Hey All, as I was talking about in Part 1 & Part 2 of this
blog series, I decided to put together a blog series basically of things I
wished I would have known early on. Things to do, questions to ask and
treatments to seek. We will pick up with number 3.
#3: Deal with sensory issues. I know this was a HUGE struggle for
both Emma & Jen's little guy. Daily tasks of getting dressed resulted in
reactions that sounded like the kids were being cut with glass. Going to the
store was a meltdown inducing outing and the wrong food texture would result in
gagging and projectile vomit. Good times.
Probably 99% of the parents that have come to our group have a
child struggling with SensoryProcessing Disorder to some degree and
ranging in what is affected. Emma is a "Sensory Seeker" in most ways.
She never sits still, needs to chew things contantly, climbs, jumps, twirls,
spins. She also has had avoiding behaviors. It used to be mostly around
textures that she touched and ate & clothing issues like sock seams and
jeans. Now it is mostly sound but she still struggles with the way certain
clothes feel. First on our list was finding a good OT. Not all OT's are created
equal and they general have areas of focus. When you call to schedule make sure
that the OT they are sticking you with understands and treats Sensory
Processing. They will first have you fill out a sensory profile assessment,
talk to you and work with your child to get the entire picture. From their they
will create a treatment plan which will include how often you are seen, what
they do while you there and put together a "sensory diet" for home
and school. I cannot even begin to tell you how much this changed our life.
Knowing what helped Emma regulate gave me invaluable tools to help her. We put
a swing in her room a couple years ago and this is still something she will use
to calm down, we made a weighted lap pad to help her focus &/or calm down
and always have a chewy on hand.
Seriously, I cannot say enough about OT!! I have attached links to
certain terms and put the two places I can personally recommend for OT.
PrimaryChildren's Rehab is who we have used for the last 5 years for everything
from feeding therapy and OT for both sensory & fine motor. They are
amazing, pretty much take all insurance and are always willing to work out
payment options. Their staff are the best of the best.
Easter
Seals - Goodwill Northern Rocky Mountain (they are located in The Children's Center in Salt Lake
City). I have not personally used them for regular OT but Jen has, as well as
friends of ours. They have been very happy with their work. Insurance is a
little trickier, but I do know they are working on adding more plans and offer
sliding scale. I did do their "Wiggly Worm Sensory Processing Disorder
Class" with Emma. It was a wonderful program for both me as a parent and
Emma. It is offered a couple times a year.
Tools:
We got our swing at IKEA, it was a fraction of the price of "therapy"
swings. But there are other types of swings like a Lycra
huggy swing that could easily be made for a lot less.
We made a weighted lap pad - again, all about saving some money!
There are directions HERE
Chewy's
are our very best friend! They calm down, save
her clothes and her fingernails!
**Abilitystation.com is a locally owned special needs website,
they donate a percentage of sales to Utah Easy to Love**
Other things that have been helpful - ear plugs, gum, fidgets,
bubbles for deep breathing.
Sensory Processing Disorder is tough, it affects the very basic
day to day things we have to do. It is also always changing. Things that
bothered Emma 2 years ago have evolved and changed. There are things that don't
bother her anymore and new things that have started bothering her. Getting a
handle on this and knowing how to accommodate has made a huge difference in our
journey.
Mark your calendars for March 12th (Salt Lake
members) & March 19th for Davis County. Our Support group topic
is “Sensory Processing Disorder” and we will have an OT presenting and
answering questions.
