SPD Parent S.H.A.R.E. is an International network of volunteer Support Hosts formed in order to share information, resources, awareness and support to families that are affected by Sensory Processing Disorder.
Becoming a Host for SPD Parent S.H.A.R.E. is a wonderful way to spread the good news about treatment possibilities to other families, clinicians, professionals and teachers.
Our Hosts are dedicated, experienced parents, adults, and professionals who are committed to helping those who wish to understand SPD. They have “traveled this SPD road”, and have seen progress in their children and/or their patients. We know how therapy works, and learned how to help our children at home and in school. No matter where we live, or who we are, we all have something in common:
Our SPD kids have shown improvement! And we all want to share the gift of information, resources and support with others. We want to share our time, our stories, our pitfalls, and wonderful successes with other families that are struggling to deal with lives affected by SPD. We want to give them hope, and we know we can! Because we have lived it.
How Did We Get Started?
In my small American town, only several years ago, when someone mentioned Sensory Processing Disorder, no one here knew what it was. I know this, because I was that someone who asked my friends and neighbors. My family, pediatricians, and staff at our Health Department. I asked everyone I knew and many people I didn’t know. Nope, not a clue. But I had to find someone, anyone who knew about SPD, because I needed to know.
My son had just been diagnosed, and I didn’t understand at all. I had a mountain of questions and no answers. I knew I would have to find answers to help my child, and so I began. Searching for books on the subject I found Carol Kranowitz’s “The Out of Sync Child”. I looked for research about SPD and found Dr. Lucy Miller, the leading researcher in the world devoted full time to studying SPD. I learned as much as I could, and wanted to know more.
I found a few online support groups and joined them, to ask, listen and learn. As I began to understand the answers, one question at a time, I realized that too many knew too little about SPD in my town, and set about to remedy that.
I made up flyers announcing my intention to share my answers with other families, and very slowly, one by one these families found their way to meetings with me. In time these meetings were full of families, and I felt the need to look further than my own neighborhood, to make sure families everywhere learned about this invisible disorder. I created my own online support group, and parents started coming in, from all over America, Canada, England and elsewhere asking the same questions I once had.
And everywhere a resounding need to know, what is Sensory Processing Disorder? How can a parent help their child? I became a Host for Laurie Renke’s “SPD Parent Connections”, under the sponsorship of Dr. Lucy Miller, and with their wise guidance and support was able to broaden my reach to families that included my entire state. Was this enough? You’d think so, wouldn’t you? But no, I was contacted by families far and wide who needed more. More than I alone could give them.
My desire to provide more help, support and information continued to grow. As my own child improved this need to share the wonderful hope and possibilities grew with him. In my resolve to reach more families, I knew I had to create another group, that could reach more than a town, more than a state, maybe even more than a country. I needed parents who would help me share. Parents sharing their hope and answers with other parents.
And with the help of a few wonderful, caring parents by my side, I created SPD Parent S.H.A.R.E.. Parents helping parents everywhere we can, any way we can.
Is this now enough? You’d think so, wouldn’t you? But no. It won’t be enough for me, until every family, in every town, every state and every country knows what Sensory Processing Disorder is, and what they can do to help their own child. Because your child, could have been MY child, and all of us are one big SPD family.
— Michelle Morris; SPD Parent SHARE International Founder and CEO
How Can I Get Involved?
The best way to get involved, is to become a Host for your community! Don’t worry, it’s not as demanding as you might think. It requires love, patience, knowledge, and a desire to reach out and assist others who have children with SPD, or who may suffer from it themselves. That’s about it.
So, if you are interested in learning more about how you can become an official SPD Parent SHARE Host for your community, start by visiting our Hosting page. If you have already made up your mind and are sure you would like to become a Host with us, feel free to send us an email right now at:
administrator@spdparentshare.com
The About Us Section
Here’s what you can look forward to reading in our “About Us” section:
- Hosting
What is an SPD Parent SHARE Host? How can you become one? Find the answers you need for those questions and more, as well as an application, right here. - Our Affiliates
Find links to our partners and sponsors here, as well as information on how you can become an affiate with us. - Contribute
If you have a story to share with us, are just seeking to contact us for any reason, or are interested in ways in which you can help us keep running, this is the section for you. - SPD International
SPD Parent SHARE is a part of the SPD International coalition, find our parent site and information about this coalition here.