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PARENT LEADS WITH CJE SUPPORT Ida Zelaya came to CJE to meet her son’s needs. Now she has created a program for other parents like her. This is her family’s story.
Why would I need to start a support group? Because our son has a mild form of SPD—he’s a sensory seeker, enjoying the feel of wildly swinging, spinning and crashing into things to be ready to listen and learn. After Jacob turned six months, he wouldn’t sleep—no naps, no rest for mom! When he was a toddler, my sister Aimee noticed there was something a little different about him. As he grew and attended a variety of classes, Jacob preferred to be on the perimeter. I always wondered why he was different from the other kids. Last summer, a friend mentioned that he might have Sensory Processing Disorder. So I read The Out-Of-Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz and…it happened. I realized we weren’t alone, and if there was a name for what Jacob had, then there must be a way to help him. We found a way to help through occupational therapy. Our occupational therapist, Jackie Wilson, is wonderful with Jacob. She teaches him how to self-regulate, and she knows exactly what therapies he needs. Jacob is responding well, and Jackie assures us it won’t be a long therapy for Jacob. Once I knew Jacob was in good hands, I realized I needed to learn more about SPD. Last winter, Beth Tfiloh’s Lower School assistant vice principal, Nina Wand, invited me to CJE’s “Teaching the Out-of-Sync Child” workshops along with many teachers from the school, including Susan Yurow and Raellen Polan, who teach Jacob. About 150 people from across the community attended. I learned that SPD was more common than I thought, and I felt I wasn’t alone. arol Stock Kranowitz, a speaker at one of the sessions, provided materials for us, including information on the KIDFoundation and SPDNetwork’s Parent Connections groups. I looked around the workshop room and decided to start a group. SPDBaltimore was born! CJE agreed to co-sponsor my group, offering a meeting place and their extensive resource library for my members to use. Our first meeting was in March with seven members, and I am confident we will continue to grow as word gets out. I also moderate a Yahoo! group called SPDBaltimore for people to continue discussions and share resources between meetings. I’m meeting and helping so many people, getting the word out about SPD, and in return, I’m learning from OTs, therapists, doctors and other moms who’ve dealt with SPD issues a lot longer than I have. SPDBaltimore meets the first Wednesday of every month (except October) at CJE, 5708 Park Heights Ave., 7 – 8:30 p.m. For more information about SPDBaltimore and other networking and workshop opportunities, contact Yael Zelinger, Yad b’Yad Coordinator at CJE, at 410-735-5023 or yzelinger@cjebaltimore.org. SPDBaltimore can be reached at spdbaltimore@aol.com. |
My husband Jim and I moved to Baltimore from California almost eight years ago, looking for a Jewish environment to raise a family. It is here that our “sensational” Jacob, now in kindergarten at Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School, was born. In addition to being a mom and volunteering at Beth Tfiloh, I work at the Jemicy School’s Outreach Center, offer computer training services, create specialty handmade notecards and host a networking and support group, SPD Baltimore, for people whose lives are touched by Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD).