Jam is currently 4.75 years old
(disclaimer: I'm not 'selling' or recommending any brand in particular and do not link out to product pages or online stores. Specific product brands are only included to provide more detailed information towards our experience.)
*******************************************
There is no end to the therapies and treatments and products that try to help, heal and 'cure' our kids. Even if I had an endless supply of time and money, it'd be impossible (and unwise) to try them all.
Below are a few things that I'd been hearing about for a long time and eventually decided to try:
Fish Oil- nine months ago we started using Nordic Naturals 3-6-9 Liquid (regular, not the junior version!) and I mix it with Jam's morning orange juice. It helped that he hadn’t been given a lot of sweet drinks prior so he was enthusiastic about getting OJ daily. I started with a small amount of the oil because, while it's lemon 'flavored' and citrus-y smelling, you can tell it's not straight up OJ. He's sensory-defensive and not into trying new things so after he got used to it, I slowly increased the dose up to one teaspoon. (It's something of a mega-dose based on this research.) If I try to give him more, he detects it and won't drink. I also give it to him in a plastic opaque cup with a lid so he can't see inside. He wouldn't drink it if he saw that oil floating on top. It's not ideal- the plastic cup retains some fish smell since it's used daily so I just soak it in a vinegar/baking soda mix once a month to leach the smelly oil out. And finally, I don't give him OJ any other time so he can't compare the difference in taste. When we started, I decided to take it alongside Jam to see if it did anything for my dyspraxia. It took about 8 weeks to notice anything with Jam and I have to say my brain felt like it was processing a bit faster. Jam seemed to have more energy and coordinate his movements better. But who knows if it's the oil or something else? I’m not making any scientific claims here. Nevertheless, we continue using it.
Gum- Jam started chewing gum when he was three. After our therapist recommended it, I was reluctant, because, well, it’s gum and he was three. But, at the time, he refused to wear anything other than rain boots and was in the habit of taking his boots off and chewing on the bootstraps when he got anxious about anything. Which, back then, was everything. And those bootstraps are made of toxic plastic- I don't even want to think about the poisons he was ingesting! We spent a fortune on all manner of chewelry with no luck and eventually decided to give gum a try. He took to it instantly and, being an overly cautious kid, quickly grasped the concept that swallowing gum was not a good idea. (He has maybe swallowed 5 pieces in his history with gum and they were all accidental.) Chewing gum seems to lessen his anxiety, help him to focus and allow him to organize his movements better. We used it to get him through the chaos that was preschool (back when we were still going) and whenever we went anywhere crazy to the senses. We don’t limit his use and he has full access to it whenever he wants. Due to the amount he goes through (which has lessened considerably over the years), we use Spry, which is xylitol-sweetened. Which his dentist is happy about because apparently it inhibits cavities, as well.
Heel-less Socks- I didn’t try these for a long time because they’re hard to find locally and they’re expensive. Big bucks for some little socks! Jam’s therapist finally took pity on us and gave him a sample pair she had stashed away. Or maybe she just got tired of working with him when trying to get his socks and shoes on at the end of each session. He was already tired by then and the stamina and motor planning it takes to put on socks and then shoes is exhausting. So it was a battle each and every time. She gave him a pair of SmartKnitKIDS knee highs and he easily slips them on because there’s no heel to find and adjust and now he has enough energy left to get shoes on by himself without resistance. And now I spend money on expensive socks that, while they shrink quickly, are totally worth it!
Visual timer clock- Until recently, Jam had always had a rough time with transitions (of course, like so many SPD kids). I became a master of the 15 minute ‘heads up’, followed by the 10 minute heads up and finishing with the 5 minute heads up. And half the time, even with all those opportunities to mentally prepare, he’d freak anyway. His therapist started using the visual clock so he could see how much time was left in the session and also for when he was working on things he didn’t really want to, like anything involving holding a crayon or touching glue or cutting with scissors. It seemed like a good idea, but those clocks are expensive. I eventually caved and got the 8” Time Timer and it’s worked well for what we need.
So again, I’m not making any claims that these things will work for anyone else- only that they’ve worked with some degree of success for us. And who's to say it's not a result of aging, sleep, diet or something? All I know is I'm sticking with them for now.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
Dyspraxia and Our Current Therapies
Jam is currently 4.75 years old
About a year ago when I fully realized that both Jam and I had dyspraxia and knowing, from personal experience, that the effects would be lifelong, I immediately moved our therapy focus from sensory issues to motor skills. Don't worry- the sensory issues are still being worked on and are coming along nicely, because, obviously, this is a condition that needs to be treated holistically, but I view our therapies through the motor skills lens now. Since then, we've seen big improvements in both his motor and sensory issues.
Jam's current schedule is this:
Occupational Therapy- twice weekly For the first year of OT, we went once a week with quarterly goals towards sensory defensiveness, gravitational insecurity and body awareness. As he's aged (and building on the progress of the first year), he's gained some muscle tone and flexibility (in body and, more importantly, in mind) so now we're able to work at a higher level of gross and fine motor control and spend more time on his major challenge, motor planning. He loves going to his therapist's house to 'play' and always has.
Hippotherapy- once weekly Physical therapy on a horse! Great for strengthening core muscles, improving muscle tone, balance, coordination and motor planning. Fortunately, Jam's taken to it more than I thought he would. I even gave him the choice of opting out during his therapist's maternity leave but he wanted to continue.
Integrated Movement Therapy- once weekly A yoga-based therapy approach, in it's infancy as a treatment. Great for sensory integration, sequencing, body awareness & strengthening, as well as increasing stamina and endurance. I'll be honest- Jam loves his teacher but until recently fought against going because it's hard work. Fun, but hard work. That kid is sweating when he's done.
Soccer- once weekly A 30 minute class for 3-4 year olds offered through our local community center. It's so low-organized it's a bit generous to call it an actual soccer class. But it's Jam's only small group activity that he gets to be around other kids with. The 'coach' is great and it's right next to the playground for afterwards. And, while Jam may be amongst the oldest in the group, his skills and stamina are in the middle. And that's only for the first half of the class- after 15 minutes, he gets lost as to what he's supposed to be doing and kind of tunes out. But it's obvious he's having a good time!
Gymnastics- bi-weekly This isn't a formal gymnastics class, per se. Our local gymnastics academy offers an hour-long indoor playground daily where 5 and unders can use their equipment with adult supervision. So Jam just moves around jumping on trampolines, going through obstacle courses they set up and trying to get out of their giant foam block pit. More sweaty hard work. It can be a bit loud and chaotic (not great for SPD kids) depending on who shows up, but we just decompress with snack and books in the car afterwards. Even though we live 2 miles away and could just as easily go home. He seems to need that immediate decompress time.
Swimming- bi-weekly Like gymnastics, this isn't a formal swim class. We just go to the community center pool on a weekday when most kids are in school and 'swim' around for a few hours. It's a great warm water pool with a sectioned-off shallow area for the young kids and also a looped area with a current so he can just float along with a safety vest. And it's taken a year to even get to the point of wearing a vest. And for him to not be overstimulated afterwards. Actual swimming classes are much further down the line, if ever. But in the meantime, the water has been great for sensory integration, improving muscle tone and muscle development.
This doesn't even include at least three weekly trips to various playgrounds to practice those motor skills and two playdates a week to practice those social skills. (The kid's got to have some regular kid fun!)
Sound like a packed schedule? It is. Especially for a highly sensitive, introverted kid who needs a lot of downtime. Fortunately, to Jam, it's all fun and games. Preschool used to be added to the mix and got dropped (at his request). And originally he was doing both gymnastics and swimming weekly but he was really wiped out by the end of the week so we switched to trade them off bi-weekly. I also stopped dragging him along on errands like grocery shopping and the library (both of which he, as an SPD kid hates going to) in order to increase his downtime at home. We've constantly adjusted around Jam's abilities and energy levels to get to the right balance we have now. But those are always changing.
Sound like an expensive schedule? It is. Each day I remember how fortunate I am to be in a situation where I can be at home with Jam and also take advantage of the great variety of therapies and activities available to us. But I'll be honest, it is expensive.
Next time, details on therapy costs!
About a year ago when I fully realized that both Jam and I had dyspraxia and knowing, from personal experience, that the effects would be lifelong, I immediately moved our therapy focus from sensory issues to motor skills. Don't worry- the sensory issues are still being worked on and are coming along nicely, because, obviously, this is a condition that needs to be treated holistically, but I view our therapies through the motor skills lens now. Since then, we've seen big improvements in both his motor and sensory issues.
Jam's current schedule is this:
Occupational Therapy- twice weekly For the first year of OT, we went once a week with quarterly goals towards sensory defensiveness, gravitational insecurity and body awareness. As he's aged (and building on the progress of the first year), he's gained some muscle tone and flexibility (in body and, more importantly, in mind) so now we're able to work at a higher level of gross and fine motor control and spend more time on his major challenge, motor planning. He loves going to his therapist's house to 'play' and always has.
Hippotherapy- once weekly Physical therapy on a horse! Great for strengthening core muscles, improving muscle tone, balance, coordination and motor planning. Fortunately, Jam's taken to it more than I thought he would. I even gave him the choice of opting out during his therapist's maternity leave but he wanted to continue.
Integrated Movement Therapy- once weekly A yoga-based therapy approach, in it's infancy as a treatment. Great for sensory integration, sequencing, body awareness & strengthening, as well as increasing stamina and endurance. I'll be honest- Jam loves his teacher but until recently fought against going because it's hard work. Fun, but hard work. That kid is sweating when he's done.
Soccer- once weekly A 30 minute class for 3-4 year olds offered through our local community center. It's so low-organized it's a bit generous to call it an actual soccer class. But it's Jam's only small group activity that he gets to be around other kids with. The 'coach' is great and it's right next to the playground for afterwards. And, while Jam may be amongst the oldest in the group, his skills and stamina are in the middle. And that's only for the first half of the class- after 15 minutes, he gets lost as to what he's supposed to be doing and kind of tunes out. But it's obvious he's having a good time!
Gymnastics- bi-weekly This isn't a formal gymnastics class, per se. Our local gymnastics academy offers an hour-long indoor playground daily where 5 and unders can use their equipment with adult supervision. So Jam just moves around jumping on trampolines, going through obstacle courses they set up and trying to get out of their giant foam block pit. More sweaty hard work. It can be a bit loud and chaotic (not great for SPD kids) depending on who shows up, but we just decompress with snack and books in the car afterwards. Even though we live 2 miles away and could just as easily go home. He seems to need that immediate decompress time.
Swimming- bi-weekly Like gymnastics, this isn't a formal swim class. We just go to the community center pool on a weekday when most kids are in school and 'swim' around for a few hours. It's a great warm water pool with a sectioned-off shallow area for the young kids and also a looped area with a current so he can just float along with a safety vest. And it's taken a year to even get to the point of wearing a vest. And for him to not be overstimulated afterwards. Actual swimming classes are much further down the line, if ever. But in the meantime, the water has been great for sensory integration, improving muscle tone and muscle development.
This doesn't even include at least three weekly trips to various playgrounds to practice those motor skills and two playdates a week to practice those social skills. (The kid's got to have some regular kid fun!)
Sound like a packed schedule? It is. Especially for a highly sensitive, introverted kid who needs a lot of downtime. Fortunately, to Jam, it's all fun and games. Preschool used to be added to the mix and got dropped (at his request). And originally he was doing both gymnastics and swimming weekly but he was really wiped out by the end of the week so we switched to trade them off bi-weekly. I also stopped dragging him along on errands like grocery shopping and the library (both of which he, as an SPD kid hates going to) in order to increase his downtime at home. We've constantly adjusted around Jam's abilities and energy levels to get to the right balance we have now. But those are always changing.
Sound like an expensive schedule? It is. Each day I remember how fortunate I am to be in a situation where I can be at home with Jam and also take advantage of the great variety of therapies and activities available to us. But I'll be honest, it is expensive.
Next time, details on therapy costs!
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Dyspraxia, SPD & Beginnings
Jam is currently 4.75 years old
Just as it probably was for you and yours, I could tell something was up with Jam pretty early on. But he was passing all of his developmental milestones within the expected timeframes (barely, but still). And being born five weeks premature, I expected he was going to take some time to 'catch up'. Still, I had that niggling feeling in the back of the brain there...
So before his 2.5 year wellness exam, I put together a list of Jam's 'quirky' behaviors- mostly sensory stuff and some motor things- and I did some preliminary research on the internet. (Being dyspraxic, I just really like to come prepared and to know what to expect with anything new- no surprises for me, thanks!) It didn't take long before 'sensory processing disorder' popped up. And it didn't take long afterwards for the pediatrician to look at that list and reach the same conclusion. So off we went with our evaluation referral in hand and then on our merry way to begin occupational therapy.
I've always been pretty good at this diagnosis stuff and with the Sensory Processing Disorder confirmation, I was feeling very good and confident. I thought with strong and early intervention we'd be able to quickly manage this SPD business and mainstream Jam by kindergarten. I'd filled in a big piece of the puzzle that is Jam. But it turned out I was missing an even bigger piece.
When Jam took the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales test as part of his evaluation, he was assessed as being a full year behind his peers in gross and fine motor. But I didn't freak out- we'd been working on both the sensory and motor components in therapy. In fact, I remember feeling that the therapist was focusing a little more on the motor and should have been focusing more on the sensory. My thinking was, 'fix the sensory and the motor would follow'. And that's what I focused on at home, too.
So after a year of occupational therapy with solid but slow progress, I realized that this 'SPD business' wasn't just going to magically resolve itself by the time kindergarten rolled around. I'd also been getting the feeling that there was something more going on. So back to my trusty computer I went. And pretty quickly found the term 'dyspraxia'. And as I was reading, the proverbial light bulb clicked on. Except I forgot all about Jam and his issues and realized the page was talking about me. About my childhood. And that it wasn't something Jam was going to 'grow out of'.
My first order of business was to go back through that initial fifteen page evaluation. There'd been lots of big words and test results around motor skills, but there it was on page 5- "dyspraxia". I'd somehow missed it. Or dismissed it, favoring the SPD diagnosis.
My second order of business was to completely overhaul the approach we'd been taking, now with a strong focus on motor skills and motor planning. Weekly occupational therapy, physical therapy, swimming and gymnastics. And that's when we finally started to see big changes.
Just as it probably was for you and yours, I could tell something was up with Jam pretty early on. But he was passing all of his developmental milestones within the expected timeframes (barely, but still). And being born five weeks premature, I expected he was going to take some time to 'catch up'. Still, I had that niggling feeling in the back of the brain there...
So before his 2.5 year wellness exam, I put together a list of Jam's 'quirky' behaviors- mostly sensory stuff and some motor things- and I did some preliminary research on the internet. (Being dyspraxic, I just really like to come prepared and to know what to expect with anything new- no surprises for me, thanks!) It didn't take long before 'sensory processing disorder' popped up. And it didn't take long afterwards for the pediatrician to look at that list and reach the same conclusion. So off we went with our evaluation referral in hand and then on our merry way to begin occupational therapy.
I've always been pretty good at this diagnosis stuff and with the Sensory Processing Disorder confirmation, I was feeling very good and confident. I thought with strong and early intervention we'd be able to quickly manage this SPD business and mainstream Jam by kindergarten. I'd filled in a big piece of the puzzle that is Jam. But it turned out I was missing an even bigger piece.
When Jam took the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales test as part of his evaluation, he was assessed as being a full year behind his peers in gross and fine motor. But I didn't freak out- we'd been working on both the sensory and motor components in therapy. In fact, I remember feeling that the therapist was focusing a little more on the motor and should have been focusing more on the sensory. My thinking was, 'fix the sensory and the motor would follow'. And that's what I focused on at home, too.
So after a year of occupational therapy with solid but slow progress, I realized that this 'SPD business' wasn't just going to magically resolve itself by the time kindergarten rolled around. I'd also been getting the feeling that there was something more going on. So back to my trusty computer I went. And pretty quickly found the term 'dyspraxia'. And as I was reading, the proverbial light bulb clicked on. Except I forgot all about Jam and his issues and realized the page was talking about me. About my childhood. And that it wasn't something Jam was going to 'grow out of'.
My first order of business was to go back through that initial fifteen page evaluation. There'd been lots of big words and test results around motor skills, but there it was on page 5- "dyspraxia". I'd somehow missed it. Or dismissed it, favoring the SPD diagnosis.
My second order of business was to completely overhaul the approach we'd been taking, now with a strong focus on motor skills and motor planning. Weekly occupational therapy, physical therapy, swimming and gymnastics. And that's when we finally started to see big changes.
Labels:
dyspraxia
,
motor skills
,
occupational therapy
,
sensory processing disorder