mmmm yes. It took an hour of screaming on both of our parts to get Matilda ready for swimming. She refused to eat. She still hasn't eaten anything today yet, no water, nothing. She keeps falling over because she's not looking where she is going, she can't listen... even to 'Stop!!! Don't run into that...."
Sometimes I think our kids just hear the 'run into that' part and miss the rest !
Try to ask them to do what you want, not what you don't want - like asking them to walk, instead of 'not running'. 'keep your toast on the table' rather than 'don't throw your toast around'.
I've also got this thing going at bedtime and bathtime - not saying, 'its time for a bath' but rather 'what toys are you going to play with in the bath'. Same with bedtime, 'what books are we going to read in bed'. Don't give them a chance to say no.
My Alex has just turned 3 and we're in the process of getting a diagnosis. I thought there was something unusual about him just before he was two and a half. We go to an early intervention place once a week, their program is based on the floortime program from the US and gives you tactics and things to use everyday.
Sorry Barb... I was in a bad place when I read your post, but I can answer now. I do say the right things... I rarely say "Don't!" but sometimes... in the thick of these days... you say what comes out first and don't think. I've had an awful time of this with Matilda because everyone keeps telling me what I am doing wrong and how I should be doing things, so I take things very hard sometimes even when they are given with the best intention.
Well Wednesday we had our first official OT appointment. I felt comfortable as soon as we got there. She asked me what we the hospital had us doing for Matilda. I said "um... nothing, we were given a diagnosis of sensory integration disorder and a request for further assessments for Asperger's" She was horrified. She said "Did they know you were moving?" and I said yes of course... she said "and they just left you... that is appalling" and I was in love.
I told her of a few suggestions from lovely friends, using ipods, ear muffs, picture story books of the move, preparing her in advance for things. I said we had some exercises my OT friend suggested like "rolling in a blanket, jumping on a trampoline, twirling etc...".
She said "You are in a crisis and everyone has just dumped you. You need to work through a crisis and then we can get you exercises etc to work on"
She wants me to do 3 A3 size charts. One for the week and what is happening, one for each day which we do in the morning to show her what is happening when, and one for the lead up to Christmas and the silly season. We've got the Christmas one done so far. But every morning we tell her that what is happening next and how things are going to go. We have started to enforce a stim free time when lights are off and everything is off, maybe a quiet video if she's having a good day, and she has to lay on the lounge for 30 minutes. This is helping heaps already!!!
So our developmental paediatrician appointment is Monday.
christy sooooooo glad that you have finally someone in your corner giving you the help you need - and how brilliant that even in such a short space of time, it has had results.
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