I'm a 20 year old with moderate SPD that I've suffered from my entire life, and I spent most of my childhood miserably upset and anxious and unable to put a finger on what was bothering me, because, for instance, birds chirping had never felt like anything other than nails on a chalkboard to me. Please, it's incredibly exciting to see people paying attention to this for once. No one denies that children with autism experience severe sensory processing issues, but the moment it appears in those of us who appear normal, who function in daily life, it's dismissed as overdiagnosis, or whatever. For me, without medication and earplugs and a LOT of effort, I'd have panic attacks at least once or twice a month from not being able to get away from horrific noises or textures, and I'm an adult, capable of walking away and making my own decisions. Anything that can help parents not unknowingly inflict intense pain and anxiety on their children can't be anything but a good thing in my book.

I'll admit it; if I didn't have a son WITH SPD, I'd probably think it was an excuse for parents to label their kids instead of disciplining them. But my son HAS SPD. I have no doubt. And, like the previous commentor stated, it's hard for outsiders to see it as a real diagnosis because kids with SPD can appear on the outside to be "normal." I too am excited to see that SPD is being talked about more and more. It's real.

I'm a new occupational therapist, and in my quest to find a concise book to recommend to parents on SPD, my favorite is  the Sensory Processing Disorder ANSWER book by Tara Delaney. She does an amazing job of breaking down the science of this disorder and explaining it in simplified terms. Anyone (i.e. family members and friends who just don't get it) looking to understand this disorder without getting lost in the clinical jargon should read this book.  I like the Q&A format because you can easily navigate the book and find specific answers immediately.