The one with Vestibular talk...

Our second OT session went really well. I am still in the process of getting some more materials to understand how this puzzle piece could fit for DS... but so far I am very pleased. I have read a portion of 'The Out of Sync Child' and intend to read it in it's entirety very soon. I think it will answer a LOT of unanswered questions I have had thus far. I am going from thinking my son has 'very mild sensory issues' to realizing that I didn't even know there were all these different sensory systems in the body. And - I blogged about 'Vestibular Dysfunction', but from what I have read so far, it goes far beyond that.

Not being the type to jump on board with something so quickly, I am hesitant to think 'This is It'. However, not since the Hyperlexia article I read..... have I read something that describes DS in such a clear cut way. !Proceed with Caution!

I am really struggling to keep my 'why didn't they....' under wraps for now because I know that he is ONLY 2 1/2 & he IS doing so well. Maybe now is just the right time for HIM. Maybe it would have been too overwhelming to do everything at one time. God's timing is perfect...

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So, in the session itself, when we brought up our issues with Amy - she just grabbed hold and listened and started rattling off suggestions. She never really said yes or no to whether she thought Sensory Processing/Vestibular/Proprioceptive etc.... is an issue for him, which was odd. But, we also have to give her a learning curve to understand how she does things.

I am hoping for a calmer session this week that I have less questions, and I can sit back and watch how she does things without all of my interjections.

The ideas rattled off the top of Amy's head to help with the issues discussed:

Help with calming before naptime/bedtime

-Joint/body pressure before bed

-Heavy quilt. Use pillows on his body to apply pressure after under covers. Call it 'Curious George's cave' or something to make it playful.

-Rethink music - a lot of children cant handle music/re-stimulates them.

Help with calming overstimulation

-distract a stim, don't call attention. e.g. Give him a task while marching.

'Carry this heavy bucket' - wait 15 seconds - and ask again. Let him march. Don't take that regulation away from him, but make it more appropriate.

-Don't talk about the behavior you are taking away - instead, if we want his hands out of his hair, put a heavy ball in his hands or ask him to use two hands on a task.

Help with fidget/attention at mealtime

-Heavy fork/spoon

-Slightly inflated beachball in seat to allow movement

Help with FEELING the sensory imput

-Help him swing on trapese bar- hold shoulders, bounce him to the ground when done to get information from his hips/knees/ankles of where he is in space.

-While swinging, have him kick in and out and allow him to kick my hands on his way up.

Help with Bi-lateral Coordination

-Require 2 hands to be used on as many tasks as possible. '2 hands', or 'both hands' VERBAL prompt only

Suzanne (DT) had some ideas last week as well:

-3lb bag of rice in a long sock ~ weighted lap pad

-weighted vest?

-vestibular swing?