Saturday, April 28, 2007

Beginning a Sensory Diet

***Edited to add: "BT the OT" was rolling around in my head to the tune of "Ahab the Arab"... I thought if you read it that way, it would be funny...as it was intended. Yeah...I think in terms of pop cultural, particularly musical, references. Weird, huh?

Yesterday, I ventured a discussion with LMNOB about what exactly BT the OT (or the OT formerly known as #2) is going to be for her. We talked about how BT the OT is going to help LMNOB, with how to learn about her body and her brain, especially for the times that it isn't working quite like it should be. I told her that she would be meeting with BT the OT pretty frequently, and that they would get to do LOTS of FUN stuff.

LMNOB gets it, and she is really excited - tells me this is the right fit.

BT the OT identified LMNOB's primary areas of dysfunction as touch and body awareness. In both regards she is under-sensitive and seeks extra stimulation - so that is what we will be doing, giving her stimulation in a structured way that feeds her crave and will [hopefully] lessen the socially inappropriate ways that she is acting out in.

For instance - last night when we got home, I took the kids over to the small park {one piece of equipment} across from our house and had LMNOB (and Punkinhead too, to make it seem more "normal") do some "heavy work" - hanging from bars (in sets, as a contest, "let's see how long we can hang"), crab-walking on the grass, and rolling down the hill. They had a blast doing it, it was easy for me, and later when we went out on a family date to eat, LMNOB was AWESOME.

Punkinhead, eh, not so much, but he was really tired - not to mention that he's been trying to get attention off LMNOB and back on him - and he does what he knows best to do: Act like a holy terror. Oh, but he's OUR holy terror and we love him dearly.

Since LMNOB was doing so well, we were walking after dinner, walked past Claire's and Charlie Brown goes, "Wanna get your ears pierced tonight?"

Of course she did, she's only been talking about it all year - having seen her peers with holes, plugged with sparkley jewels, in their ears all year long.

I was scared, thinking "sensory nightmare!" but she did GREAT and now has two beautiful birthstone earrings that she is SOOOOOO proud of.

"3M (her cousin who is 8) doesn't even have HERS done, that makes me the ONLY grandkid with pierced ears, and that means I'm BRAVE!!" I'd forgotten what giddy looks like at age 6. It's cute, very, very cute.

We then went to Dick's Sporting goods and bought a mini-trampoline to keep inside for the kids. Raising a Sensory Smart Child recommended them for tantrums, tactile input, and more.

Came home, cleaned the newly pierced ears (that was a bit of a struggle, and I was really second guessing this spontaneous gesture afterward....today, though, it's all good), and went to bed.

This morning, however, was a crash back to reality.

A superfit started when I said no to the proposition of McBreakfast. We have cereal and you will eat it, and you will like it!

I told LMNOB to go jump on the tramp.

Screamed at me, was the 6 y/o equivalent of, "No freaking way.!"

I placed her on it and told her to jump, for 5 minutes, b/c, as I crossed my fingers behind my back, "Miss BT the OT said to in times like these." She didn't necessarily have to know that I pulled that from a book, right?

She resisted, stomping her feet on the tramp. Then she started jumping, and seemed like she was getting madder.

Oh no - it's like that study that shows that cathartic therapies only made aggressive people more aggressive. What now?

Somewhere, between the timer display of 4:59 and 1:30 (that's minutes:seconds remaining) she began to have fun, and by the time 5 minutes was up, a smile had erased the storm clouds.

And ordinary breakfast was suddenly A-OK.

The day picked up from there, and the trampoline was a hit for fun-time too...along with the American Idol microphone courtesy of one McLunch...much to the chagrin of Charlie Brown, who got crabby at the incessant, albeit happy!happy!joy!joy! made up performances, and request for input from the judges...lol. I told him to suck it up butter cup, b/c A) they were H.A.P.P.Y. and B) he's going to be gone ALL.DAY.TOMORROW.

Tonight, LMNOB and I started to do Pilates together - but she wasn't into it tonight. I thought it would be a great sensory activity to do because she 1.) has expressed interest in doing this (and done it) before, 2.)it's core strengthening - which according to BT the OT, she needs more of, and 3.) Because (read in best James Brown "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" voice) Hey! mama wants a brand new bod! Maybe yoga next time, since it doesn't move as fast??

The key is to do a little each day - as BT the OT reminded me, "It is a sensory diet because much like your food diet what you eat every day, not just M/W/F, a sensory diet needs to be fed every day."

2 comments:

  1. Sounds like you're doing okay, good and bad days. Don't forget, and I can't stress this enough: take time for YOU. Every week. A relaxed mom is what any child needs - and maybe more if your child has sensory issues. Please take time for you! Whatever it takes!

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  2. Hooray for therapy starting to work already!!!

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