems lost in some other world many times. It breaks my heart. Indeed, my heart aches so much I can hardly find the words to pray for him. I must ask my Lord to intercede for me. I barely know what his needs are at the moment.

I also know he gets severe congestion each fall. He battles coughing, nasal congestion, sinus infections, ear infections and so on. I do think there is at least a mild connection between this and his SPD struggles. But even removing dairy from his diet does not eliminate this problem during the fall season (it helps considerably when spring rolls around, however). I realize there are other things I can adjust in his diet, though it seems he’d only need that seasonally—and to be specific here, how on earth do you begin removing gluten/wheat and sugar from a child’s diet in October, November, and December? Let’s be honest and realistic. This is not the time to introduce new, drastic measures. He already feels horribly self-conscious at parties or when the class has cupcakes, etc, and he has to have something different. (I desperately loathe all birthday parties on account of this.)

My son is so sensitive. He knows he’s feeling angry a lot. I know that it stems from something being “off” internally and frustrating him to this point. I recognize the signs of struggling with transition, making changes, craving tactile input, and other things. I know when all these needs are not met it shows outwardly in attitude—frustration, anger, irritability, even aggression. There are so many diverse facets to his needs that can change by the day or even hour. Knowing how to meet this is virtually impossible at times.