Sensory Processing Disorder: Every family has a story

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Jenna, 6

Dawn is a midwestern, forty-ish SAHM who was on her way to a PhD in Clinical Psychology when the universe decided it had other plans.

Jenna is a spunky 6-year-old who was born with a triple intestinal atresia, which means her small intestine wasn’t formed correctly and wasn’t fully connected. She had surgery when she was only two days old and ended up with only about half the normal length of small intestine, a diagnosis of Short Bowel Syndrome, and a g-tube for feeding. She spent three months in the NICU and developed chronic lung problems somewhere along the way, resulting in a diagnosis of Bronchiolitis obliterans.

After we noticed more and more significant delays in major motor milestones and she began complaining of foot and hip pain, we visited a long list of specialists who diagnosed her with Cerebral Palsy at age 4. She has additionally been diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder and Developmental Dyspraxia. Aside from all those medical and developmental labels, she is a little girl full of joy who loves to share it with the world. If she’s awake, she never stops talking, and she’s often too smart for her own good. She loves to boss anyone who will allow it and looks to be on track for ruling the world. We just hope to channel these skills for good and not evil.