Ds had his occupationl therapy evalution
Moms View Message Board: Parenting Discussion: Archive January-June 2005:
Ds had his occupationl therapy evalution
Dh took him because I have strep throat  We will get a full write up on his next visit, but she talked with dh when she was done and gave him an overview of what she found. She said that ds has very little strength in his upper body, and his muscles that effect fine motor skills are not developed. He is only in the 9% range for grasping items. That is why he is having such a hard time writing, color, cutting and dressing. She also said something about how he has very little range of motion? Dh was trying his best to explain to me what she said, but I am a little confused on the range of motion thing. Ds is going to start seeing the therapist once a week for an hour. I know that several of you on the board have/had dks in OT. How long before you saw improvment? Ds is starting K in the fall and I really want him to improve by then. Is this realistic?
Yes, you should see improvement in 4 and a half months of therapy - that's what 18 visits? He'll probably need to continue once school starts, but you should see improvement over the summer.
My son is almost finished with 11 months of weekly OT sessions.
You will see an improvement quickly - probably within the first month. They will also probably develop a home plan for you to work on during the week. My son had some of the same issues with UE strength. They do the most creative things that have nothing to do with hand writing ie: hiding/finding items in therapy putty, swinging from rope swings, etc. You will really learn alot!!
Good Luck!
I don't know a whole lot about OT, but just wanted to give you {{{{{Hugs}}}}} and say I hope you're feeling better soon. I know you wanted to go to the eval. Let us know how things go. 
This sounds exactly like what we were told. That trunk strength issue is very important. So at home things we did were this: get that boy on his tummy to play, having him push up on his arms, you can do this watching movies, playing cars, whatever. Also make sure he is properly supported where he sits. He needs to be at the right height and his feet need to be supported. We bought a special chair, but you can do the same thing with a booster seat and phone books for his feet. Also when he does sit on the floor, make sure he is sitting crisscross, not "w" sitting with his legs bent but out beside him. My son was evaluated in April, he didn't start services until august, but after me working with him a lot during the summer by time august hit he really didn't need the ot. So I think you will see results quickly.
Kaye, dh brought a folder home and it had things to work on, some of the same ones you metioned and a few others.
It sounds like ds will be on the right track for K in the fall. He is so excited about going back. He said "he loved playing with Ms. Beth" LOL.
Debbie, you will probably start to notice progress within a few weeks. He will love OT I'm sure. I always think it's fun when I get to co-treat with OT. We see a lot of work with trunk strength too. I know that common activities that I see in are wheelbarrow walking on their hands with the OT holding the feet, kids laying tummy down on a scooter board and using their arms to push themselves around on the floor, obstacle courses, and work on the big therapy balls---having them lean backwards and pull up with their abdominals, shift weight, etc. FYI, range of motion refers to how much movement a joint can accomplish. If he has little ROM, then he is probably holding his wrist pretty stiff when coloring/writing and using his shoulder instead of moving his wrist and fingers like he should. Hopefully you'll find out more next session. So glad you were pleased with the eval and results!
A few ideas...
-buy an exercise ball and bounce him on his bum, tummy, back - get him to pull up from lying down without using his hands - while on his tummy, have him reach for beanbags from the floor, and toss them in a bucket
-get him to pick up pennies, one at a time, while holding them all in the same hand as he picks them up
-have him seach for objects in a big bucket of uncooked rice
-while in the tub, have him fill up and lift and dump buckets of water
-get him to help with heavy groceries (cans of juice, bags of rice, etc)
-get him to push and pull wagons with either kids or bricks
-therapy putty is like silly putty, but it can be much tougher to work with - pull, stretch, poke, etc
-get him to touch him thumb to each individual finger
-have him write his name in sand, rice, etc
-cut playdoh, licorice, etc
-stringing beads
-play catch with balls of different weight
-buy him some small weights, like 2lbs, and let him do some weight lifting
-let him sit on your lap and lie back, and then get him to pull up without holding on
-is there still such a thing as Stretch Armstrong?
You can make fun games out of lots of these things. I'm sure your OT will have lots of fun ideas, and you'll see steady improvement.
OT can take a while. You can practice skills with him at home. I think I am going to buy that handwriting program...
Handwriting without tears. You can get it at amazon. Ds likes to learn to write.
My sister in lawa said sing read write spell is the best program to learn to read and write for homeschoolers. I bought it and it is wonderful... It has 5 games. and it has cutting and pasting in it every day. Also singing everyday - aaa is for apple bbbb is for ball cccc for cat....
5 worksheets. - 1 coloring the letter - one cutting and pasting - one skills and review. one letter tracing capital and lower case - $200 on amazon for kindergarten and first grade complete program
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If that is too much money just get the pre k and kindergarten workbooks and the cd songs on ebay on amazon. Less writing. We are doing the kindergarten program now. Ds is just turned five. It is very good. You can do two letters a weeks or what every.. or just the workbooks on amazon - $30
Everything takes awhile. I want to see over night improvement but it isn't like that.
To give him more strength I would take him to the playground as much as possible. Also bowling if you like it... I would get him in the kiddie soccer team and t ball too if they have it.
You can get an occupational therapy catalog and discuss with the therapist what to buy.
You can do alot of things at home. Therapy is only an hour a week. Not much if you think about it... How much can you do with your son in a hour?
Pam, thanks for the information. Most of the things you mentioned, she had him doing..laying on a skateboard and pushing himself around the room, walking on his hands, etc.
We are already doing things at home and he is improving some. His therapist will meet with me each week after his session and discuss his progess and things she wants me to do at home. So, we will definitely continue to work at home with him. It is just great to have someone give me specific things that will help him.
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