I do hate the weeks "off" of OT, while it is much easier on the pocketbook; it makes for a child who bounces all over my furniture...not that we have the nicest of things, but still. And while I can deal with it most days, it also makes for a child who bounces off other people's furniture. And a child who manages to hurt himself because with that SPD diagnosis is also a lack of 'grace', otherwise known as clumsiness.
Now the good SPD momma would set up some sort of OT like things at home, and most days I do-but sometimes I get tired of doing it, and there is a mini trampoline in the basement-he didn't want to use today :( Some days I want to sit on the couch when it snows and read a book, or take a nap. Of course those are the days I pay for it, in the form of a hyper sensory seeking child who ends up breaking something or hurting himself and me grumpy :( I also don't like rigid schedules, but thinking I need to get better about one for the time that he is home. Which is yet another reason that homeschooling doesn't appeal to me at this point. Let someone else set the schedule for him.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Torn
Deviating a bit from the norm. This post is about the younger one. The one who has no diagnosis, but has his own quirks.....The boy who will be 4 in 3 months and up until 4 days ago required a pacifier to fall asleep. Well, I guess I should say that he got a pacifier to fall asleep. I'm not quite sure he is doing okay without it.
The part that has be so torn is that yes he is almost 4 and still uses a paci-aka a "sucky". I know that it may alter his bite in the orthodontia way. Yes, to my very well meaning family, I know that he needs to learn to self-soothe. I appreciate your concern, I really do. However, you aren't helping us, his parents, when your statements sound judgmental.
He needs melatonin to fall asleep on a good night. Why are we taking away his other "crutch"? He has never been a good sleeper. He has a VERY hard time calming himself down when he gets upset. He's not likely going to go to Kindergarten with it so what is the big deal if he has it? If he sucked his thumb he would do more damage, and it would be harder to break. We limit his time to just nap and bedtime.
And honestly, I am not looking for an answer here. I am not looking for people to tell me that I should give it to him until he's 23, or that I am a horrible mother who should have taken it away before he was a year old. I guess I just need to get it all out to see where I stand. It isn't easy being his mom. And when you combine all of the different needs in my family is this something that really needs to be dealt with now?
I think that if he has another hard time without it, and asks for it. He will get it back and we will try again in a few months. He isn't hurting anyone else by having it and when I told him the paci-fairy could come and bring him a gift. He said that he would rather have the paci back.
The part that has be so torn is that yes he is almost 4 and still uses a paci-aka a "sucky". I know that it may alter his bite in the orthodontia way. Yes, to my very well meaning family, I know that he needs to learn to self-soothe. I appreciate your concern, I really do. However, you aren't helping us, his parents, when your statements sound judgmental.
He needs melatonin to fall asleep on a good night. Why are we taking away his other "crutch"? He has never been a good sleeper. He has a VERY hard time calming himself down when he gets upset. He's not likely going to go to Kindergarten with it so what is the big deal if he has it? If he sucked his thumb he would do more damage, and it would be harder to break. We limit his time to just nap and bedtime.
And honestly, I am not looking for an answer here. I am not looking for people to tell me that I should give it to him until he's 23, or that I am a horrible mother who should have taken it away before he was a year old. I guess I just need to get it all out to see where I stand. It isn't easy being his mom. And when you combine all of the different needs in my family is this something that really needs to be dealt with now?
I think that if he has another hard time without it, and asks for it. He will get it back and we will try again in a few months. He isn't hurting anyone else by having it and when I told him the paci-fairy could come and bring him a gift. He said that he would rather have the paci back.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Sensory Friendly Bathrooms
Okay I just gotta gripe. I live near Chicago and my family and I are regular visitors of the zoo and the many museums around here. And we are so blessed with these experiences! However, in the name of being "environmentally friendly" in the bathroom we are freaking out a whole bunch of people with SPD!
1. Automatic flushers scare the beejezus out of both of my boys. I appreciate that ones that go up for #1 and down for a #2. And I know that some people can't be bothered to flush, and seriously, get over yourself and just flush already! It's gross, nobody wants to see it. Anyway, my boys don't like not knowing when this is gonna go off! It's enough to handle it when they know the flush noise is coming, let alone not knowing! And yes I know the post-it-note trick, I just don't always think to have those in addition to all the other sensory things I already carry!
2. Automatic hand dryers or hand dryers of any sort. Please provide paper towels or my sons will be wildly waving their hands around in the air or better yet wiping them on their pants. I guess I should carry some of those with too.
3. Smells. Yes, body waste smells, however, those nasty deodorizers smell worse. So, now, imagine if you will...my son's are both with me, in the handicapped stall, both have their hands to their ears due to the flushing and hand dryers. I have to help them sit (they both sit still) or hold their ears so they can do it. All the while trying to keep them, and myself from upchucking due to the nasty deodorizer smell, which really just mingles with the body waste smell to make even someone not sensitive to smells wanna vomit :(
So what would I love? A family bathroom with a door/walls around the toilet. Why? Because my BOYS are 3 and 6 and have questions about things on my body. And where do I put them when I go? Anyway, back to my "dream" public bathroom....one with walls/door around the toilet. One with both hand dryers (for those who want) and towels for those who don't. One without an automatic flusher (or one that doesn't go off for 5 minutes!) Some way to vent fresh air into the room rather than the stale air of the building, and throw out the nasty deodorizers! While you are at it can you make it pink or purple? I am the only girl in a house with 3 boys! Thanks ;)
1. Automatic flushers scare the beejezus out of both of my boys. I appreciate that ones that go up for #1 and down for a #2. And I know that some people can't be bothered to flush, and seriously, get over yourself and just flush already! It's gross, nobody wants to see it. Anyway, my boys don't like not knowing when this is gonna go off! It's enough to handle it when they know the flush noise is coming, let alone not knowing! And yes I know the post-it-note trick, I just don't always think to have those in addition to all the other sensory things I already carry!
2. Automatic hand dryers or hand dryers of any sort. Please provide paper towels or my sons will be wildly waving their hands around in the air or better yet wiping them on their pants. I guess I should carry some of those with too.
3. Smells. Yes, body waste smells, however, those nasty deodorizers smell worse. So, now, imagine if you will...my son's are both with me, in the handicapped stall, both have their hands to their ears due to the flushing and hand dryers. I have to help them sit (they both sit still) or hold their ears so they can do it. All the while trying to keep them, and myself from upchucking due to the nasty deodorizer smell, which really just mingles with the body waste smell to make even someone not sensitive to smells wanna vomit :(
So what would I love? A family bathroom with a door/walls around the toilet. Why? Because my BOYS are 3 and 6 and have questions about things on my body. And where do I put them when I go? Anyway, back to my "dream" public bathroom....one with walls/door around the toilet. One with both hand dryers (for those who want) and towels for those who don't. One without an automatic flusher (or one that doesn't go off for 5 minutes!) Some way to vent fresh air into the room rather than the stale air of the building, and throw out the nasty deodorizers! While you are at it can you make it pink or purple? I am the only girl in a house with 3 boys! Thanks ;)
Friday, December 16, 2011
The Lethal Combo
A tired, anxious, counting-down-the-days-to-Christmas, SPD child and one tired super PMS momma, do not a good combination make :(
Early bedtimes for all and tomorrow is a new day!
And I did apologize when I put him to bed for yelling. Just wish I would have been able to restrain it better, know it was the SPD and not just him being a "brat". I held back some of what came into my mind to say, just wish I could have stayed calmer. Oh well, I am sure I will be tested similarly again and I hope I do better next time!
Early bedtimes for all and tomorrow is a new day!
And I did apologize when I put him to bed for yelling. Just wish I would have been able to restrain it better, know it was the SPD and not just him being a "brat". I held back some of what came into my mind to say, just wish I could have stayed calmer. Oh well, I am sure I will be tested similarly again and I hope I do better next time!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
The Vacation Let Down-why they are so important!!!
My husband and I *just* got back tonight from a fantastic 3 day trip to New Orleans. I can't say enough about the city, I could seriously move there tomorrow. We went, sans kiddos, to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. We were long overdue for some time for just us. We often send our kids away for a night here and there, but haven't gone away ourselves for over 10 months-and that was just downtown Chicago-only 30 minutes from where we live. About 3 months ago I told my hubby that we needed to GO AWAY for this anniversary. We needed some time off. Don't get me wrong I LOVE my boys and missed them terribly. However, it was awesome to be able to go out together and not be "separated" by the boys. We could converse and hold each other's hands, not our kids. We had the BEST time! I miss NOLA already ;)
Now comes the let down. And while mine is there, and the fun of having my husband all to myself, this is more of my son's. Our 3 year old faired pretty well. He was so excited to see us when we arrived just before bedtime tonight. He had chatted with us on Skype twice this week. He really liked seeing my husband and I and talking with us. Our older son, doesn't not like Skype or the phone. And he is the one with the "let down".
So far he has had two bathroom accidents, one of each variety. And I got a recap of a fire safety movie when we were tucking him into bed-3 times. We tried to keep things as normal as we could but when other people are taking care of them, different things are going to happen. And it's really gonna be okay! He has to learn to "roll" with things on occasion. Life can't always be controlled and predictable. Of the 3 nights, only one was spent in a different house, and he was in school all day, which is the same and fairly predictable. His teacher was well warned of what was going to happen. Thankfully, neither of the bathroom accidents happened at school.
What do you do when your kid has a fairly severe case of SPD? If you are married, you invest in your marriage! You go, and pick up the pieces when you get home! Our job (my husband and I) as parents is to equip these little fledglings to one day fly from our nest. I don't want to look over on that day, and see a stranger married to me. And my sons need to learn to deal with different authority figures. Now I don't think that my husband and I will be able to plan a 14 day vacation anytime soon, nor could we afford it, but 3 days was just perfect. Enough time to reconnect and dream together again. And just enough time for our son to cope with some changes, but not to the point he was overwhelmed.
Now comes the let down. And while mine is there, and the fun of having my husband all to myself, this is more of my son's. Our 3 year old faired pretty well. He was so excited to see us when we arrived just before bedtime tonight. He had chatted with us on Skype twice this week. He really liked seeing my husband and I and talking with us. Our older son, doesn't not like Skype or the phone. And he is the one with the "let down".
So far he has had two bathroom accidents, one of each variety. And I got a recap of a fire safety movie when we were tucking him into bed-3 times. We tried to keep things as normal as we could but when other people are taking care of them, different things are going to happen. And it's really gonna be okay! He has to learn to "roll" with things on occasion. Life can't always be controlled and predictable. Of the 3 nights, only one was spent in a different house, and he was in school all day, which is the same and fairly predictable. His teacher was well warned of what was going to happen. Thankfully, neither of the bathroom accidents happened at school.
What do you do when your kid has a fairly severe case of SPD? If you are married, you invest in your marriage! You go, and pick up the pieces when you get home! Our job (my husband and I) as parents is to equip these little fledglings to one day fly from our nest. I don't want to look over on that day, and see a stranger married to me. And my sons need to learn to deal with different authority figures. Now I don't think that my husband and I will be able to plan a 14 day vacation anytime soon, nor could we afford it, but 3 days was just perfect. Enough time to reconnect and dream together again. And just enough time for our son to cope with some changes, but not to the point he was overwhelmed.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Ideas for older Students
Please comment under this any ideas you have for older, 4th grade and up, students. I am making a presentation for my son's private K-8 school in less than a week. I have a presentation that is geared mainly to Early Childhood, as that is how old my son is, and it was an Early Childhood Conference that I first presented this information too.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Mommy and Daddy Time
The hubby and I are about to embark on a 3 day whirlwind, trip to New Orleans. This is the longest I have been away from the kids in their whole lives. I am so excited to spend 3 days with my husband and start the celebration of 10 years of marriage! However, I am equally scared to leave my boys. They will spend one night at a friend's house and then 2 nights at home, and then we are back. Trying for minimal disruption for the SPD kiddo and his somewhat sensitive brother. All we can do is wait and see......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)