You Can't Always Get What You Want by Alysia
You Can't Always Get What You Want
by Alysia Butler of Try Defying Gravity
I have seen the promised land of therapy rooms.
I have visited these amazing basements equipped with swings, trampolines, a trapeze and quiet tent spaces. Rooms filled with sensory balls and body socks and noise canceling headphones. I have stood in the doorways of these spaces but have never crossed in.
Because it's not my house. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's therapy room.
I'll admit it. I'm envious of what they have.
I want that. How different our lives could be if we only had...all that.
This popped into my head at our most recent IEP meeting for my 4 year old son Howie. Every morning when he gets to preschool, his amazing aide takes him immediately to the school's OT room. Each day they assess what he needs at that moment. Maybe it's time in the swing. Maybe it's the trampoline. Or maybe it's just quiet time doing a puzzle. After 10 or 15 minutes in the room, he has built up his sensory inputs enough to be able to make it through the morning routine. And if needed, he takes more sensory breaks during the day.
While this works for him now, the time that he's in the OT room takes away from his time in his preschool inclusion classroom, and he misses some of the daily routine. The conversation around the IEP meeting table turned to kindergarten, where this type of "before school OT time" might not be as possible.
My husband spoke up. "What if we did some of the sensory input work at home before he goes to school? Would that get him ready for the day?" The teachers were all in agreement that this was a wonderful idea.
It sent me into a panic. How on earth could we do any of that at home? With my two other sons around? And with what equipment? And where?
As I spiraled into "No, we can't" land, my husband decided "Yes, we can."
Can you say role reversal? I think you can.
My husband took it upon himself to spend a morning with my son and his aide to watch their routine in the OT room. He observed the teacher as she walked Howie across a balance beam. He took notes while Howie lifted coffee cans filled with beans over his head 10 times before he jumped on the trampoline.
And he came home with a plan.
Read more »
by Alysia Butler of Try Defying Gravity
I have seen the promised land of therapy rooms.
I have visited these amazing basements equipped with swings, trampolines, a trapeze and quiet tent spaces. Rooms filled with sensory balls and body socks and noise canceling headphones. I have stood in the doorways of these spaces but have never crossed in.
Because it's not my house. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's therapy room.
I'll admit it. I'm envious of what they have.
I want that. How different our lives could be if we only had...all that.
This popped into my head at our most recent IEP meeting for my 4 year old son Howie. Every morning when he gets to preschool, his amazing aide takes him immediately to the school's OT room. Each day they assess what he needs at that moment. Maybe it's time in the swing. Maybe it's the trampoline. Or maybe it's just quiet time doing a puzzle. After 10 or 15 minutes in the room, he has built up his sensory inputs enough to be able to make it through the morning routine. And if needed, he takes more sensory breaks during the day.
While this works for him now, the time that he's in the OT room takes away from his time in his preschool inclusion classroom, and he misses some of the daily routine. The conversation around the IEP meeting table turned to kindergarten, where this type of "before school OT time" might not be as possible.
My husband spoke up. "What if we did some of the sensory input work at home before he goes to school? Would that get him ready for the day?" The teachers were all in agreement that this was a wonderful idea.
It sent me into a panic. How on earth could we do any of that at home? With my two other sons around? And with what equipment? And where?
As I spiraled into "No, we can't" land, my husband decided "Yes, we can."
Can you say role reversal? I think you can.
My husband took it upon himself to spend a morning with my son and his aide to watch their routine in the OT room. He observed the teacher as she walked Howie across a balance beam. He took notes while Howie lifted coffee cans filled with beans over his head 10 times before he jumped on the trampoline.
And he came home with a plan.
Read more »
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