Mom28GreatKids
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Posts posted by Mom28GreatKids
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Yes, I'm seeing concepts there from Zones, 5 Point Scale, We Can Make it Better, We Thinkers 1/2, etc. etc., and that's just in the samples! Think about that. Our kids might go through all those programs (which would take a couple years!) and THEN be ready to watch that webisode series and see it applied in new ways. But just to say well he watched a video series so he should be able to do it now in life, haha, not happening. Some kids really are going to need it slowed down. They'll need to do it with a therapist, have lessons and games and activities to make it memorable, have the therapist help them explore how this comes together.
They can't just try their fledgling social skills out on other kids, because the feedback would be too abrupt, too fast, too indiscernable for them. Maybe some kids can, yes. But my kid? He would totally miss it. He actually needs that slowed down, with the behaviorist giving him glaringly obvious feedback so he can see the cause/effect (action, reaction) thing going on.
But I like the software! It's good stuff! There's just always that gap between what you understand and what you do, the generalizing, being able to do it in more situations. I'll bet you're going to see it a lot in schools, where it can be like ok we did that, done. Much less tedious and expensive than training an SLP or someone and doing physical lessons with a group. And in some ways, if you have a group of kids and need to do a social skills lesson, they might learn more by each having the software than sitting in a group and having less focused work. This would be more active, more engaged, more intense for them. When I went to the ST trainings, I met therapists who were doing this group stuff, and I think the software could be a welcome or even effective alternative for that. Or like 15 minutes of that and 15 minutes together discussing and applying. It could really work.
Yes, I thought as I looked at it that it might target late elementary students, though in the reviews there are reports of kiddos as young as 5 and 6 reportedly using it successfully. I still plan to use IFY first, and the follow-up - is that We Thinkers?
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I couldn't agree more. People here have been so helpful and encouraging. And patient while I learn and grow. I definitely would not have made the decisions I have or been in such a great place if it wasn't for the advice I have gotten here. I finally feel like the pieces are coming together for Ds and for the first time I have hope for his future. Thanks bunches ladies. And thanks Kat for starting this thread.
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This looks awesome. Thanks for linking it here. The reviews are fabulous and the cost not prohibitive. I think I may wait a year or two, but glad this will be here when we need it. Thanks again for sharing.
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Oh, please let us know how the ASD screening goes. My little guy is doing better. We are making better decisions for his care now that we have a little more experience. But his progress is slow speech-wise. He has gone from 14 months expressive to 18 months expressive. He is able to stay regulated for longer periods and we just know how to handle him better these days. Still overwhelmed but I think making steps in the right direction. 😃
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I have never heard no reflex integration til they are 5. Hmmmm. That is news. Yes good things happening with Play Project therapist. First and foremost, we are on the same page worldview wise, and I cannot tell you what a difference that makes. Instead of fighting philosophical positions with his therapists, she fully supports our family values. So I know longer feel under scratiny or at odds with stated or implied goals either in Speech Therapy or with behavior therapy. Now I just need to find a new OT.I don't think they want you to work on retained reflexes before 5. I would do some of the yoga for kids things (SuperDuper, YogaPretzels, whatever), Sitting Like a Frog, gymnastics at your Y (they may have Rat Pack for that age), School Moves/Focus Moves. Just lots of overall good stuff, kwim?
I didn't realize you had left the other place. That's good that your stress has gone down and his! I've heard GOOD THINGS about Play Project, so that's awesome! And, you know, it might be that the therapists at the other place were making more demands than he was ready to handle. Once you get with someone who really is thinking in terms of behavior, they control the amount of demands and bring it into reach. So it looks like you're not doing much, but you're doing what they can handle. I'm glad you've found a better partner for this. A team approach is good, so build your team! :)
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Oh my Jennifer. I will be praying for you. Sounds like you have tons on your plate. And I am right there with you about not knowing what I am doing. Thankful that great people seem to be falling into my lap to help my little guy. Praying the same thing happens for you.
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My oldest is like this. He won't try something unless he is sure he will be good at it. Definitely limiting. He has a perceived notion of what he is good at and won't venture beyond.DS11 seems to be a perfectionist with anxiety (still trying to figure out his deal, but to me this seems part of it). And he often refuses to try something if he thinks he may not be able to do it. It became a great hindrance when we were homeschooling, and it has cropped up in the classroom as well, though not as frequently as at home.
That combo is a hard one. We haven't figured out the best way to address it yet.
I agree with the forced feeling of "I love how hard your worked on that!". Not my natural inclination. We tend to just emphasize that hard work usually produces quality. But certainly worth it to try that approach. And if her awareness of other's perception has awakened, I believe as she grows and perceives people really do like what she produces, the anxiousness responses will lesson.
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I don't know. She has always seemed to me a bit on the perfectionistic side, so maybe in her brain, this is where it comes out in a sort of fear of failure sort of thing. Like doesn't she sometimes crumple if she messes up an art project? That seems like her area of struggle. Mine has increased areas of anxiety when he thinks no one is there to help interpret for him so he won't be understood and if he perceives people believe he is bad/ or dumb because he cannot speak. So thos are the areas where he has anxiety. I could be wrong, but anxiety builds in areas of uncertainty. She is a social butterfly, so it would make sense that there would be no anxiety there.
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Everything I have read has been anecdotal on parent message boards, but actually I trust those sometimes more than clinical studies. Parents generally know more about what is going on with their kids than clinicians.
Here is one:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/opinions/24231
And another by what seems an adult on it:
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It seemed like it may have been a Focalin thing for some people. What I read, a couple of people ended up switching to Vyvanse with better results/ less side effects.
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It does sound like anxiety- maybe perfectionism induced. Like she is so afraid of being wrong she is shutting down. I have read that this can be a side effect of Focalin. Rats. Hoping you can back off a tiny and still see positive results. I know you are wary of the med shuffle that often comes with starting out meds. Double rats. Keep us posted.
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There are some awesome ideas in this thread, thanks ladies. We are trying to do OT at home this year since I broke the relationship with the clinic where he was originally getting speech and OT. There were just two many negative emotional memories tied to that place (for both ofnus, lol) and his anxiety has decreased immensely since quitting. So we are just going to PROMPT and working with the behaviorist (Play Project). His SLP always has an OT like activity in his sessions, but I am pretty sure I can recreate a lot of what he did at the other clinic.
I am most concerned about reflex work since he has many that need integrated: Moro, Palmer, rooting, STNR and ATNR. If anyone has any ideas on how to get this stuff worked on at home, that would be great.
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Just to throw another idea out there- Writeshop 1 may work. I love the interesting topics. Just got it for my rising 6th and 8th grade girls.
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This is why I don't get school planning. DS finally just got to sleep and hasn't napped since he was 16 months old. Now all I feel like doing is staring at the wall in the fetal position. Lol.
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Thanks for your thoughts. I appreciate knowing more about things I can do, or things that can be helpful, like book recommendations or the smart pen. There was more to the evaluator's meeting than I have reported here. I am protective about what I write here for a few reasons, not least of which is that this is my son, not myself, and I don't want to spread info about him on the world wide web.
It seems like there's a tone in this sub-forum that I don't jive with; it bothers me. Of course I want my son to do well and have all the tools he needs to reach his goals. But I do think there is an important point in there about accepting the child you have and working towards a future that suits him well.
The most wonderful thing reported in the whole evaluation, to me, was my son's scale rating of his home life. On a scale of 1-10, he said it was a 9.5. Knowing that he reports feeling safe, happy and accepted at home is a huge, important element for me. Some of his struggles with perfectionism are so similar to myself, but at 16, I would have said the opposite about my home life. I would have said that I feel more criticized and more pressure to be perfect at home than at school and it was already bad at school.
Oh I love, love, love hearing this Quill. It means you have handled your son's issues with grace. I so hope my son will say the same thing of his home experience at that age. I do not want him to feel ever that he is broken and in need of fixing. I am quite sure that every mom here longs to hear the same thing you did from your son. I want to give my little guy every tool possible for a normal happy life, but I love his little self just the way he is. I love how he expresses himself in such unique ways because his words are so limited. He is so intelligent and I want to respect his perceptiveness. Thanks is for sharing this. You give this mommy hope.
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I agree with OhE. I thought my sensory kiddo would never respond to being touched. But he goes and lets her everytime. Sometimes he bats her hand away, but most of the time he lets her. So you may be surprised at how well he responds. Our SLP has several teens who go because they want to speak better. They are kinda driving the boat so to speak. So don't loose sleep over it, though I did, lol, so I totally understand.Kat, don't assume how the dc will react to PROMPT. When the dc is getting something he WANTS and is invested in, he may be cool with it. And if he's not cool with it and buying it, the therapist won't do it anyway. It's not like you're going to take a teen and force him to do PROMPT. It will be a choice. But meeting the therapist and getting the eval would give him that choice. If you just assume, then he never got that choice.
Your county board of developmental disabilities may have funds. Or insurance. Or a state disability scholarship. Or... I used to say sell your cat, but our cats never would have fetched much.
It's all real, sigh. I definitely wouldn't assume how he'll react till you've at least done the VMPAC and let him meet the therapist. But make sure the therapist has experience with teens, yes. Make sure they're at least level 2, preferably working on getting certified or already certified, yes. If you get that, they'll be experienced with teens probably. LOTS of teens come in with this. It's NOT an unusual problem.
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I am right there with you. The very thought of starting school musters up PTSD type of responses in me. But I have to start planning soon. DS is doing ever so much better these days and so I really should be hopeful that this year will be better. We have less appointments takin me out of the house, and the ones we do have are effective and fun as therapy goes. We are in a much better place than this time last year, so I better get busy. 😉
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I am glad you are sorting this out. It sounds like you have a great plan in place and supports will help I am sure. I wish I would have done something similar with my oldest but he is smart enough that he has compensated for what deficiencies he has and is now in college and doing fine. Good luck to you and your son this school year.
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I have an extremely bright rising 2nd grader who will be 8 in the fall who isn't taking in that much text. Not even close. He just finished his first Magic Tree House book on vacation. And we drove 24 hours over a 3 day period. He is a pretty typical rising 2nd grader. It sounds like your ds is doing better than avg.
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Awww, what a special girl you have. And yes, you are going to have to weigh what you will gain having her in school with what you will miss. You may find that you have recharged with her in school and can have those special moments with her between 330 and 830/ weekends/ summer. Like Lecka said, I am sure you won't waste those hours. And going to school this year isn't a forever decision, it is a this year decision. You can always hs next year if this year doesn't go well. She sounds awesome!
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I posted awhile back, when we were having a similar "is she or isn't she" conversation here, a lecture given by Russel Barkley on Emotional Dysregulation in ADHD. (He's a psychiatrist who for years has been in the forefront of ADHD research.) I just did a quick Google search, and this was the first link listed (I haven't read more than the first few sentences) but the search gave me many, many hits. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4282137/ So it's a known issue, for many, if not most, with combined type, regardless of whether they have comorbidities. Barkley says all kids with Combined-type are also on the brink of ODD, which is why it has the highest comorbidity, I think he said around 50% (although I may be misremembering.) Anna definitely doesn't sink into ODD, she usually complies, and she's respectful of authority figures who aren't my husband or I, but of course she does have her moments.
A good day today...Minor issues at the library program (she threw a pen cap across the room when she couldn't get it on), but I'm pretty sure the meds had worn off by then, judging by the vigor with which she stabbed her dot markers at the paper, lol.
Thank you all so much for your insightful thoughts and ideas. I need to take more time digesting before I can respond intelligently, but it's giving me a lot to think about!
The article I linked references Barkley, AM, so there you go. 😃
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I have been watching this thread very closely because my son seems Anna's long lost twin in so many respects. High exuberant lust for life, low tolerance for frustration, inappropriate social interactions. This is my kiddo to a T. I have often wondered how meds affect emotional regulation, so this is all interesting data, albeit anecdotal.
I did find one abstract of a study done in 2000 of some ADHD kiddos, both Inattentive and Combined types, and it does look like the C types showed more dysregulation type behaviors and aggressive behavior. The abstract is linked:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/S15374424jccp2901_4#/doi/abs/10.1207/S15374424jccp2901_4
I would like to read it, but don't have full access.
I also just finished Easy to Love but Hard to Raise, which is almost entirely anecdotal as it is a collection of vignettes written by parents of kids with varying dx's, but a great many with ADHD. Regardless of the child's eventual dx, the thing that struck me was that they almost all had emotional regulation issues- low tolerance to frustration, non compliance, etc. Some would wind up with more than ADHD an others did not.
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Oh, so glad you got answers. It is almost a relief, isn't it? Now you can start planning to help your girl develop her strengths. Hugs to you as you continue the journey.
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If it were me, I would pay out of pocket for private therapy before I would do group therapy in a public pre school. In fact, we are doing just that. We are paying for PROMPT therapy for our son with Apraxia even though many of his therapists pushed for him to be in the developmental preschool.
I don't know if he needs PROMPT or not, but I think I would send him to the Ivy League preschool and pay for private speech. Have you checked with the JCS to see if they have itinerant services? Many many do. It is my understanding that Kaiser is horrible for therapy services (we used to live in CA), so I think you are right there.
Hope you get some answers.
Its confirmed - dd has CAPD.
in The Learning Challenges Board
Posted · Edited by Mom28GreatKids
So glad you got some answers and a confirmation of what you were seeing. It is always a relief to me. 😃