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.
No comments :
Post a Comment