Tag: Sensory Processing

Magical Mommy Monday Meets Sensory Spectacle

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If you’ve checked out my previous blogs, then you saw a series written by Becky Lyddon, founder of Sensory Spectacle.

Fun fact: I host two podcasts! One is Theme Park Thursday with Dillo’s Diz, with my brother, where we focus on Disney nostalgia. The other is Magical Mommy Monday with my friend, Angela Dahlgren.

Ok, now that the cheap plugs are done, we can move on.

Becky was kind enough to take time out of quarantine to chat with us on the Magical Mommy Monday Podcast. Along with her amazing YouTube videos and her website containing trainings, she also has a podcast as well.

Click here to check out episode with Becky to learn more about her background, sensory processing and Sensory Spectacle!

You can visit Becky’s one stop shop for Sensory Spectacle here: https://www.sensoryspectacle.co.uk/

A Sensory Evaluation: Take 2

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During his Kindergarten year, ‘J’ received Occupational Therapy at school. His Occupational Therapist (OT) was awesome and we stayed in contact to keep each other in the loop. However, occupational therapy in school typically focuses more on fine motor skills (ie: handwriting) and whether or not the student cannot focus in class. ‘J’ was doing great in both of these areas. Unfortunately, the school could not provide more assistance when it came to sensory difficulties. They did not have the space or types of therapies to assist students in this way. It was recommended that ‘J’ would not receive OT for 1st grade.

Knowing that ‘J’ struggled with lighting, sounds and still had separation anxiety during morning drop off, we had him evaluated by an outside OT. He was evaluated at the end of February, 2020 in the areas of Touch Processing, Visual, Oral, Movement and Motor. Without going into specific details, he received scores under the categories of “More Than Others” or “Much More Than Others.”

It was recommended that ‘J’ receive occupational therapy for help reduce sensory sensitivity in the area of auditory, touch processing, visual, oral and sensory seeking behaviors. There would be focus on strategies to help reduce anxiety in social settings, to make him become more comfortable with challenges and to adapt to given situations within his life.

We were able to have two sessions with his new occupational therapist before everything shut down due to Covid. In the meantime, I came up with a Sensory Diet (pictured below), bought some fidget toys to assist with the sensory bin and luckily it was spring which meant lots of opportunity for outside play.

Like everyone else, we had to adjust our daily life. Although we were looking forward to have ‘J’ get started with occupational therapy to focus on his challenges, we did the best we could without it.

A Paw Pa-rrific Halloween

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Over the last 6 months, J has gone through different phases of characters he’s into. WeIMG_3764.jpg were way into Spiderman (he kind of still is), Sid the Science Kid, Super Wings and Paw Patrol. I wanted to wait on buying a costume this year until I knew one of them was sticking. Paw Patrol was the winner and tomorrow J will be dressing up as Marshall.

This time last year, more red flags of a possible sensory issue were coming to light. One of them was how bothered J was by his Woody costume. He seemed so uncomfortable with the feel of the costume and absolutely hated the sound of the velcro on the back of his neck. Every time he moved he would beg me to cut the tag out. I would assure him I already had and this was velcro which helped the costume stayed on.

When we got home from the store a couple of weeks ago and tried on his Marshall costume, I saw him immediately cringe. We cut any tags out and I reminded him of the velcro. He’s not a fan but pushes through in order to wear it. We’ve worn it twice so far for other Halloween activities this month and there’s been a meltdown associated each time. Normally because he does not want to wear the costume in his car seat. He is visibly overwhelmed. Talking it through with him, taking some deep breaths and giving it some time usually does the trick. He tugs at it here and there but overall accepts the costume since he so badly wants to wear it.

Most people around him wouldn’t notice it, unless they witness the major meltdown. But there are looks he gives me when he’s uncomfortable and looking for reassurance. There are various situations where I’ve seen that look and Halloween season is just one instance. Overall, he loves pumpkins, Halloween decorations and the idea of dressing up. He’s looking forward to his Halloween parade at school tomorrow and Trick-or-Treating in our town.

For those with sensory difficulties, so much is going on behind the scenes in order to get through different situations and daily activities.

Another Hairy Situation

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Back in April I wrote about how much J did not enjoy getting his hair wet or having it cut. Here we are in October and not too much has changed.Bath time has gotten easier, although he still has his moments. We still can’t wet a brush or comb when styling his hair.

Before school started, I took him to get a haircut. We made multiple attempts in multiple locations and none of them ended well. He was crying, screaming and trying to run away. It got to the point of his hair being in his eyes that we knew we had to try a different route before school started. My husband took on the duty of adding stylist to his resume. It was a struggle and took over an hour, but ultimately J had his hair in a much better state than he started with.

Hair grows fast. This weekend we found ourselves once again in the position of needing to take J to get his hair cut. We figured we’d skip the struggle of getting it done somewhere and just have my husband do it again. Needless to say, it didn’t go well (not horrible but could be better) and we will definitely be going back to the professionals for next time.

Click here to read “A Hair Situation,” which I posted back in April. I also included 3 videos from Sensory Spectacle in the post discussing why those with SPD find washing, brushing and cutting hair difficult.

Since we’re discussing hair cuts again, I have included that video below. What may not be fun for some kids is heightened for those with sensory difficulties. 

World OT Day

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I couldn’t let today go by without acknowledging World Occupational Therapy (OT) Day.

I’m so thankful for J’s Occupational Therapist. She has taught us so much, made J feel comfortable during his sessions and is always available to answer our questions. Although a complex profession and not centered around one specific niche, Occupational Therapists work to promote independence for their clients. Whether they’re working with children or adults, they work to help them grow socially, physically and emotionally.

For us, it seems appropriate to celebrate OT during Sensory Processing Awareness Month. OT helps J navigate through daily activities easier while providing us with a better understanding on how we can help him succeed.

The Potty Chronicles Continue

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Since I have written about my goals of potty training ‘J’ over the summer and how those plans were unsuccessful, I thought I would provide an update. To some, it may seem weird to be writing about this. But for me, this is a major milestone in this house!

Many attempts were made over the summer, as well as on and off for the last two years. Over the summer we’d take a couple of days where ‘J’ would hold it, and go while he was sleeping since I still had a pull-up on him. Other times he would feel like he had to go and become so overwhelmed and hysterical it was hard to continue because I didn’t want it to be a bad experience. You definitely don’t want your kid traumatized when it comes to bathroom habits. You also don’t want them going to High School in a diaper.

We went through lots of ups and downs and then two days before his first day of school, a Tuesday, he finally did it! It was so exciting and I think he got to see that it wasn’t so bad. Granted, the whole next day he refused. Thursday was his first day of school. Considering he had only gone once, I definitely wasn’t sending him in underwear. I didn’t need him freaking out about that on top of first day of school jitters. Once I picked him up and as we were driving home, I told him that after his nap we were going to try the potty again. That was 5 days ago. He’s now gone 4 nights and 4 full days without wearing a diaper.

It definitely helps that we had no weekend plans and no services or school today and tomorrow in observance of holidays.

It’s hard not to be too excited so I’m trying to stay cautiously optimistic. We’ve put a sticker chart into play which he’s excited about, he hasn’t asked for a diaper and he’s… um…done #1 annnnnnd #2. I’m still in disbelief.

Over the last two years I’ve tried everything. No pants, just underwear, standing, sitting, sticker charts, rewards, no rewards, peer pressure, trying to talk out his fears, reading books, watching potty episodes of his favorite shows, the list goes on.

What we’re experiencing now has never happened. Even over the years when he would go, it would be random, one and done and not again for months.

I’m not sure what clicked for him even thought I always knew it would just click at some point. But when you’ve been changing diapers for 4 years and 3 months for 1 child, you start to doubt it. I think the combination of him realizing it wasn’t so bad once he did it, then going to school two days later and seeing that all the kids were using the potty may have pushed him into gear. Whatever it is, I’m happy and so proud of him. Seeing the fear, the hysterics and knowing how overwhelmed he would get, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it’s hopefully behind us.

 

What Happened to Summer?

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I think something is wrong with my calendar. It seems as though we’re in the last week of August, summer is coming to an end and school starts next week.

It went way too fast. I had ideas for the summer, things I would be doing with the extra time we’d have everyday and most of those things didn’t happen. Don’t get me wrong, we had fun, saw friends for playdates, saw immediate family and some of our adult friends. At the same time it seems like we should have done more. But in the paraphrased words of Carrie Bradshaw, we shouldn’t “should” all over ourselves.

Let’s recap what I had hoped for from my pre summer posts.

  • Potty Training
    • Attempted, no success
  • A daily schedule
    • Written out, happened twice
  • A road trip to visit some of our friends
    • I can’t remember if I wrote about this one but regardless, it didn’t happen

Here we are at the end of summer. As I await details of ‘J’s’ class information, I wonder how his adjustment back into the routine will go. Monday and Wednesdays he’ll have Speech and OT again and Tuesday/Thursdays will be school. He went two days a week last year for about 2.5 hours a day. This year, he will be there for 5. I wonder which of his friends will be in his class again and my hope is that he’ll love it as much as he did last year. I know that won’t always be the case so if we cant hang onto it for now, that would be great. As for ‘Baby J,’ we’ll get back into a Mommy and Me class routine and I’m sure she’ll be missing her playmate around the house during the day.

A schedule is great but I want to hang onto these summer days just a bit longer.

A Summer Potty Party

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Two weeks ago was the end of school. Last week was the end of Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy. And now it’s summer.

My biggest goal? Potty training! A Summer Potty Party.

‘J’ is 4 and we have attempted potty training since he turned 2. It’s never gone well. He’s gone on the potty here and there and we’ve celebrated! We’ve tried the three day rule. We’ve tried no pants. We’ve tried underwear. We’ve tried a Paw Patrol Potty Seat, an Elmo Potty and a Mickey Mouse Potty. Bribes big and small. Aiming for Cheerios. You get the idea. We’ve been through it!

Understanding more of his Sensory Processing difficulties also helps us understand why this whole potty thing might not be so easy for him. Things have never progressed past a few hours because he is so overwhelmed, upset and affected by the process. Hesitation and some resistance is one thing. I definitely expect that. I expect accidents and I don’t expect things to go smoothly. But I also don’t want him to feel scared and that’s what I’ve seen in the past. Overwhelming fear.

I haven’t even pushed potty training in awhile, just mention it here and there, letting him know that it’s available. Now that we don’t have a set weekly schedule, which allows for more flexibility, I’m hoping we can come up with a plan he feels comfortable with and we can move on from the diaper days.

And hey, maybe ‘Baby J’ will show interest and I’ll have two potty trained by the end of the summer!

I kid…I don’t actually think that will happen.

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Milestones

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First off, I promised a blog everyday this week and I failed yesterday. But it was for a good reason!

‘J’ turned 4 on June 5th. 4! How did that happen? Remember when High School felt like forever? And college?! And yet you start on an awesome adventure of being a parent and 4 years go by in a blink.

In 4 years he has grown and changed so much. I’ve been lucky enough to witness every milestone: rolling, first steps, the long awaited first words and so much more! Toddler days are over and the personality he’s always had continues to flourish. He’s loving, sweet and funny, strong and smart, cute and full of energy. I see him interact with his friends and have flash forwards to years from now catching a glimpse of who he might be. I want the best for him and hope that when life lets him down, he can use his new strength to navigate out of it and turn it into something positive. His smile and laugh are contagious and I never want to see that fade.

Yesterday, ‘J’ had his closing ceremonies for his first year of school. Much like the first day of school can be more emotional for the parents, I think the same can be said for the last day. After talking with some of the other moms, I’m thankful to know I wasn’t the only one not accepting this change. This has been our routine for the past 9 months. We hit the jackpot with his teachers and the kids in his class. We’re going back to the same school in September but with different teachers and kids. I know it won’t always be as good as it was this year which only adds to not wanting to let go. I’m so thankful he found a safe and happy place in his classroom. He knew if he felt overwhelmed, he could go to his teachers for comfort. I heard about a day he was randomly crying and saying he missed me. His teachers said his friends gathered around him to make him feel better. Hearing that makes my heart explode. Of course I want to be there to scoop him up and make the tears stop. But I love that if I can’t be there, he found comfort in his friends.

I’m so proud of how he did in school this year. We continue to navigate through his speech and sensory difficulties. He works so hard everyday between school and his therapies. He’s insanely smart and blows us away daily. At the same time, he’s only 4 and sees everything as a way to play. And isn’t that the best way to learn?

It’s hard to see time go by so fast. I want my babies to stay babies forever, but I also want them to grow to be healthy, strong, independent adults. This is nothing compared to what I’ll be up against in the coming years. I look forward to all of it!

In the meantime, I’ll try to hide my lack of enjoyment when it comes to change so he’s just as excited for school in September as he was this year (hopefully).

Hear Ye Hear Ye

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About 7 years ago, my brother and I started a blog about our love for Disney. Although we’ve never kept up with it too much, it kept pulling us back.

In the last year, we’ve worked on our social media presence and in recent months we started hosting Theme Park Thursdays on The Improviser’s Guide Podcast.

But why am I talking about Disney? Well, The Improviser’s Guide Podcast has a new episode 4 days a week with a new topic for each day. This week I was lucky enough to be featured on “IT’S [Talk] TUESDAY” as a guest to discuss this blog!

I’ve mentioned before that I appreciate articles, blogs and groups I’ve come across that have helped me navigate speech delays and sensory processing difficulties. If reading this blog does that for someone else, even if it’s just providing some comfort that the reader is not alone, than I will consider that a success.

I really appreciated being able to speak on the podcast and educate others who may not know much about these topics, or might be starting on a similar journey.

The Improviser’s Guide Podcast is available via Apple, Stitcher, Castbox and Libsyn. Click here for quicker access to the Just My MomSense episode.

And now for cross promotion. If you’re a Disney lover like me, check out dillosdiz.com or @dillosdiz on Twitter and Instagram!