My Rosebud

Roses from Brad

There is nothing like a sweet smelling bouquet of roses!  My favorites are the rose buds.  They are so beautiful with the potential of a beautiful flower packed inside. Incredibly fragile and needing to be handled with care, they change the looks of a room.  Roses are known to be symbols of affection that can be classified by their color:  red = passion, white = purity, yellow = friendship, and pink = gratitude.  Receiving roses makes you feel significant.  There is something special about roses.  I love getting roses!

God gave our family a special rose in our daughter Madeline.  She is my little rosebud, so beautiful and fragile.  She is a young lady waiting to bloom into a woman.  Her very presence in the room changes the look of it.  She is a joy.  I have to admit to you though, that at times I have to remind myself she is a joy.  You see, Madeline has Sensory Processing Disorder, SPD, and this sweet little rosebud of mine is also a challenge.  She doesn’t mean to be, but she is nonetheless.  SPD is a daily challenge to her life and the life of our family.  It affects the dynamics of what we do and the atmosphere in which we live and even some of the places we go and how we get there.  That still doesn’t change that she is a gift from God or my little rosebud. 

For those of you who don’t know what SPD is, the Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation’s website explains that:

 “Sensory processing (sometimes called "sensory integration" or SI) is a term that refers to the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioral responses. Whether you are biting into a hamburger, riding a bicycle, or reading a book, your successful completion of the activity requires processing sensation or "sensory integration."

Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD, formerly known as "sensory integration dysfunction") is a condition that exists when sensory signals don't get organized into appropriate responses. Pioneering occupational therapist and neuroscientist A. Jean Ayres, PhD, likened SPD to a neurological "traffic jam" that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information needed to interpret sensory information correctly. A person with SPD finds it difficult to process and act upon information received through the senses, which creates challenges in performing countless everyday tasks. Motor clumsiness, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, school failure, and other impacts may result if the disorder is not treated effectively. “

Madeline Grace Ferris, our little rosebud!

Madeline was diagnosed April of 2009 with SPD.  Since that time she has been under the care of a local pediatric Occupational Therapist, Ginger Whitler, of Evansville’s Center for Pediatric Therapy.  In the last three years we have seen a great change in our daughter and watched her for the first time do things she once could not.  We are forever grateful to God for leading us to Ms. Ginger.  He has used Ginger’s training and skills to do a great work in our daughter’s life.  I can still remember the first time Madeline could skip at age 8.  A small milestone for young children was something our Maddie just couldn’t do and not for a lack of trying.  It was a day of hugs and tears of joy as she mastered that simple activity.  So goes the story even now was we continually work to equip Madeline to overcome this disability and adapt to be able to function in today’s world.

Sensory children seem quirky, are made fun of, and labeled as weird or odd children.  Many people don’t understand why they do the things they do.  Honestly, as a parent of a SPD child, I don’t always understand either.  I am learning to ask her though and usually there is a simple reason given.  For example, last year at summer camp Madeline kept cutting in the line for the shower and it upset the other girls.  They were upset she was cutting, and they had every right to be.  They thought she was being rude.  She was.  When I asked Madeline about why she did it, she said her swim suit was wet and it was very uncomfortable.  It felt bad.  While others don’t think a thing about how their wet suit felt, it was driving her crazy and she wanted it off….NOW!  Bottom line, she needed to wait in line or get dried off and put her robe on and wait in line and we addressed that, however she wasn’t trying to be rude.  She just wanted to get the suit off and feel comfortable.

Sounds have always been a big thing for Madeline.  She can hear a pencil writing over other noises in a room.  It drives her crazy.  She hates the way erasers sound and so we daily battle over erasing her mistakes during school instead of writing over them.  She can’t stand the way jeans feel on her skin so we don’t make her wear them; she wears elastic waist banded or loose fitting clothing.  Textures of food are a battle we have also fought.  She didn’t like meat because it was too chewy and didn’t like chewing gum because it felt wet.  I could go on and on. 

I share all this to say that sensory kids don’t mean to be rude or to act the way they do.  Their bodies and minds work differently than others.  They experience life differently than we do. God has made them incredibly beautiful and fragile just like the multi-colored roses.  When hurt, they can wilt and shrivel up.


Sometimes sensory children are excluded from others or group activities by their own choice as they try to protect themselves from getting hurt; it’s easier to quit or keep to themselves than to be made fun of or rejected.  They may have SPD but they can hear rude comments and feel rejection.  We fight this a lot with Madeline as she can also be a turtle and retreat in her shell.  Sometimes Sensory kids are excluded by others and that brings with it hurt feelings and feelings of inadequacy and rejection.  While other non SPD children deal with the same fears and feelings, the SPD child experiences these feelings in a more intense way and may not be able to move beyond those experiences.  They can have difficulty in making friends or keeping friendships. 

Madeline and her new bike!
Thanks Terry for helping us get it sized!

One of the challenges Madeline has in her life because of her SPD is that she has not been able to master riding a bike.  Next week my little rosebud is going to learn to ride a bike!  She will attend the Evansville’s Easter Seals Lose the Training Wheels Bike Camp.  She will get 75 minutes of one on one time five days next week with a special series of graduated bikes with rollers and then wheels.  Hopefully by the end of the week, she’ll be riding a two wheel bike solo!  I also know however, that may not happen next week and I’m okay with that.  My goal for Madeline next week is simply to become comfortable on a bike and to gain confidence in trying to ride without giving up.    

There is something special about roses.  I love getting roses!  I love Madeline Grace!   I’ll keep you all posted!