Citrusheights5 Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Ben received a new OT assessment via our homeschool charter. Although he graduated from medical OT over the summer, what they worked with the he most was proprioceptive and vestibular stuff. I felt like this ot had an incredible grasp of Ben's abilities and did a great job testing him. He has improved in all areas but still has the bad habits of proping himself up, and having by walls but noted he can do all activities EXCEPT handwriting. His testing shows: Visual Motor Integration 51 Very poor (<1st%) Motor Reduced Visual Perception 97 Average (42nd%) General Visual Perception 78 Poor With these discussions: Motor-Reduced Visual Perception Quotient (MRPQ): This is the purest measure of visual perception in that only minimal motor skills (i.e. pointing) are required to show perceptual competence. Visual-Motor Integration Quotient (VMIQ): To do well on this composite, children must demonstrate their visual perceptual skills by performing complex eye-hand coordination tasks. Low scores do not necessarily indicate poor visual perception; they may mean that the children have awkward hand movements or that they have difficulty coordinating hand-to-eye movements. I'm at a loss of how to help little man. Once a week ot will help, but what about at home?!?. I guess the chasm between the vision and the integration is throwing me. I'm just not sure what would be the best activities for him. Any advice?!?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Did they say anything about retained reflexes? My son had some trouble with hand-eye stuff (handwriting of any kind that required copying from a paper, from the line above him, from the board, etc.), and our COVD worked on reflexes for that. It was very helpful. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Yup, OTs all vary. They're sorta like used car salespersons, with different cars in every lot. So clearing out of one just means you worked through what she knows. That's cool that you got access to a new OT who has some more tools to work on! As far as what to do, yeah just ask the OT. Our kids swallow OT, my lands. If no one has checked for retained reflexes, you can get that done. I always defer back to the developmental optometrist once the eyes are part of the equation. The OT can shake one end of the stick and the dev optom the other. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 I would ask the OT, too. Some activities might be good with a one-on-one lesson, too, that might not be good options with a same-age group starting out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathermomster Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Definitely get the COVD eval. DS worked with a ped PT after OT to address poor posture and weird sitting/shifting/propping at the desk. He performed bilateral exercises, weight training, postural exercises, and agility work. He completed specific daily PT homework exercises 5 days per week until things were sorted. After the PT and OT work, things are much better; however, DS still types his work and will likely always do so. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geodob Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 Hi Lee, You asked about how to help him at home? Something that you could do, is to buy or make a 'blindfold' for Ben to wear while doing different activities, through out the day. As when vision is removed, this shifts one's reliance onto our Vestibular sense, to locate where up and down are. As it can't be seen. It also shifts Motor Control, to total reliance on Proprioception, as the hands and feet can't seen where they are. As well, it removes vision from our Exteroception. Exteroception, is our spacial perception, of where things are around us. Which relates to the MRPQ, and 'pointing at something'. With a delay in the development of Vestibular, Proprioception and Exteroception? Vision actually contributes to a delay in the development. As people will compensate by relying on Vision. But this is a very inefficient coping mechanism. Any OT, that is done exercises without excluding Vision? Will only help develop greater reliance on Vision. So that all that is needed, is a Blindfold. But it does come with a Warning? Where any 'valuable breakables', should be removed from the area. Where the blindfolded activities are carried out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathermomster Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 (edited) I just asked DS...When he was working with the ped PT, many of the balance exercises were performed with his eyes closed, and I did not know that. Edited October 23, 2016 by Heathermomster 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citrusheights5 Posted October 23, 2016 Author Share Posted October 23, 2016 (edited) Geo and Heather, that is actually fascinating. We still have all the "gear" from OT from yoga balance,trampoline, balance boards, so I will try these with him!!! I never thought of blindfolding him, but that a great idea!! Ben has seen a COVD, since Miles had major issues with convergence binocular etc. He has been completely cleared.. the only thing found was a slight astigmatism, that he's not even required to wear glasses for consistently. We have them for the days he wants to wear them. So nothing going on visually- it's all in the motor. It's a huge part of his "issues" on frustration since he can see what he wants to do knows what he wants to write and no matter what he does he cannot produce what is in his head. And he can see that it doesn't match. If he is cued auditorily he has beautiful handwriting. But I have to say each step on each letter, and after months of HWOT he still has not developed an internal voice. "Magic c starts at the middle line-good-bump the bottom line- now all the way up to the top line" for one letter. Same with drawing. If I draw a nest next to him he can follow my steps and make one, but he cannot produce it without explicit help. I really think relying on things other than visual will help. Off to find a blindfold! Edited October 23, 2016 by Citrusheights5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 I really hadn't thought of this the way that geodob is talking about given the names of the tests. Interesting. Anyway, in support of blindfolding, my son couldn't write a number 8 for a really long time unless he closed his eyes. If he closed his eyes, his 8 was fine, but with his eyes open, he couldn't do it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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