The KID Foundation's Online Resources

The KID Foundation’s programs focus on four areas: research, education, advocacy, and intervention. Many of these programs are Internet-based (or are fully described online) and are available through the SPD Network web site. The links below will take you directly to some of the most popular programs.

(To read about our complete set of programs, please see the KID Foundation’s Current Programs and Future Plans.)

Research

• Sensory Processing Disorder Research. Ongoing scientific research into Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) seeks to understand what is happening in the brains of people with SPD, determine how common the disorder is, and more. Abstracts and articles about the work of Dr. Lucy Jane Miller and others are available.
• Research Planning Conferences. In 2002, the KID Foundation sponsored a Sensory Processing Disorder research planning retreat, at which 12 National Institutes of Health-funded researchers developed a blueprint for future research into SPD. These efforts continued in 2004, at the Neurobiology of Sensory Processing Disorder conference. At the 2004 conference, the participants agreed to formalize their collaborative efforts as the Sensory Processing Disorder Scientific Work Group.

Education

• SPD Network Web Site. Founded in 1996, the SPD Network web site is the primary online source of information about SPD.
• SPD Parent Connections. Parent Connections is a nationwide parent-to-parent support network, now active in more than 35 communities. It is designed to assist the families of children who have Sensory Processing Disorder.
• SPD Resource Directory. The SPD Resource Directory is a national, online database that includes scores of health care, educational, and community resources that cater to children with special needs.
• Conferences and Workshops. Dr. Lucy Jane Miller and others in this field regularly hold educational conferences around the country. Many of these events are geared toward professionals, while some are appropriate for both professionals and parents.
• Consumer Publications. Sensations, a newsletter for parents and others, is available on the SPD Network web site and by mail.

Advocacy

• Diagnostic Manuals. The KID Foundation is advocating for inclusion of Sensory Processing Disorder in the medical community’s standard diagnostic manuals. This will make it easier for children with SPD to be properly diagnosed and treated.

Intervention

• The The Sensory Therapies and Research (STAR) Center The STAR Center provides occupational therapy for children with SPD, and also supports research into SPD.
• Scholarships. When funding is available, the foundation provides treatment scholarships at the STAR Center for children whose families otherwise might not be able to afford treatment for SPD. It also sponsors several children for an SPD summer camp program at STAR and The Children’s Hospital.