The DSM committee has asked us to provide research showing that doctors would use an SPD diagnosis if it were added to the DSM-V. Showing use by international physicians is important, too, because diagnostic recognition in the DSM will lead to inclusion in comparable international manuals.

In response to the DSM committee's request, we have developed a very short online physician survey (it literally takes a doctor three minutes to complete).

WE NEED TO GET THIS SURVEY INTO THE HANDS OF PHYSICIANS
WHO UNDERSTAND AND SUPPORT SPD AS A DIAGNOSIS.
You and everyone you know are crucial to this effort.

If you are a parent, please ask the pediatrician, psychiatrist, other physician (MD), or osteopathic doctor (DO) who treats your child to go online and take our survey. If you are a clinician, a teacher, or another professional, please ask any physicians you know - especially those familiar with SPD - to take survey. They will do this as a favor to you.

WE HAVE TO BEGIN ANALYZING DATA ON AUGUST 5 TO MEET OUR DEADLINE.
We will not get enough results in time unless you help us!

Think of the best way to approach doctors you know to gain their cooperation. A few ideas are:

• If you have the doctor's e-mail, simply cut and paste the message below (which includes the URL link to the survey) into an email to your doctor. Use a "subject" line sure to grab attention such as, "I need your help quickly." Add a personal plea explaining the importance of this survey to you. Ask for help as a personal favor to you and your child or to you and your clients. Be sure to stress the deadline for completion.
• If you don't have the doctor's e-mail, call their office and ask for the appropriate person who handles patient/colleague requests. Explain why you are calling (emphasizing the importance of the doctor's participation as a personal favor to you and your child or to you and your clients). Explain that it is an online survey and ask the intermediary to provide an e-mail address where you can forward the doctor the survey link and instructions. Be sure to mention that the survey takes less than 3 minutes. If that person will not provide an e-mail, ask to leave a message so that your may speak directly to the doctor about this effort and gain their cooperation.
• If needed, stop by the doctor's office to personally deliver the request (you may have to call ahead and ask for a time when you can do this). Ask the doctor to complete the survey as a personal favor to you and your child or to you and your clients. If the doctor is not available, ask to speak to the doctor's assistant or another staff member who will personally deliver your request to the doctor.
• As a last resort, fax or mail the request to the doctor. Be sure to include the information in the e-mail below including the URL. Emphasize the need for immediacy in your note and give the deadline to complete the survey. Explain that the URL must be entered EXACTLY as shown (direction of slashes, lower case vs. caps, etc.). Give them the option to call or e-mail you so that you can forward the survey link.

A message you can customize and send to your doctor appears at the bottom of this page.

IT IS ESSENTIAL that you do not click the link to the survey unless you are a physician! The DSM committee wants feedback from physicians ONLY.

If you want to see the survey before you send it to a physician,
click here to see a PDF version.

Please support the DSM initiative by recruiting your child's physicians or your physician colleagues to take our survey so we can show that doctors would use the SPD diagnosis if it were in the DSM-V.

One last thing: If you are involved in online support groups for sensational families or blog about your life or work with children who have SPD, forward this message or post a link to the survey and help us reach out to physicians who understand and support SPD as a diagnosis. We are shooting for 2,500 responses in three weeks. To have a chance at that number, we need to mobilize grassroots support worldwide. Give the DSM initiative a push: Hit the Forward button to others who support the DSM initiative.

One technical detail: Be aware that the survey can be completed only ONE time per single computer. If multiple doctors share a single computer, only one physician will be able to hit the link and complete the survey at that computer. Other members of the practice will need to forward the link to their personal computers in order to take the survey.

Dear (YOUR PHYSICIAN'S NAME),

The DSM-V committee is requesting data from physicians about Sensory Processing Disorder. Below is a link to a three-minute online survey. The survey will provide data about whether the new diagnosis would be used in the medical community. By taking this very short survey, you will help answer the usefulness question.

The millions of children, adults, and families living with SPD need the diagnostic status and standards of assessment and treatment that come with diagnostic recognition in the DSM. Diagnostic recognition will also make it easier for families to get reimbursed for the services their children need and for scientists to receive the funding they need to continue researching the disorder.

Thank you for taking a few minutes to answer the basic questions in the survey. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Kim Leserman at 310.937.9992. One technical detail: Be aware that the survey can be completed only ONE time per single computer. If multiple doctors share a single computer, only one physician will be able to hit the link and complete the survey at that computer. Other members of the practice will need to forward the link to their personal computers in order to take the survey.

To take the survey, click on this link or copy the link into your browser to begin: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Z_2fq3hEB9sY77Dej5CDCRqQ_3d_3d

Sincerely, (YOUR NAME)

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