Possible ADD or SPD?

[Dad-of-3]

Hi all. First time poster. I’ve just recently come across this site, and it looks like a wonderful thing.
I’m wondering if anyone here has experience with AD(H)D and/or Sensory Processing Disorder. We’ve wondered about our eldest, who is 6 in Feb, for a couple years now, on and off. She’s a bright kid, full of spark, and doesn’t seem to have any trouble making friends. She’s just finished kindergarten and for now, there don’t seem to be any major learning difficulties except for distraction. That being said, she is exhibiting some behaviours which are starting to concern us. The most recent is that she is constantly either humming or clicking. This has really been peaking recently, and when I looked it up yesterday I discovered SPD. Some of the other symptoms are:
Being overly busy/fidgeting
Cant sit still
Slumping at the dinner table
Dragging herself along walls.
Always bumping into things and tripping over stuff.
Has some trouble using utensils for meals.

She has always had a bit of a selfish/greedy streak, and is prone to stuffing her self with food, especially with lollies at parties. She has also forever been a very messy kid.

I should mention that she has a great creative flair - loves drawing, painting, colouring, singing, dancing, swinging/hanging, generally being a monkey.
We’re planning on starting her in gymnastics in term 1 next year, and are now waiting to hear back about starting her early in the holiday program. We’re hoping this will burn up some excess energy.

We’re not terribly keen on the idea of medication at this point. Does anyone have any ideas/experiences/recommendations?

My apologies for the long winded post.

Merry Christmas

[Sophia-RO]

Hello @Dad-of-3 , thanks for sharing with us. It is awesome that you are reaching out for advice and further support around what you are currently going through. Sounds like you care a lot about your daughter and that you are wanting to support her in everyway possible. I think its also great that you have been looking to get your daughter into some fun activities as it sounds like this will be good for your daughter. In terms of recommendations for your concerns about your daughters behaviour, I would encourage you to approach your local GP for support. You can raise your concerns with them and discuss the specific behavioural instances and symptoms that you are worried about. They might suggest that you and your daughter see a psychologist that can assess her behaviour and make some additional suggestions. Seeing a clinical psychologist would be helpful as they can assess your daughter and make recommendations or possible diagnoses. I hope that you find this to be helpful!

[Dad-of-3]

Thanks for your response @Sophia-RO. At this stage we’re not really looking to go down the medical intervention path. We’d firstly like to see if any lifestyle changes etc may help. If they do, then it’s something we can keep working on. If they don’t, then we can start to look at fling down the medical path.

[Sophia-RO]

Hello @Dad-of-3 , no worries, it is understandable that you are looking at other avenues first. I just wanted to mention that you can also discuss other strategies with psychologists such as behavioural interventions which might be helpful as another option for your daughter Hope this helps!