Dyspraxic Journey

Tag Archive: sensory issues

The Little Light Switch and Nutrition Report Update

Just like everyone, CB has his on days and his off days. Well, lately his behaviors have been wavering quite a bit so it is more like he has his good moments and bad moments. Yesterday during his OT session, he was so positive and took everything head-on. He laughed while working with the OT on the spinning board. He actually was laughing. Just a few months ago, he was super scared and required the security of the OT riding with him just so he could tolerate it for a few spins. Whatever the OT suggested, he was on board and didn’t put up his usual walls. Most of the time for CB, his first reaction to any suggestion is no. He immediately jumps to the “I can’t do it” mentality and gets frustrated from the get go. We are currently working with him to try to shift his perspective, calm down, and try the task a few times before getting frustrated. So that was a very positive and “on” moment for CB. Today during swim class, he was totally off and sensory-seeking. He was moving the entire time and either splashing, putting water on a classmate, dumping over swim container baskets, or just not paying attention. He even was pretty off when he was in the water with his swim teacher. It is so hard to figure out what CB needs to feel focused and comfortable. Both his OT session and swim class immediately followed a nap so it isn’t like for one class he was really active beforehand and not for the other.

On another note, we got his nutrition report back and he is not vitamin-deficient anymore – yay! Now, he is still a little low on iron based off his ferritin and UBC levels, but the values continue to increase. His Immunoglobulin A levels have increased a bit. They are still low but he has moved out of the selective IGA deficiency range. We know he can produce some IGA, at least. He also had quite a low homocysteine level, slightly low WBC, slightly low carbon dioxide, slightly high vitamin e, and slightly high vitamin a levels. So most likely he still has some inflammation or bleeding. We still haven’t done the organics acid test b/c it requires the patient to not eat apples, pears, grapes, cranberries or their juices w/in 24 hours of providing the sample, and to pee in a cup first thing in the morning before eating or drinking. This is honestly too difficult right now to take on. We tried in early Jan and it was a disaster. Once CB gets in the habit of peeing in the morning before breakfast, then we will try it.

Tomorrow, if all goes well, CB will have his blood drawn for the food and seasonal allergy test. We know CB is allergic to processed soy and has seasonal allergies just based off observation. He is also battling a rash on his bottom, which appeared on and off for several months, and has shown symptoms like he may have some other food allergies. We will see if the test tells us much.

For a therapy update, CB’s ST has started incorporated straw therapy a week and a half ago. CB thrusts his tongue out when drinking from a straw. In regards to the PT developmental exercises I am performing at home with CB to work on integrating his retained primitive reflexes, this is a challenge. CB puts up a fight almost every time we perform the exercises. I need to work on a new strategy so it is not a battle. He typically doesn’t actually mind most of the exercises once we get started. It is the starting part that is so hard for him.

Glowing Glances: We visited a new park and a new children’s museum during a trip we took this past week and CB owned the playscapes. He climbed new play gyms that were not just like the ones he has seen at other parks. For CB, he has to perform tasks over and over and over before he can be successful at a task. Even then, he can forget how to do something depending on the day or environment. So it was so encouraging to see him be able to use his skills he has used in other contexts and apply them to new situations and environments. He also regularly says “of you or of ew” when prompted. Even though it is prompted, it still fills me with joy to hear him repeating the phrase “I love you”. Oh, and he regularly thanks me ” tank you or tank ew” for dinner and says “ih good”. 🙂

May 7, 2015 Allergy, Diet, & Supplements, Growth and Progress, Therapy, , , , 0 Read more >

Car hoarder

So something CB does that I guess other kids with sensory issues do is that he takes a large amount of cars with him to the car in some sort of container every time he goes to the car. He may play with them but most times, he either holds on to the container or dumps them onto the floorboard. It is a huge fight if he is not able to take the huge amount of cars. There is clearly some sort of attachment associated with them. If his brother gets one of the cars in the car, CB will grab it, look at it for 30 seconds or so, and then add it back to his pile. He doesn’t actually play with that car. Maybe they are his safety net. Maybe he likes the sound and visual effect from dumping them. Maybe they are just fun to play with or maybe I am a mama who has no clue and just doesn’t get it.

Promising Progress: Yay, CB had his first dry day – 100% self-initiated. He is sill in pull-ups. We plan to continue to let him be the driver in this potty-training race. Something has clicked and he has better awareness. The 2 days prior were not so successful, but this is a big step.

Lousy Low: Seeing him struggle in group ‘PE’ time at his preschool program for special needs children and not being able to help him. It unfolded like a story in a textbook. He was sitting among the other 20-30 pre-k kiddos with a smile and sitting calm. After 20 seconds or so, a specific tune played and all the kids started crab walking, except for CB, who was bear crawling. He still had a smile and watched the other kids but continued with the bear crawl. The tune changed and the kids sat doing something with their hands. CB followed along. Then the specific tune started up again and all the kids started crab walking again, except for CB. He started scooting around on his bottom. He looked around at the others, looked at his body and continued scooting on his bottom. After that, he started chewing on his shirt, yelling, moving all around, and making disruptive sounds. One kiddo scooted away from CB and another stared at him. The teachers called him to come sit on the steps by them. I felt so bad for CB. I can’t tell to what degree he understands and recognizes how he is different and that these motor activities are easy for others but are difficult for him. He clearly has some understanding and chose to leave the situation versus continue feeling the way he felt.

Short note on current priorities:

  1. speech
  2. body awareness
  3. continue troubleshooting allergies, immune issues, periodic digestive issues

March 10, 2015 Growth and Progress, , 0 Read more >

Behavior and swim class

CB is 4 years old …

Earlier today during CB’s weekly swim class, he acted mostly like his usual self except he was more impulsive. He didn’t respond very well to his instructors and was trying to play with the other boy in his class. His play was spitting at him, splashing him, and screaming. Fortunately, for CB’s confidence, the other boy responded positively to CB by laughing. Unfortunately, it probably motivated CB to continue with his behavior. CB’s play is still quite limited. He enjoys big movements with loud sounds, getting others to laugh, lining and slowly moving his cars around, watching cartoons & parts of movies, hugging his brother repeatedly and often, reading books, collecting leaves, rocks & nuts, checking out cars, trains, construction trucks, and other big moving machines, reading car magazines, playing with others, hide and seek, tag/chase, looking for monsters, and sleeping w/lots of blankets, stuffed animals, pillows and toys.

We don’t have an official diagnosis for CB except for severe neuro motor planning speech disorder with developmental delay. He also has global motor-planning, sensory-processing, slower processing, auditory and visual issues. He is behind on his language, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and potentially some comprehension delays.

Since he is 4, it is hard to know how much behind he will remain.

Glowing Glances: CB & his younger brother played a game independently outside where they were talking the whole time, working together to achieve a goal, and greatly enjoying their time together without parental guidance. I am not sure what they were creating or building but it involved moving wood from 1 pile to another location.

Lousy Low: Reading through another evaluation that placed CB in the <5% for fine more skills.

Promising Progress: 1) Latest loose stool issue appears to be resolved. Changing CB’s supplements caused him to have loose stools for 3 days. We backed off the supplements and the issue disappeared. We slowly have reintroduced supplements and so far his stools are normal. He is skipping some days. (The extra vitamin C was the culprit) 2) Pooping and some peeing in the potty at school independently and 100% self-initiated. Keep in mind independently does still include help wiping.

February 25, 2015 Growth and Progress, , , 0 Read more >