Welcome to the Letter Gang: Decoding SPD, ADD, and More

In December 2018, we finally started on a journey to get our daughter some help for her sensory issues. We knew for a long time she was “different,” but had no idea what exactly set her apart from other kids. 

After meeting with the pediatrician, she gave us a recommendation for occupational therapy. After a few weeks, we finally got in. I thought our first appointment was going to be our “a-ha!” moment, but what happened was we ended up a bit more confused than when we went in. She was, in fact, labeled with sensory processing disorder (it’s not an officially recognized diagnosis), but then so many acronyms started popping up. 

After her first few appointments, my head was spinning! I had a list of letters to look up when I got home, and once I started Googling those, even more appeared. I was so lost. 

So, here is a short reference guide if you are also in the dark like I was:

AAC- assistive augmented communication
AD- attachment disorder
ADD- attention deficit disorder
ADHD- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
APD- auditory processing disorder
AS- Asperger Syndrom
ASD- autism spectrum disorder
DAS- developmental apraxia of speech
DD- developmental disability
ED- emotional disturbed
HI- hearing impaired 
HFA- high functioning autism
GAD- general anxiety disorder
IEP- individual education plan
LCSW- licensed clinical social worker
LFA- low functioning autism
NLD- nonverbal learning disorder
ODC- obsessive compulsive disorder
ODD- oppositional defiant disorder
OT- occupational therapy
PCIT- parent-child interactive therapy
PDD- pervasive developmental disorder
PT- physical therapy
SBMD- sensory-based motor disorder
SC- sensory craving
SDD- sensory discrimination disorder
SI- sensory integration
SIB- self injurious behavior
SLP- speech-language pathologist
SOR- sensory over-responsivity 
SPD- sensory processing disorder
SUR- sensory under-responsivity 

After decoding a few of these suggested acronyms for my daughter, things got a little less overwhelming. I realized she was the exact same kid that I know and love, these just explain why she functions the way she does.

If you are experiencing a similar situation we were, I leave you with these words of encouragement: YGT– you’ve got this!!!