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View Full Version : Fantstic visit with an Occupational Therapist today.



gatorsmom
10-12-2011, 05:46 PM
I always suspected Greenbean has SPD. I've been poopooed by the school district Psychologist here who essentially said that any problems Greenbean has are either ones I've created by moving our family a year ago OR are in my mind. So, we started seeing a highly regarded PhD-ed child psychologist. She referred us to a highly regarded OT who we finally visited with today. After doing thorough testing with a PT and having me complete a long questionnaire, she said, "yes, Greenbean has mild Sensory Processing Disorder.". She asked me what my goals were for our meeting and I told her some of the issues we've been dealing with. He melts down and reacts in VERY inappropriatw ways when he's overstimulated. For example, if we try to go to Chili's restaurant after church and the restaurant gets too loud, he'll hide under the table scereaming only to come out long enough to run around the table grabbing and throwing plates and silverware. He will hit and scratch if the light is too bright outside or even in a building. We can resolve the visual overstimulation with sunglasses which he will gladly wear if it's too bright for him. But the auditory overstimulation is more problematic and it's disruptive to not only the extracurricular activities that Greenbean can do but what we can do as a family too. I suspect it will affect his schooling too.

She gave me some great ideas for helping to soothe him with the ultimate goal of teaching him to soothe and calm himself. One of the things she suggested is a sensory diet. Has anyone here put their child on a sensory diet? She describes very little about how often during his day to incorporate the soothing techniques. Any one have any ideas?

Also, if anyone would like me to post some of the ideas she gave me (several pages of them) I'd be happy too. I can't now as I'm on my iPhone.

mytwosons
10-13-2011, 08:44 AM
I'm so glad you had a good appointment! I think a good OT is worth their weight in gold.

Did she mention theraputic listening? That really helped my son with noise sensitivity.

We also had a sensory diet. We would brush his skin and then do joint compressions. We started doing it every two hours and then lengthened the period inbetween until we stopped completely. I feel it really helped. The sensory diet is individualized for each child, so she should give you very explicit instructions and also hands-on training so you know how to do things properly.

Have you thought of seeing a DAN!? Supplements also helped with my DS's sensory issues. Specifically, magnesium helped with the sound issues and treating an overgrowth of yeast in his gut helped with everything else.

elliput
10-13-2011, 09:34 AM
Yay! Having the diagnosis is wonderful! Make sure you share the results with the school and press for an IEP so that Greenbean gets the additional help he is entitled to.

Something you may want to get to help with the noise overload is a set of earmuffs. Peltor makes a style for kids which are nice.

JTsMom
10-13-2011, 01:42 PM
It's so great that you're finally getting some results after all of the hard work you've put in! :cheerleader1: :cheerleader1: :cheerleader1:

I second the suggestion for looking into therapeutic listening. Not everyone does it, and it's pricey in the beginning, but it really did help DS with auditory sensitivity (unfortunately, that's all it helped with). One option to cut the cost down is to see if you can find a used set of headphones. Some therapy places have a CD lending library. If you do end up trying it, ask me about my headphone experiences.

Do you have The Out of Sync Child Has Fun book yet? If not, pick that up. It lists activities by sensitivity.

I'll also second something to block noise- even if it's just a portable cd player with regular headphones. There are also noise-cancelling headphones.

On the subject of magnesium, one option there is epsom salt baths. Daisymommy just posted a link in the past week or so talking about those.

Things that help us:
A big Sterlite box with a bunch of rice, measuring cups, etc.- very calming. Can make a mess, but sweeps up easily. You could also do beans. Some people do a big beverage tub to make it easier for the kid to climb into it if they want, but I like having a lid.

Jumping/crashing- trampolines, jumping on the bed, into piles of pillows, etc.

Brushing- helps a little- I don't do it regularly any more- just when he seems to need it

Weighted blanket- you could also do a lap pad or vest for shopping days

Limiting screen time

Feingold diet- this has had the best results of everything we've tried- DS is especially sensitive to dyes

Long baths when nothing else works

Swimming

Swinging

Gena
10-13-2011, 03:13 PM
It's good to hear that you had such a gret experience with the OT! It sounds like you will be able to get things on track to help Greenbean.

As others have said, sensory diets are very individual and should be designed for the child's specific needs. Here are some things we do:

- DS craves deep pressure, so we do a lot of tight squeezes, wrapping him up like a burrito, compression shirts, weighted vest, and I have a weighted blanket on order.

- He also needs a lot of movement, so we have a mini-trampoline and excercise ball that he can bounce on.

- He uses a "sit disk" at the table for meals and homework to help him stay in his seat.

- We have a doorway swing system (includes a sling swing, a net swing, and a trapeeze bar)

- Brushing/joint compression as needed

- When DS gets really amped up, we do what DH and I jokingly refer to as a "manual reset". This involves holding DS upside down for several minutes, then having him take three deep breathes. (This tends to attract a lot of attention when we do it in public, but we're used to that.)

- Fidget toys

- Our school has a wonderful little sensory room. DS spends the last 30 minutes of the school day in the sensory room to help him work out his stress and prepare for the transition to after-school care. He also goes to the sensory room if things get too overwhelming in the regular classroom.

- DS hates fire drills and other loud, unexpected noises (which he complains are "too bright" and covers his eyes). So at school he is taken outside prior to the fire drill.

- DS hates the feel of sticky, messy things on his hands, so we try different activities to help him learn to tolerate this: making "goo" out of cornstarch and water, finger paint, mud, etc.

- plastic box of dry beans and rice for DS for DS to play in. He finds this soothing. (Notice the wet, sticky stuff agitates him, but the dry stuff calms him.)

- Transitions lenses and a ball cap to help him cope with bright lights. Preferential seating in the classroom to eliminate glare. "Soft light" lightbulbs at home - we stockpile incandescent light bulbs before they go off the market. (DS's extreme light sensitivity to due to physical defects of his eyes.)

It's a bit of trial and error to figure out what works best for your child. Good luck!

MamaKath
10-13-2011, 09:43 PM
Yay, a great OT can do wonders!!! We tried many things with ds. One thing I wish I had done more of was documenting what we tried and if it worked/didn't work. I think in the long run that might have really helped. Also documenting better what triggered him, especially the small stuff, to help others as he has gotten older.

I noticed someone mentioned dry beans/rice. That was something wonderful for us, very calming and soothing.

HIU8
10-13-2011, 10:39 PM
DS is most definitely on a "sensory diet". His OT does the "how does your engine run" technique.

Here is what we do for DS:

-Mini trampoline
-brushing
-tickling (he loves to be tickled--says it helps to him to focus)
-Therapeutic listening (we don't do this anymore--did it for a year and saw a HUGE difference in DS).
-OT once a week
-Karate 2x/week (for motor planning)
-DS likes to hold small toys (legos etc... so they are basically all over the house for him
-swings (DS craves the movement so we do a lot of backyard swinging)
-elimination of dyes in foods
-small class size with very individualized instruction

As things change for DS we change the sensory diet. Right now above is what works for him.

I know for some OT doesn't work. For DS it was life changing. He went from a child who roared at ppl and hid behind me, to a child who is "the" leader in his class.

cchavez
10-22-2011, 11:29 PM
I highly recommend listening therapy for his sensitive hearing....there are different programs to look into....ask your OT. hth

happymom
10-23-2011, 12:40 AM
Here is a list we give out to parents at my school (I just copy/pasted from the saved document on my computer)- obviously, as PP's mentioned, different activities are appropriate for different kids. These are just ideas to work with.

Movement Activities
* Rolling- on the floor, on a rug or bed, in a blanket (make a “hot dog”)
* Somersaults
* Pillows- crawl over a bunch, walk or jump
* Pull your child on a small rug or blanket across the room
* Hop scotch
* Simon Says
* Crawl under chairs that are lined up in a row
* Follow the leader (a good outside game!)
* Playground- go on the swings, ride on the merry go round
* Pretend to be animals (hop like a bunny, gallop like a horse)
* Put on some music and dance!

Tactile Activities
* Sandbox play- hide small toys in the sand and let your child find them or bring
along different size containers and let your child pour the sand.
* Playdoh play- this is a great outdoor activity while the weather is still
warm! Just grab some disposable plates and you are good to go!
* Silly putty
* Rub on hand cream/lotion
*Textures- Let your child feel the every day textures around the house
and help label whether they are hard or soft, smooth or bumpy etc. You can use
cotton balls, a smooth counter, a bumpy piece of lego etc.

Proprioceptive / Deep Pressure Activities
* Pushing/ Pulling activities - Tug of war (with socks)
- Push wagon or empty box with sibling or books inside
- One child can pull another who is lying on a blanket.
- Push a heavy stroller with phone books to wiegh it down.
* Jumping on trampoline or couch pillows
* Crawling is great! Your child can crawl under a table,
under a line of chairs that are next to each other, over
some pillows that have been placed on the floor etc.
* Fill a tube sock with a 1 lb. bag of beans. Play “Pass the beanbag” or beanbag toss!
* Squish your child between two pillows- Put one pillow on the floor and have your
child lay down on top with his head sticking off of the side. Place another piillow on
top of him/her. Give him a nice squish!
* Roll your child in a blanket- pretend he/she is a hotdog!
* Rolling pin fun- have your child child lie down and roll a rolling pin on his/her back
from top to bottom.
* Silly putty or playdoh.
*Our favorite one of all- a big bear hug!!!

Auditory Activities
* Play lively, louder music for a wake-up effect and softer music for a calming effect
* Rythmic, marching music
* Songs with hand motions
* Play “Name that sound”

Oral Motor Activities
* Eat crunchy foods such as pretzels or crackers
* Eat chewy foods such as licorice or gum (for older children, with supervision)
* Blowing activities - Blow on a pinwheel to make it spin.
- Blow bubbles.
- Try to move a cotton ball across the floor
or table by blowing at it through a straw.
- Blow into wind instruments such as kazoos or flutes.
* Sipping activities- sip a drink through a crazy straw.