A couple of weeks ago I got a sheet from our Occupational Therapist (who will be coming on board soon) about how to incorporate sensory input into your child's daily activities. I think they're great ideas so I wanted to share them with you.
BATH TIME: Scrub with washcloth or bath brush, try a variety of soaps and lotions for bathing, play on the wall with shaving cream or bathing foam, rub body with lotion after bath time (deep massage), sprinkle powder onto body and brush or rub into skin.
MEAL PREPARATION OR BAKING: Let your child mix ingredients, especially the thick ones that will really work those muscles. Let child mix and roll dough and push flat. Allow child to help you carry posts and pans, bowls of water or ingredients (with supervision, of course). Let you child tenderize meat with the meat mallet.
GROCERY SHOPPING: Have your child push the heavy cart (as long as the weight is within their capabilities). Let your child help carry heave groceries and help put them away.
MEALTIME: Encourage eating of chewy foods and drinking out of a straw. Try having your child sit on an air cushion to allow some movement. A weighted lap blanket may be helpful as well.
HOUSEHOLD CHORES: Allow the child to help with the vacuuming or moving the furniture. Let the child help carry the laundry basket or the detergent. Let the child help with digging for gardening or landscaping.
PLAYTIME: Reading books in a rocking chair or bean-bag chair may be beneficial. You can help your child make up obstacle courses in the house or yard using crawling, jumping, hopping, skipping, rolling, etc. Listen to soft music. Play the sandwich game (child lies in between two pillows and pretends to be the sandwich, while you provide pressure to the top pillow to the child's desired amount.) Ask them "harder or softer?" as you push on the pillow. Some children will like much more pressure than you would expect. you can also go for a neighborhood walk with a wagon and have your child pull it (make it semi-heavy by loading it with something the child would like to pull around). You can do the same with the baby-doll carriage. Swimming in a pool is a wonderful activity if you have that available,, as are horseback riding and bowling. Mini or full-size trampolines are excellent for providing sensory input as well. Make sure the child is using them safely. Sandboxes or big containers of beans or popcorn kernels can be fun play-boxes too if you add small cards, shovels, cups, etc.
ERRANDS AND APPOINTMENTS: Before visiting the dentist or hairdresser try deep massage to the head or scalp (of tolerated), or try having your child wear a weighted hat. Try chewy foods or vibration to the mouth with an electric toothbrush. Let your child wear a heavy backpack (weighted to their liking with books and with the straps padded as needed). Be sure to give the child ample warning before any changes in routine or any unscheduled trips or errands. Many children with SPD need predictability.
OTHER GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR THE HOME:
~ Keep routines and possessions organized.
~ Be consistent with rules and consequences.
~ Keep an activity schedule or calendar posted.
~ Create specific routines for troublesome times of the day (bedtime or getting ready for school).
~ Discuss upcoming anticipated changes in routine at a point in time that is beneficial for your child. You will have to experiment with how early the child "needs to know".
~ Try to indirectly use your child's sensory preferences for fun rewards to help you handle behavior. For example, having your child work towards an extra trip to go bowling or horseback riding may be helpful. However, try not to restrict movement activities when you child is being disciplined. For example, taking away recess time or playground time for not sitting at the table appropriately during dinner may not be the most effective way to deal with these issues. Your child may need movement time, and by removing it, his or her behavior may actually become more difficult later.
Try some of these suggestions and let me know if they work for you. I'd love to hear feedback if you do them. I would also love any tips that you can offer on how you deal with your child's tantrums, behaviors, etc.
Showing posts with label Developemental Therapy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Developemental Therapy. Show all posts
Monday
Pacific Pediatric Supply Review & Giveaway
I am so excited to tell you all about our new review and giveaway! This is going to be great! The reasons why I'm so excited about it is because #1: they're great giveaways, #2: I know they will help out your kids and #3: they're awesome products that are so fun! So are you on the edge of your seat yet? This months giveaway is:
1 Doorway Net Swing System
and
2 Peanut Balls
2 Peanut Balls
That's right! I have *3* things to giveaway and all from Pacific Pediatric Supply! They have been so generous in this giveaway! So I will have not one, not two but three winners this month! Let me tell you a little bit about Pacific Pediatric Supply!
Pacific Pediatric Supply is based out of California and was started in 2004 by a husband and wife team! Since then, they have been providing a new source of innovative, high quality sensory integration products for autistic and special needs children. Over the past 4+ years they have become a wonderful, growing supplier helping schools, day cares, clinics, hospitals and homes across the globe!
Their main website offers over 1,000 products! They also have over 300 products on their Ebay store and 400 products on Amazon. They sell wholesale to websites and magazines and even internationally! Whatever the needs of your child Pacific Pediatric Supply has products for kids and parents! Here is a list of their product categories:
(click on any link below to see what products are offered in that category!)
~ Early Learning , Books and DVDs, Exercise and Strengthening, Fine Motor and Handwriting, Positioning, Oral Motor, Sensory and Tactile, Sensory Integration and Weighted Items, Specialty Furniture
~ Early Learning , Books and DVDs, Exercise and Strengthening, Fine Motor and Handwriting, Positioning, Oral Motor, Sensory and Tactile, Sensory Integration and Weighted Items, Specialty Furniture
Whether you have a special needs child or work in a special needs facility, these products are for you! Here are a couple photos of just some of the products they offer.
Toddler Rockers
Tactile Brushes
Porcupine Balls
Chewies
Body Sox
Body Sox
As I said before Pacific Pediatric Supply is giving away 3 prizes! They sent me one net swing and one peanut ball to review and my kids love them. They're not only good for therapy but they're also good for fun activities so they can get their energy out! Take a look at this short video of one of the prizes being given away. (And don't mind me saying, 'um' every ten seconds! I was trying to quietly control my son while taping! lol)
Cool net swing huh? My kids love it and I'm sure yours will too! All 3 of my children have SPD and have been in therapy now for a while. However, my youngest daughter is the one that needs ongoing therapy every day. This swing is something that really helps give her input to make her day a little easier. If I'd let her, she would stay in it all day long. As you can see in the video we put a body pillow in the swing to make it easier for her to get in and out of. However, you can also lay down in it on your back or belly without a pillow. The full system net swing is a $97 value and comes with a doorway support bar, rope extensions, swing, screws and instructions. The nets rope is of good quality and holds up to 175lbs. And when installed correctly doesn't interfere with the door opening and closing.
Let's move on; below is a picture of the peanut ball. This ball is used just like a yoga ball would be for therapy the only difference is that it is designed so that children can do it on their own. With this their feet touch the ground so they can jump without having to hold on to someone or something to keep them from falling. Very brilliant idea if you ask me! I was surprised at the quality of plastic used to make this ball. It's very thick so it won't puncture easily. I really liked the fact that it is good for therapy OR just for exercise! And with being only $28 they are affordable.
Well now I have introduced you to Pacific Pediatric Supply, showed you pictures of some of their products and given you links to check them out further. Now it's time to tell you how you can win one of the prizes.
MANDATORY ENTRY:
Head over to Pacific Pediatric Supply and look around. Come back and in a comment tell us one of your favorite products that we did not talk about here.
Head over to Pacific Pediatric Supply and look around. Come back and in a comment tell us one of your favorite products that we did not talk about here.
EXTRA ENTRIES:
~ Blog about this giveaway with links back to us and Pacific Pediatric Supply
(5 entry points)
~ Tell us one thing you learned about Pacific Pediatric Supply that we did not talk about here.
(4 entry points)
~ Follow us on Twitter
(3 entry points)
~ Fave us on Technorati
(3 entry points)
~ Follow this blog
(3 entry points)
~ Grab our button and display it on your blog
(3 entry points)
UNLIMITED ENTRIES:
~ Tweet this giveaway and in a comment give us your tweet URL
(2 tweets only per day please)
Contest ends on June 22 at 12pm Central time. Winners will be picked using a random generator and announced later on in the day. Only one prize per person/household. The winners will then have to answer our confirmation email and respond within 48 hours or a new winner(s) will be drawn. No exceptions!
Contestants may only enter using one name and one email address to enter. Any contestant that does not follow the rules (i.e. Mandatory entry FIRST, spoofed entries, etc.) will be disqualified.
Thanks for entering this giveaway and good luck to everyone!
Wednesday
Therapy Thursday
Thank you for your question! Therapeutic Listening is a complex treatment and there really isn't a lot of research on it. Please let me know if I have answered your question adequately.
Question: Good luck with TL(Therapeutic Listening)! I've heard and read about how great an impact it can have. We tried it with our four year old and we unfortunately fell into the under reported unsuccessful category which you alluded to briefly. I'm curious about what you know about the downside affects. We are having a difficult time pinning our OT down on the potential for adverse affects.
Answer: I am assuming you were wondering about research on the adverse effects rather than word of mouth. According to a paper published by the Autism Research Institute (B. Rimland and S Edelson 1991), the Berard and Tomatis Auditory Training programs are not harmful. Therapeutic Listening is based on these approaches. They also report that some people experience "mild-not severe-side effects during and after the training sessions, including irritability, mood swings, hyperactivity, and fatigue". This is based on parent report rather than actual data.
On a personal note, both Stefanie and I have children who have participated in Therapeutic Listening. Both of our sons had the experience of throwing up once while listening to the music. It can have a surprisingly intense effect on some kids. For both children, this was a one time thing. In addition to the above side effects mentioned, I have had parents report changes in eating and sleeping habits. Children with sensory issues often have eating, sleeping issues and mood swings before beginning Therapeutic Listening. It is sometimes hard to tell what is actually caused by the music.
Question: Good luck with TL(Therapeutic Listening)! I've heard and read about how great an impact it can have. We tried it with our four year old and we unfortunately fell into the under reported unsuccessful category which you alluded to briefly. I'm curious about what you know about the downside affects. We are having a difficult time pinning our OT down on the potential for adverse affects.
Answer: I am assuming you were wondering about research on the adverse effects rather than word of mouth. According to a paper published by the Autism Research Institute (B. Rimland and S Edelson 1991), the Berard and Tomatis Auditory Training programs are not harmful. Therapeutic Listening is based on these approaches. They also report that some people experience "mild-not severe-side effects during and after the training sessions, including irritability, mood swings, hyperactivity, and fatigue". This is based on parent report rather than actual data.
On a personal note, both Stefanie and I have children who have participated in Therapeutic Listening. Both of our sons had the experience of throwing up once while listening to the music. It can have a surprisingly intense effect on some kids. For both children, this was a one time thing. In addition to the above side effects mentioned, I have had parents report changes in eating and sleeping habits. Children with sensory issues often have eating, sleeping issues and mood swings before beginning Therapeutic Listening. It is sometimes hard to tell what is actually caused by the music.
Our experience with Therapeutic Listening!
A week or so ago I told you all about Therapeutic Listening and that children with SPD, among other things, can benefit from it. I also told you how it can make your child sick if not done properly. TL is very strong and should not be fooled around with. Well now I have my own proof to that.
Last week Little Man was at his weekly OT appointment. After about a half hour he and his therapist came out and she told me he had thrown up. He was white and when I say white I mean he was as white as rice! You could tell he didn't feel well. His therapist, who I really like, said that she thought it was because he was in the swing while doing the TL and was in it too long. I felt so bad for him and so did she. But after about 20 minutes, some water on his face, some water to drink and some down time he was back to his normal hyper self.
This past Monday Little Miss had an awful day! She was throwing tantrums, having major meltdowns and was very clingy, screaming and crying, etc. and so on. Nothing I did made any difference so I decided to sit her at the table with her TL headphones on and give her a sensory activity to do along with it. After about 10 minutes she was done. The strange thing was she was worse then she was before. I finally had to put her in her crib because I was afraid she was going to hurt herself (she bangs her head against things when she gets in one of these meltdowns.) After about 5 minutes I got her out of her crib and sat her down for dinner. She ate and ate and ate! All together she had about 4 kid sized plates of pasta, applesauce and cauliflower. She was an empty pit that wasn't getting full. She has been behind in communication but has been getting better with ST, OT and DT so she is saying some new words and new signs.
I spoke with her OT about it yesterday and she said that is was probably because she was so hungry and didn't know how to tell me and the music made her stomach hurt. Well then I just of course felt terrible! So now we are working on the "eat" sign! So my whole point is that even if your therapist helps you with TL and tells you what to do you need to be very observant of your child so that if they begin to feel sick you notice and stop the music. Having a child with sensory issues and having them not feel well equals major meltdowns!
This is my first hand experience with TL and my kids being overwhelmed by it. Please be careful when you do TL with your child(ren). Don't ever attempt TL on your own without the supervision and advice of your therapist!
For those of you that already do TL with your child(ren) here is a small list of things you can let your child do while listening to the music to give added input.
Sensory play activities to pair with headphones and music:
~ Washing cars in a basin or bowl
~ washing babies in a basin or bowl
~ yogurt or pudding paint on paper, mat or themselves
~ magnets on a pan
~ sorting balls, cereal, etc in muffin tins
~ markers, crayons and paper
~ bingo dabbers
~ puzzles
~ necklaces made out of cereal
~ hide small beads in some playdoh and let your child go through and pick them out and sort them however you want.
Do you have any more suggestions that we can add to this list? Please leave your suggestions in a comment!
Last week Little Man was at his weekly OT appointment. After about a half hour he and his therapist came out and she told me he had thrown up. He was white and when I say white I mean he was as white as rice! You could tell he didn't feel well. His therapist, who I really like, said that she thought it was because he was in the swing while doing the TL and was in it too long. I felt so bad for him and so did she. But after about 20 minutes, some water on his face, some water to drink and some down time he was back to his normal hyper self.
This past Monday Little Miss had an awful day! She was throwing tantrums, having major meltdowns and was very clingy, screaming and crying, etc. and so on. Nothing I did made any difference so I decided to sit her at the table with her TL headphones on and give her a sensory activity to do along with it. After about 10 minutes she was done. The strange thing was she was worse then she was before. I finally had to put her in her crib because I was afraid she was going to hurt herself (she bangs her head against things when she gets in one of these meltdowns.) After about 5 minutes I got her out of her crib and sat her down for dinner. She ate and ate and ate! All together she had about 4 kid sized plates of pasta, applesauce and cauliflower. She was an empty pit that wasn't getting full. She has been behind in communication but has been getting better with ST, OT and DT so she is saying some new words and new signs.
I spoke with her OT about it yesterday and she said that is was probably because she was so hungry and didn't know how to tell me and the music made her stomach hurt. Well then I just of course felt terrible! So now we are working on the "eat" sign! So my whole point is that even if your therapist helps you with TL and tells you what to do you need to be very observant of your child so that if they begin to feel sick you notice and stop the music. Having a child with sensory issues and having them not feel well equals major meltdowns!
This is my first hand experience with TL and my kids being overwhelmed by it. Please be careful when you do TL with your child(ren). Don't ever attempt TL on your own without the supervision and advice of your therapist!
For those of you that already do TL with your child(ren) here is a small list of things you can let your child do while listening to the music to give added input.
Sensory play activities to pair with headphones and music:
~ Washing cars in a basin or bowl
~ washing babies in a basin or bowl
~ yogurt or pudding paint on paper, mat or themselves
~ magnets on a pan
~ sorting balls, cereal, etc in muffin tins
~ markers, crayons and paper
~ bingo dabbers
~ puzzles
~ necklaces made out of cereal
~ hide small beads in some playdoh and let your child go through and pick them out and sort them however you want.
Do you have any more suggestions that we can add to this list? Please leave your suggestions in a comment!
Monday
Therapeutic Listening
If you have a child with SPD or any sensory issues then you probably already know about Therapeutic Listening and what it offers. But in case you don't know what I'm talking about then let me explain a little.
Therapeutic Listening is basically a therapy of music. The specially designed music works with your child on vestibular, sensory, auditory, etc. and is very powerful. The music goes really high pitched and low pitched. It's like a roller coaster of sounds and can make you dizzy or even sick if you listen to it too long and/or don't need it. To learn more please click here. Although TL is great, it is expensive and is not recommended for every child or every need. It is not something to mess around with and should only be done with the support and supervision of your Occupational or Developmental Therapist that is trained to work with it.
We are starting TL with Little Miss and today did a little extra. We (April & I) put her at the table with her headphones on and some sensory activities to play with. Doing both at the same time gives extra input and can really help their mood, behavior, spacial awareness and so on. Little Man does TL in a swing at his therapy sessions once a week too. Swinging while doing TL is another great way to give your child extra input.
We started with a very low CD for her called Rhythm & Rhymes. It is great for Little Miss because they're actually songs she will listen to and at some point start singing along with the music because they are toddler songs that every kid listens to and enjoys but redone in a way that works with certain issues. Little Miss did great with it today. She sat at the table, listened and played with a water activity and then some whip cream on a place mat. Those two activities are great for sensory play. After about 10 or 15 minutes she decided she was done and gave them back to me. Here are a couple pics of her this morning.
If your child has sensory issues and you're interested in learning more about Therapeutic Listening ask your OT or DT about it! Most therapists that are trained in it will have items that you can borrow. Like Little Miss' therapists; April (DT) gave us the headphones, travel pouch and a couple cds to start with. And Little Miss' OT gave us a kids therapeutic cd to work with. But please do not attempt to start Therapeutic Listening on your own. ALWAYS consult with your child's therapist(s) before starting any therapy.
I would also love some feedback from those of you that are or have used it with your kids. Did they like it? Did it help? Would you recommend it? What are your overall thoughts on it?
Thursday
Join us for Therapy Thursdays
Hello everyone and welcome back! I am here to tell everyone that now on Thursdays we are going to have something called Therapy Thursdays. All you have to do is email me or Michelle with any questions or comments that you want either heard or answered and we will put them in a post with the advice from one of our therapists on Thursdays.
We are bringing two therapists on board to help with questions, comments, new ideas and so on. They are Little Miss' Developmental Therapist, April (we will post her intro as soon as we can) and Little Miss' Speech Therapist, Shireen (who has already posted her intro). Please give them a warm welcome and have your questions and/or comments in by Tuesday of each week so they have time to answer all of them.
From time to time they may also post links to new places for you to check out, new ideas on different therapy ideas, at home recipes for you to try with your youngins and so on. I can't wait for our first Therapy Thursday which will start next week. So mark your calendars and submit your questions by Tuesday. See you all then!
We are bringing two therapists on board to help with questions, comments, new ideas and so on. They are Little Miss' Developmental Therapist, April (we will post her intro as soon as we can) and Little Miss' Speech Therapist, Shireen (who has already posted her intro). Please give them a warm welcome and have your questions and/or comments in by Tuesday of each week so they have time to answer all of them.
From time to time they may also post links to new places for you to check out, new ideas on different therapy ideas, at home recipes for you to try with your youngins and so on. I can't wait for our first Therapy Thursday which will start next week. So mark your calendars and submit your questions by Tuesday. See you all then!
Friday
Interview: Lori's Child
Ok everyone here is another new interview. Lori found us and asked to do an interview. She adopted her son from China and recently found out that he has SPD. Please give her a warm welcome and show her some support. Thanks!
My name is Lori and I am a 43 year old stay at home mom to one child, "M". Our family -- "M", and my husband and I -- live in the Ohio.
~ How old was your son when you adopted him?
"M" was 10 months old when we adopted him.
~ What was his life like before he was blessed with you?
"M" lived in an orphanage for the first 10 months of his life. We did not get to visit the orphanage, but we did see pictures of it and it appeared to be in good repair, well kept and clean. His primary caregiver had 7 children that she cared for at the orphanage. When we adopted him, his head was very flat on the backside indicating that he spent most of his time on his back in his crib. He also held his arms at an odd angle -- at 90 degree angles to his body, which is the only place he would be able to see his arms if he was lying down. The flat head has corrected itself and the odd arm holding disappeared after a couple of months with us.
~ How old is your son?
"M" is currently 28 months old.
~ When did you first notice that something just wasn't 100% with your son?
We always thought that something was different about "M". The adoption agencies always tell you that it takes about a year for these kids to catch up. At 10 months old, "M" could not sit up by himself or roll over. In the first few months he did catch on to lots of things pretty quickly. I remember the first night he rolled over he was about 11 months and he did it all night because it was so exciting to him. He did not sleep a wink that night.
After we had "M" home for a year, it just didn't seem like he was catching up anymore. In fact, in some respects it seemed like he was falling further behind. Also, he mastered things in very strange ways. For example, he would walk between my husband and I at about 13 months, but he completely stopped doing that after about a month. I attributed it to the fact that he had learned to crawl and that was good enough with him, but he did not attempt walking again until about 20 months. He mastered using a spoon at about 18 months. Over the last 10 months, he has regressed with respect to utensils. Sometimes he will use them like a champ for several weeks and then refuse to use them for several weeks. Right now, he is refusing to use any utensils or plates. He learns new words and then never uses them again. Occasionally, he will revert to crawling.
The biggest thing that clued me in to a potential problem was the fact that "M" did not "play" with toys. He just mouthed them and put them places -- even at 2 years old. When in a group play setting, "M" did not participate -- just fluttered around the edges doing his own thing. "M" does not like to crawl up on things, go down sliding boards, ride on riding toys or play with balls (he just hugs them and carries them around -- very sweet but concerning).
~ When was your son diagnosed? And how old was he?
"M" was just officially diagnosed this week, though I did my own diagnosis weeks ago. The way it all came about was very strange. We had been seeing an occupational therapist since October for help with "M's" fine motor skills. At one appointment in January, "M" was acting up, throwing tantrums, not wanting to participate. The OT suggested that "M" may benefit from a brushng protocol. She explained it to me and I thought it sounded very strange. I went home and did some on line research and discovered Sensory Processing Disorder. At this point, no one had told me anything about this disorder. I got several books and read them and knew that this is what afflicts "M". It was kind of like being told you need to have chemo for a liver problem, going home and looking on line to find out what chemo treats and finding out you had cancer -- strange! I knew I had to find a local "expert" to help us and I was able to do so. We met with her this week for an evaluation and she confirmed what I have known.
~ What kind of therapy (if any) does your child receive?
"M" currently receives Occupational Therapy once a week and Speech Therapy once a week. We are seeing the Physical Therapist who is the Sensory Processing Disorder expert twice a month and an Early Intervention Specialist twice a month.
~ Do you feel like the therapy is helping?
I have not had an overhelming feeling that any of our therapies are helping tremendously and I feel like it is because of a lack of focus on SPD thus far. Now that all therapists involved know about "M's" sensory issues, I feel like we are going to be getting more focused therapy and that we should see improvements.
~ What is your biggest challenge that you face with SPD?
I think "M" is so inhibited physically that it is affecting everything he does. That is "M's" biggest challenge. My biggest challenge is finding enough time in the day to get all of his therapies completed, get play time in, feed my family, get "M" to his multitudes of therapy appointments and still find time to clean my house! AND I'M A STAY AT HOME MOM! I really don't know how anyone who is working can keep up with it all.
~ What are some of the things you do with your son to help them during a meltdown or tantrum?
"M" responds well to giant bear hugs. Also, if I can get him to laugh, we are done with the tantrum. Tickling sometimes does it for him and I know that sounds strange as many children with SPD do not resond well to tickling. It seems to work for him. His latest thing is hitting and head butting -- that is a challenging one as I sometimes cannot get close enough to give him a hug without getting a head butt to the lip. In fact, I had a bloody lip just this morning.
~ What are some of your son's symptoms?
"M" has a very interesting way of eating. As I described above, he refuses utensils and plates but that isn't the only eating issue. He will put food in his mouth, chew it and then spit it out. He has done this since he started eating table food and we, of course, had hoped he would "outgrow" this lovely trait by now, but he hasn't. It makes for some very messy meals.
"M" has very distinct "good" days and "bad" days. On bad days, he just wants me to hold him and listen to music. He walks around crying alot. Thankfully, we have not had a full blown bad day since early January. Can that be because of brushing as that is when we started? I'm not sure. Good days are peppered with lots of giggling, lots of energy and lots of energetic head shaking and ear covering. We have tantrums on both kinds of days.
~ How do you deal with your stress?
I have discovered the awesome benefits of strenuous exercise. I get up at 5:20 to get to the gym by 6 and home before "M's" dad leaves for work. I know I'm going to be exhausted by "M's" naptime anyway, so since I'm going to nap at that time, I figured I might as well get up early. It is also of huge benefit in handling my stress to interact with other parents who have children with these same issues.
~ What is something you want all parents of children with SPD to know?
I don't really have enough knowledge to answer that question yet but there is something I want all parents of ALL children to consider. It seems to me like MOST learning disabilities are based in some way to sensory issues, and our local "expert" agrees. If parents don't address them properly then they may just end up on the ADHD/ADD drug bandwagon needlessly. Also, if you THINK that something isn't 100% about your child, you are probably right. Find out what it is because the younger your child is when these issues are brought to light, the easier they will be to remedy. It could mean the difference between 6 months of therapy vs. years of therapy. These aren't issues that children just "outgrow", they grow around them making it more difficult to get to the source.
Thank you for interviewing me! I hope I've been of some help to someone.
"M" was just officially diagnosed this week, though I did my own diagnosis weeks ago. The way it all came about was very strange. We had been seeing an occupational therapist since October for help with "M's" fine motor skills. At one appointment in January, "M" was acting up, throwing tantrums, not wanting to participate. The OT suggested that "M" may benefit from a brushng protocol. She explained it to me and I thought it sounded very strange. I went home and did some on line research and discovered Sensory Processing Disorder. At this point, no one had told me anything about this disorder. I got several books and read them and knew that this is what afflicts "M". It was kind of like being told you need to have chemo for a liver problem, going home and looking on line to find out what chemo treats and finding out you had cancer -- strange! I knew I had to find a local "expert" to help us and I was able to do so. We met with her this week for an evaluation and she confirmed what I have known.
~ What kind of therapy (if any) does your child receive?
"M" currently receives Occupational Therapy once a week and Speech Therapy once a week. We are seeing the Physical Therapist who is the Sensory Processing Disorder expert twice a month and an Early Intervention Specialist twice a month.
~ Do you feel like the therapy is helping?
I have not had an overhelming feeling that any of our therapies are helping tremendously and I feel like it is because of a lack of focus on SPD thus far. Now that all therapists involved know about "M's" sensory issues, I feel like we are going to be getting more focused therapy and that we should see improvements.
~ What is your biggest challenge that you face with SPD?
I think "M" is so inhibited physically that it is affecting everything he does. That is "M's" biggest challenge. My biggest challenge is finding enough time in the day to get all of his therapies completed, get play time in, feed my family, get "M" to his multitudes of therapy appointments and still find time to clean my house! AND I'M A STAY AT HOME MOM! I really don't know how anyone who is working can keep up with it all.
~ What are some of the things you do with your son to help them during a meltdown or tantrum?
"M" responds well to giant bear hugs. Also, if I can get him to laugh, we are done with the tantrum. Tickling sometimes does it for him and I know that sounds strange as many children with SPD do not resond well to tickling. It seems to work for him. His latest thing is hitting and head butting -- that is a challenging one as I sometimes cannot get close enough to give him a hug without getting a head butt to the lip. In fact, I had a bloody lip just this morning.
~ What are some of your son's symptoms?
"M" has a very interesting way of eating. As I described above, he refuses utensils and plates but that isn't the only eating issue. He will put food in his mouth, chew it and then spit it out. He has done this since he started eating table food and we, of course, had hoped he would "outgrow" this lovely trait by now, but he hasn't. It makes for some very messy meals.
"M" has very distinct "good" days and "bad" days. On bad days, he just wants me to hold him and listen to music. He walks around crying alot. Thankfully, we have not had a full blown bad day since early January. Can that be because of brushing as that is when we started? I'm not sure. Good days are peppered with lots of giggling, lots of energy and lots of energetic head shaking and ear covering. We have tantrums on both kinds of days.
~ How do you deal with your stress?
I have discovered the awesome benefits of strenuous exercise. I get up at 5:20 to get to the gym by 6 and home before "M's" dad leaves for work. I know I'm going to be exhausted by "M's" naptime anyway, so since I'm going to nap at that time, I figured I might as well get up early. It is also of huge benefit in handling my stress to interact with other parents who have children with these same issues.
~ What is something you want all parents of children with SPD to know?
I don't really have enough knowledge to answer that question yet but there is something I want all parents of ALL children to consider. It seems to me like MOST learning disabilities are based in some way to sensory issues, and our local "expert" agrees. If parents don't address them properly then they may just end up on the ADHD/ADD drug bandwagon needlessly. Also, if you THINK that something isn't 100% about your child, you are probably right. Find out what it is because the younger your child is when these issues are brought to light, the easier they will be to remedy. It could mean the difference between 6 months of therapy vs. years of therapy. These aren't issues that children just "outgrow", they grow around them making it more difficult to get to the source.
Thank you for interviewing me! I hope I've been of some help to someone.
If you have any advice or kind words for Lori and her family please leave a comment. Let's all give her a big thank you for joining us and telling us about her and her family.
Thanks Lori!
Thursday
Let's get organized!
On Monday my DT (I'll call her 'A') told me that we had too many toys out in our living room. We watched Little Miss sit and empty out the toy box. She grabbed one toy, looked at it for a minute and then was onto the next, not really playing with anything for a long time. 'A' told me that this is teaching her to have a short attention span and that we needed to clear out most of the toys and only give her a certain amount. Soooo I did! With the help of my older two children we went through each and every toy and book and decided what should stay and what should go.
So 'A' gave me a list of certain developmental activities that we should have out. So I got some small crates and divided the toys into groups. I have one that is pretend which has a baby doll, diaper, baby bottle and rattle in it. Another crate for imaginative that has cooking toys in it. One for manipulative that has blocks and a purse that she can zip and unzip. Some books, a puzzle and a shape sorter toy. And then I have her favorite stuffed animals in a separate toy box. I will change the toys out with new different ones when she gets tired of the ones that are out. This will keep her entertained each week with new toys and help her use her imagination on the toys that are out because she won't have the opportunity to sit and just empty out the crazy amount of toys that we did have in there.
I didn't realize how having too many toys out was not good for her and how being organized will help her feel better. Now she is not overwhelmed by all the toys, she has more room and it's going to be fun to see new toys out each week.
So 'A' gave me a list of certain developmental activities that we should have out. So I got some small crates and divided the toys into groups. I have one that is pretend which has a baby doll, diaper, baby bottle and rattle in it. Another crate for imaginative that has cooking toys in it. One for manipulative that has blocks and a purse that she can zip and unzip. Some books, a puzzle and a shape sorter toy. And then I have her favorite stuffed animals in a separate toy box. I will change the toys out with new different ones when she gets tired of the ones that are out. This will keep her entertained each week with new toys and help her use her imagination on the toys that are out because she won't have the opportunity to sit and just empty out the crazy amount of toys that we did have in there.
I didn't realize how having too many toys out was not good for her and how being organized will help her feel better. Now she is not overwhelmed by all the toys, she has more room and it's going to be fun to see new toys out each week.
Wednesday
CEREAL THERAPY!
My Developemental Therapist gave me a wonderful idea for my daughter and I wanted to share it with everyone. On her first visit to our house she brought in a storage container filled with Cheerios, little plastic toys and two small cups. When she opened it up Little Miss started to play in it and had the best time. She sat there for a long while and dug her hands into the cereal, poured them from one cup to the other, dumped them out and so on. The texture of the cereal feels good and helps her to sit, relax and have fun. So I went out on Tuesday and bought the stuff to make one for our house. SHE.LOVES.IT! I have it filled with Cheerios, blocks and two plastic cups and she plays with it non-stop. When she gets tired of it I empty the cereal into a bag and then dump in marshmallows for her to play with. It does get a tad messy and she does try every now and then to eat what's in the box but after we say, 'not in your mouth....it's only for your hands' she stops and spits them out. Good girl! lol
Try this with your child(ren) and see if it is something they enjoy. I'll post a pic of it tomorrow and ask my therapist to do a small post on what exactly this does to help them. So check back soon!
Try this with your child(ren) and see if it is something they enjoy. I'll post a pic of it tomorrow and ask my therapist to do a small post on what exactly this does to help them. So check back soon!
Suggestions for children with SPD
So yesterday was our appointment for Speech Therapy. I have to say that I *love* our Speech Therapist! She is patient and seems eager to get to know Little Miss! She always brings toys that get Little Miss' attention and are good for children with sensory issues. We are trying to find out which textures and things she likes and doesn't like.
She did have a tantrum when she was here but it was only a small one. She came out of it after a little bit and we had to remove the cause of the tantrum which was a toy that she wanted to open but didn't open. She loves the textured puzzle that she brings with her and *loved* the bubbles! In fact that's how we finally got her tantrum to end. The SP blew bubbles and that was enough to distract her and get in interested in something else. Since Little Miss doesn't have a lot of words we are trying to teach her baby signs. I don't know which (verbal communication or baby signs) is going to be easier for her to learn and start using but I really don't care which one it is. All I want is for her to be able to communicate with me other than screaming and throwing fits for whatever it is that she wants.
Our DT (Developmental Therapist) is coming for the first time on Monday and I cannot wait to hear what she has to say. I will update on Monday night or Tuesday on what happened and how everything went.
Here is a list that our SP left with us for me to do with Little Miss. I hope that some of these things will help you out with your own little one.
Suggestions:
1. Take pictures of everyday objects that are familiar to her and make a small photo album to show her the pics and give her choices on what she wants. (Ex. picture of a banana and a picture of grapes. "Little Miss, would you like to have a banana or grapes?" This way she gets to make the choice and it makes her feel more in control.)
2. Establish a sensory diet to calm and prevent tantrums.
3. Get a therapy net swing to put in the house for part of her sensory diet. Everyday at a scheduled time swing her so that she can feel better and hopefully throw less fits.
4. Use a toothbrush before meals to increase awareness in her mouth. (Little Miss has a bad tendency to over fill her mouth with food almost to the point of choking. This is because she cannot accurately feel when her mouth is too full. This will help 'wake up' her mouth so that she won't do it as much.)
5. In nice weather, go to playgrounds that are fenced and not crowded.
6. Stack up mountains of pillows for her to climb on. (Little Miss has no safety awareness and climbs on everything! This will allow her to climb but keep her from getting hurt.)
7. Let her jump on the trampoline with supervision.
8. Teach her to take one bite at a time by saying "One bite" and giving her one bite on her plate.
9. Offer her choices whenever possible to give her sense of control and reduce tantrums. (Yep, she's gonna be a control freak just like her mother! lol)
10. Use 'if' and 'then' when speaking to her about events. (Ex: "If you get your shoes on then we can go outside to play.")
She did have a tantrum when she was here but it was only a small one. She came out of it after a little bit and we had to remove the cause of the tantrum which was a toy that she wanted to open but didn't open. She loves the textured puzzle that she brings with her and *loved* the bubbles! In fact that's how we finally got her tantrum to end. The SP blew bubbles and that was enough to distract her and get in interested in something else. Since Little Miss doesn't have a lot of words we are trying to teach her baby signs. I don't know which (verbal communication or baby signs) is going to be easier for her to learn and start using but I really don't care which one it is. All I want is for her to be able to communicate with me other than screaming and throwing fits for whatever it is that she wants.
Our DT (Developmental Therapist) is coming for the first time on Monday and I cannot wait to hear what she has to say. I will update on Monday night or Tuesday on what happened and how everything went.
Here is a list that our SP left with us for me to do with Little Miss. I hope that some of these things will help you out with your own little one.
Suggestions:
1. Take pictures of everyday objects that are familiar to her and make a small photo album to show her the pics and give her choices on what she wants. (Ex. picture of a banana and a picture of grapes. "Little Miss, would you like to have a banana or grapes?" This way she gets to make the choice and it makes her feel more in control.)
2. Establish a sensory diet to calm and prevent tantrums.
3. Get a therapy net swing to put in the house for part of her sensory diet. Everyday at a scheduled time swing her so that she can feel better and hopefully throw less fits.
4. Use a toothbrush before meals to increase awareness in her mouth. (Little Miss has a bad tendency to over fill her mouth with food almost to the point of choking. This is because she cannot accurately feel when her mouth is too full. This will help 'wake up' her mouth so that she won't do it as much.)
5. In nice weather, go to playgrounds that are fenced and not crowded.
6. Stack up mountains of pillows for her to climb on. (Little Miss has no safety awareness and climbs on everything! This will allow her to climb but keep her from getting hurt.)
7. Let her jump on the trampoline with supervision.
8. Teach her to take one bite at a time by saying "One bite" and giving her one bite on her plate.
9. Offer her choices whenever possible to give her sense of control and reduce tantrums. (Yep, she's gonna be a control freak just like her mother! lol)
10. Use 'if' and 'then' when speaking to her about events. (Ex: "If you get your shoes on then we can go outside to play.")
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