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 sensory issues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sensory issues. 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
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?
Sunday
Edible Playdoh Recipe
If your kids are like my little one then they put *everything* in their mouths! And yes, I do mean everything!!! :roll: Playdoh is a great sensory item for kids to play with and if it's edible even better! Your kids can play with it at snack time and when they're done it is their snack! So here is a recipe for edible playdoh. FUN! :)
Edible Playdoh Recipe:
3 1/2 cups peanut butter
4 cups powdered sugar
3 1/2 cups corn syrup or honey
4 cups powdered milk
chocolate chips (optional)
Mix the ingredients. Divide into 15 to 20 portions and refrigerate in plastic bags. After washing their hands, have children mold and shape the dough on waxed paper. Provide chocolate chips to be used as decorations if desired. Play with it and let them eat it!
I am going to add another great sensory recipe this week so make sure to check back!
Thursday
Massaging Action Teether Review/Giveaway
Ok everyone this is my first review/giveaway here on the SPD Life. Thanks to the generosity of One Step Ahead I received a Massaging Action Teether to do a review and giveaway on. The Massaging Action Teether is not only for infants, it is great for children with SPD too! It vibrates when the child bites or chews on it and helps give your child oral input. And of course it's also really good for those teething babies.
Now I know that you all have children with SPD issues but for those of you whose child(ren) have issues with oral gratification (i.e. over stuffing their mouths with food, chewing on non-edible objects, etc.) this is a wonderful product to try. Little Miss mouths everything! Her therapists have told me that getting her a vibrating toothbrush or teether would be good to help give her input so that she won't over fill her mouth while eating and it would curb her chewing on toys and such. One Step Ahead has even partnered up with the National Lekotek Center —the leading not-for-profit authority on play for children with disabilities—to offer a different kind of toy selection. Click here to view their toys and ratings.
When we got this Massaging Action Teether in the mail I cleaned it up and gave it to Little Miss and I sat down to see what she would do with it and waited for her reaction to the vibrations. SHE.LOVED.IT! She walked around with it between her teeth for a long time, just enjoying the vibrations. She has been chewing on it everyday since we received it. This is something safe for her to chew on. No toxic chemicals and no small pieces to break off that she could choke on. Plus it's soft, multi-textured and the sealed internal battery lasts 8 hours! At only $7.95 they're a great buy but this is your chance to win one for free. One Step Ahead is going to give one of you lucky readers one of these! Here's how you can enter to win:
Mandatory Entry:
~ Go over to One Step Ahead and come back and tell me in a comment your favorite product. (3 entries)
Extra Entries:
~ Blog about this review/giveaway with links back to this post and One Step Ahead.
(5 entries)
~ Follow us on Twitter
(3 entries)
~ Fave us on Technorati
(3 entries)
~ Follow the SPD Life
(3 entries)
~ Grab our button
(1 entry)
~ Tweet about this review/giveaway
(unlimited entries)
* We are trying to get more followers to join us here. If you know anyone that has a child with SPD or sensory issues please send them here to join in on the review/giveaway or just the blog. Or if you belong to any mom boards, sites or forums please do a post letting them know where to find us. Doing this (after verified) will give you 5 more entry points!
*Each time you do one of the above leave a comment for each entry. For example if you blog about this giveaway do this: "Blogged about this review/giveaway. Here's my link: (Your URL TO the post) #1" Then come back and do the same thing 4 more times in separate comments. If you tweet about this review/giveaway then leave the tweet URL in the comment.
You have the chance to do 12 + entries. You don't have to do all of them though. Do the first one or all of them if you want! First Mandatory Entry must be done first to enter the rest of the entry requests.
Contest will end on April 30th and winner will be picked using the Random.com generator and announced on April 6th. Good luck!
Any comments that do not follow the rules listed above will not be entered into the contest to win. So please make sure to follow the rules. Thanks!
*Check back because I will be doing more giveaways and reviews on products that benefit children with sensory issues and more!
*Check back because I will be doing more giveaways and reviews on products that benefit children with sensory issues and more!
Nothing Feels Right
My son Zach has issues with clothing. Tags, seams, stray threads, these things all bother him immensely. I understand to a point because I have issues with tags and seams as well. His sensory issues in this department far surpass mine though. Tagless t-shirts are the best thing since sliced bread in our house. Some still have the tag on the side that bothers us, but it's not as bad as having it on your neck. Now if the sock manufacturers would just get the memo and make their seams thinner across the toes, we'd be all set.
Here's how we've minimized the clothing sensory issues in our house. Besides tagless t-shirts, we went through a phase when Zach first started school all day where he had to get dressed the night before. He would put on his clothes for the next day before going to bed and sleep in them. For whatever reason they felt OK at night, but to put the exact same outfit on in the morning was a battle. He would literally try on every piece of clothing he had and deem that it "didn't feel right." This also allowed him to sleep in longer since we didn't have to spend 30-45 minutes each morning getting him dressed. He woke up ready to go eat breakfast.
For socks, once I find a brand Zach deems worthy, I don't stray. Another thing we do is turn them inside out to put the bulk of the seam on the outside. For shoes, we've found that regular ol' shoes with laces give the best fit. Of course any time you can find the softest material, you're better of. I try to stick to 100% cotton when I can.
Do you have any tricks for your kids who have clothing issues?
Here's how we've minimized the clothing sensory issues in our house. Besides tagless t-shirts, we went through a phase when Zach first started school all day where he had to get dressed the night before. He would put on his clothes for the next day before going to bed and sleep in them. For whatever reason they felt OK at night, but to put the exact same outfit on in the morning was a battle. He would literally try on every piece of clothing he had and deem that it "didn't feel right." This also allowed him to sleep in longer since we didn't have to spend 30-45 minutes each morning getting him dressed. He woke up ready to go eat breakfast.
For socks, once I find a brand Zach deems worthy, I don't stray. Another thing we do is turn them inside out to put the bulk of the seam on the outside. For shoes, we've found that regular ol' shoes with laces give the best fit. Of course any time you can find the softest material, you're better of. I try to stick to 100% cotton when I can.
Do you have any tricks for your kids who have clothing issues?
Therapy Thursday (Question/Answer)
Here it is, our first Therapy Thursday question. Shireen, our Speech Therapist, has answered your question. I hope this helps. If anyone has another question please email me at: bloggymommy3@yahoo.com
Question: I have a SPD question for you. My 7yo son is constantly playing with the baby toys. He always has. Tonight he was playing with this toy https://www.tinylove.com/toy.aspx?toyId=25 and I asked him why he liked it so much. He said he likes the gears that turn, the squeaky ball, the levers that go back and forth, the ball that spins, and the music. Is this a sensory thing? Are there more age appropriate things for him to play with that will meet those sensory needs? I'm pretty sure he's got a strong tactile sense. We have lots of clothing issues with him, and he has to constantly touch EVERYTHING. I'd get him some other toys geared at babies and toddlers, but with him being 7, and he's pretty rough on toys, I'd hate for him to break them. I guess what I'm asking is how can I constructively channel this need for touch and to play with the baby toys. We don't have many of the baby toys left as my youngest is now 2 and is on to bigger and better things.
Sincerely,
SPD Follower
Answer: You are right that that toy is not very age appropriate for him, but there are plenty of other toys that are. Some suggestions I have include Gearation or Gears Building Set, Light n' Chaser, Visual Tracking Ball Tower or other marble run, and the Light Up DNA ball or Window Ball. All of these toys can be found at www.beyondplay.com I have no affiliation with this company. I just think they have some great sensory toys. There are also things at home to give him more tactile input like playing with water, sand, playdoh and shaving cream. Hopefully this gives you some ideas of some more age appropriate toys for your son. A book I can recommend with many more ideas is "The Out of Sync Child Has Fun", by Carol Kranowitz. Thanks for your question and let me know if this helps!
Sincerely,
Shireen (Speech Therapist)
Question: I have a SPD question for you. My 7yo son is constantly playing with the baby toys. He always has. Tonight he was playing with this toy https://www.tinylove.com/toy.aspx?toyId=25 and I asked him why he liked it so much. He said he likes the gears that turn, the squeaky ball, the levers that go back and forth, the ball that spins, and the music. Is this a sensory thing? Are there more age appropriate things for him to play with that will meet those sensory needs? I'm pretty sure he's got a strong tactile sense. We have lots of clothing issues with him, and he has to constantly touch EVERYTHING. I'd get him some other toys geared at babies and toddlers, but with him being 7, and he's pretty rough on toys, I'd hate for him to break them. I guess what I'm asking is how can I constructively channel this need for touch and to play with the baby toys. We don't have many of the baby toys left as my youngest is now 2 and is on to bigger and better things.
Sincerely,
SPD Follower
Answer: You are right that that toy is not very age appropriate for him, but there are plenty of other toys that are. Some suggestions I have include Gearation or Gears Building Set, Light n' Chaser, Visual Tracking Ball Tower or other marble run, and the Light Up DNA ball or Window Ball. All of these toys can be found at www.beyondplay.com I have no affiliation with this company. I just think they have some great sensory toys. There are also things at home to give him more tactile input like playing with water, sand, playdoh and shaving cream. Hopefully this gives you some ideas of some more age appropriate toys for your son. A book I can recommend with many more ideas is "The Out of Sync Child Has Fun", by Carol Kranowitz. Thanks for your question and let me know if this helps!
Sincerely,
Shireen (Speech Therapist)
Monday
Don't forget about Therapy Thursdays!
Don't forget about Therapy Thursdays. If you would like to submit a question for this weeks Therapy Thursday please email me at bloggymommy3@yahoo.com by tomorrow evening so I can get the email over to one or both of our therapists to answer. Thanks and hope to hear from you soon! :)
**Oh and just to let you all know, I will be hosting my first review and giveaway here on the SPD Life sometime next week so make sure to check back!**
Saturday
Vision Therapy
Update: My oldest daughter "Sassy Pants" has been dealing with many problems with school, her attention span, her ADD/ADHD and more. We took her in for an evaluation for SPD and they told us that yes, she does have sensory processing issues but they thought the main problem was with her eyes so they sent us in to have her eyes checked and for a vision evaluation. After completely both we found that her eyesight is perfect but she has problems with her focus and tracking. They told us that they recommend Vision Therapy but that most insurance companies don't cover this diagnosis. Great, huh? I've been so worried that even though she has a problem with her eyes that she wouldn't be able to receive help because we can't afford it if it's not covered under insurance. Well this past week I got a phone call and guess what??? The insurance company approved her for vision therapy! I'm so excited that she will be able to receive help. They recommend one day a week for 45 minutes for about 4-5 months to see a difference. So we start on Monday!
Her main problems in school were with reading, comprehension, math and spelling. It has been so frustrating that we could work and work with her on things and she would seem to get it and then the next problem or day later and it was all lost. She seems to have problems with her memory too. Hopefully after receiving the vision therapy for a while her school work and comprehension will improve. I am, for now, taking her out of Occupational Therapy until school is out for the summer and then I'll re-enroll her.
She is still on her ADD/ADHD medication but has been having problems sleeping lately. There are nights that she stays up until 11-12 and then has a hard time waking in the morning. This could also be part of her problem in school. So we are going to start giving her Melatonin to help her sleep at night. It's come highly recommended and comes in a chewable form. I will keep you all updated on how things are going and hopefully be able to come back and report after a while that she is doing better in school and the vision therapy is a success! Wish us luck!
Her main problems in school were with reading, comprehension, math and spelling. It has been so frustrating that we could work and work with her on things and she would seem to get it and then the next problem or day later and it was all lost. She seems to have problems with her memory too. Hopefully after receiving the vision therapy for a while her school work and comprehension will improve. I am, for now, taking her out of Occupational Therapy until school is out for the summer and then I'll re-enroll her.
She is still on her ADD/ADHD medication but has been having problems sleeping lately. There are nights that she stays up until 11-12 and then has a hard time waking in the morning. This could also be part of her problem in school. So we are going to start giving her Melatonin to help her sleep at night. It's come highly recommended and comes in a chewable form. I will keep you all updated on how things are going and hopefully be able to come back and report after a while that she is doing better in school and the vision therapy is a success! Wish us luck!
Sunday
Shireen's Intro
Hi, my name is Shireen and I am a speech language pathologist who has both professional and personal experience with SPD. Stefanie has invited me to this blog to help out with Therapy Thursdays and answer any questions that I can. I would like to tell you a little about myself and my experience with SPD. I became a speech language pathologist and worked in an elementary school for a couple years before my daughter was born. I loved my job and I quickly learned about SPD and many other disablities. However I had no idea that this job was really just the beginning of my training.
In 2000, I had a beautiful baby girl and took maternity leave from my job. It soon become apparent that something was going on with my daughter. She was constantly fussy, and had to be carried all of the time. The only way she would sleep is with me and with her feet pushed up against me. I could not even get out of bed to go to the bathroom without her waking up screaming. It took two years to get her evaluated and realize she had delays in language, gross motor, fine motor, and SPD. By this time, I was pregnant with my son. He was also fussy baby, but his sensory needs were not the same as hers. He also was diagnosed with developmental delays and SPD. I took off a few years to stay home and do therapy with my own children. I spent hours doing research and therapy with my own children.
When my son started in an Early Childhood Special Ed program, I decided to go back to work part time. I am a much better therapist now because of what I have been through personally. I can really relate to parents and help problem solve daily issues. I love working with young children and families. I would love to help you in any way I can. I think this is such a valuable resource for parents, and I would have loved to have this available years ago. Please ask any questions related to SPD, speech therapy, behavior issues, or even being a mom to children with SPD.
Friday
Evaluation Update
This week we had my older kids' evaluations done for SPD. Finally! I took my oldest daughter (Sassy Pants) in on Tuesday and we went through and answered all the questions and they observed her for a while. They haven't said for sure that they think she has SPD but do think that she has sensory issues that need to be dealt with. They referred us to go see a Visual Therapist to get her eyesight checked out and to see if her eyes move correctly to read, understand and comprehend what she's looking at/reading. So we go in for that on Monday. (I'll update on that later after we get back.) So now she is going in to have Occupational Therapy once a week. And Sassy's teacher at school has offered to stay one day a week to help her out more in school on a one on one basis; she already stays after two days a week for extra help with a reading intervention teacher. So I am hoping that after a while she will start to improve in school. She was always so advanced in everything when she was younger so all this really took us by surprise. But we will do any and everything to help her and make sure her future is a bright one.
Today I took my son in for his evaluation and they said that he definitely has sensory processing issues that also need to be dealt with. I really didn't expect for them to say that; I really just thought that he had been through so much in his life that he just had weird quirks. But they said that SPD issues would explain his: never wanting to wear pants, shoes and socks, sensitivity to light, wind and touch, his constant loudness (he always talks really loud), his aggressiveness and frustrations, his constant need to touch objects and people and so on. So now he is going to go in once a week with my oldest daughter to get Occupational Therapy as well.
We will have to take all three in to get positive diagnosis's from a Neurologist but that takes a while to get in. So in the meantime they all three will all three be getting therapy. I'll keep you updated on what's going on and how they are doing.
Do any of you have multiple children with sensory issues? Do you have any advice or tips that you can give me?
Today I took my son in for his evaluation and they said that he definitely has sensory processing issues that also need to be dealt with. I really didn't expect for them to say that; I really just thought that he had been through so much in his life that he just had weird quirks. But they said that SPD issues would explain his: never wanting to wear pants, shoes and socks, sensitivity to light, wind and touch, his constant loudness (he always talks really loud), his aggressiveness and frustrations, his constant need to touch objects and people and so on. So now he is going to go in once a week with my oldest daughter to get Occupational Therapy as well.
We will have to take all three in to get positive diagnosis's from a Neurologist but that takes a while to get in. So in the meantime they all three will all three be getting therapy. I'll keep you updated on what's going on and how they are doing.
Do any of you have multiple children with sensory issues? Do you have any advice or tips that you can give me?
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