Sunday, 19 June 2016
Putting the Puzzle Together
Having a child with special needs is like trying to put a puzzle together. The border is fairly easy, but then you must fill in the middle and there is always that one piece that just doesn't fit, or is lost altogether. Or extra pieces that you aren't sure how made it into the box.
And there are always people who, with the best of intensions, want to help you finish the puzzle, or give up and just let it be. As a mother, I knew very early on that something wasn't quite right with my son. Something just wasn't fitting and I couldn't put my finger on it.
I wondered many times if my perception of what my child would be like and reality was simply flawed. And it certainly was, but there was more.
My mother's advice was that if you feel there is something not quite right, there likely is. And, you keep asking until you get answers.
Developmental milestones were reached, but later than all of my friends' children of the same age. Learning to speak however did not come eventually. We were referred to hearing and speech which led not only to hearing and speech support, but also a referral to the autism team, and when it was ruled out a developmental assessment with a psychologist.
The psychologist advised us that there were indicators of anxiety and learning difficulties, however she wasn't sure how these concerns would develop. Her advice was to see what happened once our son went to school. In the meantime, she referred us to OT and PT to address worries about fine and gross motor control and sensory processing difficulties. We also brought in a private OT to assist with address our son's difficulties with managing certain food textures, and dirty or sticky hands. We used some tools to desensitize his mouth and hands.
Occupational therapy is, in my opinion, the most beneficial treatment for children like our son. It provides practical strategies to aid the child (and his parents) with managing every day challenges. If we had not afforded our son with the opportunity to attend hearing and speech therapy and occupational therapy, he would not be able to socialize with his peers as he now does.
We now have a diagnosis, which is complicated, as is our son. The challenge we now face, now that we have the puzzle together, is how do we continue to support his needs in school. For me, I do not want to lose the essence of who my child is through treatment or forcing him into a learning environment that does not suit his needs. He is a creative, out of the box thinker. So, how do we balance that with managing within the norms of society? This is the task at hand.
And there are always people who, with the best of intensions, want to help you finish the puzzle, or give up and just let it be. As a mother, I knew very early on that something wasn't quite right with my son. Something just wasn't fitting and I couldn't put my finger on it.
I wondered many times if my perception of what my child would be like and reality was simply flawed. And it certainly was, but there was more.
My mother's advice was that if you feel there is something not quite right, there likely is. And, you keep asking until you get answers.
Developmental milestones were reached, but later than all of my friends' children of the same age. Learning to speak however did not come eventually. We were referred to hearing and speech which led not only to hearing and speech support, but also a referral to the autism team, and when it was ruled out a developmental assessment with a psychologist.
The psychologist advised us that there were indicators of anxiety and learning difficulties, however she wasn't sure how these concerns would develop. Her advice was to see what happened once our son went to school. In the meantime, she referred us to OT and PT to address worries about fine and gross motor control and sensory processing difficulties. We also brought in a private OT to assist with address our son's difficulties with managing certain food textures, and dirty or sticky hands. We used some tools to desensitize his mouth and hands.
Occupational therapy is, in my opinion, the most beneficial treatment for children like our son. It provides practical strategies to aid the child (and his parents) with managing every day challenges. If we had not afforded our son with the opportunity to attend hearing and speech therapy and occupational therapy, he would not be able to socialize with his peers as he now does.
We now have a diagnosis, which is complicated, as is our son. The challenge we now face, now that we have the puzzle together, is how do we continue to support his needs in school. For me, I do not want to lose the essence of who my child is through treatment or forcing him into a learning environment that does not suit his needs. He is a creative, out of the box thinker. So, how do we balance that with managing within the norms of society? This is the task at hand.
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