Today was parent observation day. A day to go into school and see what my son's day is like. I came out of it excited and terrified all at the same time.
I love the teaching methods being used as they really seem to be speaking to Dylan. However, his sensory seeking is off the hook. I was happy to see one of the aids get and put his vest on him but it did take a while for her to pick up his cues. Now, I know, I'm his mother and I can sense his seeking before he actually does it but he's having behavior issues that are tied to his SPD & CAPD. If they aren't properly managing both, he's going to have increasing problems.
Now, we do have parent teacher conferences next month so I'm going to wait till then to address it. I did call his teacher out though. Yesterday we got a note home that he had a rough day. He refused to come in from recess. I emailed her and asked her what was their action plan as they have had this happen before with him. Her response was that she'd talk to the OT. WTF - the OT isn't going to do what I told you to do months ago which is to set up his expectations daily before the troublesome activity. "Dylan, we are going outside for recess. What do you need to do when I call you? Come In? Yes, thank you". That's all it takes for him to comply. When I pressed her on it she admitted that the class was a bit off because of her and her staff being sick and they didn't set him up properly yesterday. Great, you give him a time out for something you could have avoided. Nice.
It was nice to see him in speech therapy and in OT. Kid gets a little massage before each session. Lucky!!!
We had a great session with our therapist last night and he gave a great example of central auditory processing delay.
You work in the city. You come up from the subway and a big bus flies down the street 3 feet away from you. You barely even register it as you are used to it. Your mind tells you it's nothing to worry about.
You aren't a city person but are there on business. You come up from the subway and a big bus flies down the street 3 feet away from you. You jump back in surprise and fear. Your brain isn't used to it and kicks in your fight or flight.
These are examples of prioritizing. Your brain tells you when something is important and when it's not.
Even though Dylan had to deal with a time out yesterday, his brain will still not prioritize his teacher calling him in from recess because it doesn't process that way. He's not being defiant. This is happening on a neurological and even cellular level. CAPD is going to be a hard nut to crack.
Thank you for your posts! We are experiencing something very similar with our son who has just been diagnosed with SI and CAPD, Discalculia and ADHD.
ReplyDeleteMy son receives a time outs for exactly the same behavior - today again in fact. As his mother I see his sensory seeking and other behavior before it happens and am flummoxed by the inability of school aides to prevent problems before they happen with a simple head's up. He really is so predictable.
Anyway, great analogy and thanks for shedding some light on something that is very new to us, and not so new in some ways as well. We've come to understand our son and have implemented strategies and a sensory diet for years without knowing it.
I really enjoys reading your blog. Thanks for taking the time to write.
It's so frustrating when someone tells you that your child has done something "wrong" when it was actually because they set up the behavior's onset!! Ooh, I would be mad!! Love your analogy. It creates the perfect visual and explains it in easy terms. Hope it's getting better with the school.
ReplyDelete