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.