OT what is it??

OT what is it??
Kids learning through doing!!

Thursday, December 22, 2016

SELF-Regulation and the Autistic Child

Hypothetical Situation* (names not actual names)

“Joey”* participates in a self-contained classroom in his public school.  He has done very well.  Over the past 12 months his verbal skills have dramatically.  He now speaks in full sentences and expresses his needs, thoughts and feelings.  His echolalic speech has dramatically decreased.  He is no longer speaking in cartoon conversations, etc.

Joey no longer needs to be in constant movement. He is following directions and can sit a table to complete a 3 step fine motor task for up to 30 minutes.

Concerns still remain when with spontaneous (non-task related) actions. Recently he was rehearsing a church program that was being led by older teenage boys and he was jumping around and could not “stay still” even though he was reminded by the leaders to do so and also by his mother.

There are other situations similar to this that are a concern to his mother and to some degree cause a level of embarrassment when these incidents occur.

The Immediate questions for the family is how to control him and how to limit these unusual behaviors. Questions also arise as to if these behaviors should be tolerated as “sensory based” or are they just “mis-behavior”?

What is sensory what is not

Almost everything we do as human beings is sensory: we feel, we speak, we smell, we touch and when we do we react to those experiences.

What makes the Autistic child different is that they do not have a filter through which to decide how to plan what to do when.

These children do not have the intuitive ability to follow a motor emotional cue to redirect their actions.

These reactions are sensory.  Occupational Therapy teaches self-regulation as well as standard motor emotional response patterns that help meliorate and qualitatively enhance the child’s repertoire of socially acceptable behaviors.
However, in novel situations such as having to follow specific directions in a typical group of peers, these learned behaviors cannot easily be recruited because the situation is so different from those within the child’s familiar expectations.

For the Autistic child following verbal directions is difficult because they cannot visualize what is being asked of them.  In larger unfamiliar groups, being given verbal directions, particularly “reprimands” is almost intolerable for the Autistic child. They do not have the emotional resources as to how to alter their behaviors to “do it right” and they do not completely comprehend what it is they are doing wrong.

These sensory inputs: everyone around the child (personal space), the sound of singing (noxious to a child with auditory sensitivities), visual spatial processing (where to stand), proprioception /body awareness (how to be still) become muddled for this impacted child.  And the more he is told to stop, the more sensory agitated he becomes so he gets to the point where is cannot stop.

To the uneducated he looks like BUT IS NOT a misbehaving child. This is why it is important to explain to the “leaders” in these situations that Joey may need a little more “TLC” than the other children.


Things to do that may help
1.     Instead of the (usual) putting the out of sync child in the back, place Joey in the front so that the stimuli of others around him is reduced.
2.     Have him wear a weighted jacket so that he can feel him body more securely
3.     Put on sound reducing head phones so he can “hear” but muted so that he is not over reacting to the extraneous noises
4.     Rehearse the songs (or play or __) at home before he gets to the rehearsal and/or the program
5.     Gently remove him from the situation and (in private) give him deep pressure massages to the neck and back for about 2 minutes.
6.     Let him do jumping jacks if he is expressing the need to move.

Things to understand
1.     Joey is doing his best
2.     This is not about parenting
3.     The “annoyance” of others is their problem not yours
4.     Take self judgment out of the picture—you know your child and you are doing your best.
5.     This is not intentional on the child’s part it is reactionary and in part sensory and learned behaviors: (the child learned in situation “A” to do “B” but in novel situations he is at a loss.  It is the treatment of Occupational Therapy to diversify his reaction repertoire.



Wednesday, December 21, 2016

NEW Sensory Summer Camps --WEEKEND program too

Summer 2017 camps

Early Bird Registrations by March 1st for special discounts!!
WEEKEND CAMP  NEW!!
SHINE™  SENSORY HIKING INTEGRATIVE NOVEL EXPERIENCES™
A Counseling and Occupational Therapy sensory group camp
June 9, 2017 – June 11, 2017

3 Days  Friday Saturday and Sunday

The program involves 10 (3+ daily) fun filled hours of outdoor sensory learning with the dual supervision of a registered and licensed occupational therapist and Armann Fenger, LAPC, NCC Director of Learning on the Log. He is a licensed professional counselor and an expert in the fields of counseling, physical education, etc. with the learning challenged child.
Your child will be exposed to techniques for learning how to:
• Transition from one task to another
• Tolerate more than one sensory stimuli
• Motor plan
• Organize self
• Divide tasks into “doable” parts
• Prioritize
• Decrease frustration in challenging situations
• Tolerate unfamiliar situations
• Co-operate with peers in task demand situations
• Increase endurance
• Increase problem solving abilities

The program will be offered for children entering Kg through 6th. Program will have a minimum of 10 students and a maximum of 15.
Costs include all park, recreation, materials fees, summary report, etc.
10 Hour Program (inclusive of end of session report) offered at $37.50/hour 
Non refundable 30% deposit required
Contact Children's Special Services, LLC for registration forms and more information
susanorloff@childrens-services.com
View Map on website www.childrens-services.com
Children's Special Services, LLC in conjunction with Learning on the Log
7501 Auden Trail
ATLANTA, GA 30350  USA
Susan Orloff, OTR/L FAOTA 770-394-9791
Pick up and drop off location to be announced




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WIN™ WRITE INCREDIBLY NOW™

WIN™ Write Incredibly Now™ LABORED TO legible in just 12 hours ~sensory handwriting utilizing games, crafts and sensory experiences in a fun fast way to legible handwriting -preschool through grade 6--addressing pre-and early writing through grade appropriate penmanship . FUN Craft oriented doing/feeling and creating!
Pace Academy
June 19-20-21-22

and

July 10-11-12-13
Buckhead
9 AM-12  PM

12 hour program at $46/hour
CALL BETH SINGLETON AT PACE ACADEMY TO REGISTER OR GO TO THEIR WEBSITE    www.paceacademy.org    404-240-7412






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Sensory Social Skills/POP™ Personal Options and Preferences
Learning exploration, curiosity, creativity, sharing, organization, sharing space and materials.
Registered Music Therapist , Occupational  Therapy and Pediatric Yoga  integrated into the programs.
Children ages 2-8
Sensory regulation techniques, sharing, delayed gratification/, motor skills both through crafts, music therapy and pediatric yoga, listening skills, social responses, and MORE!!

Pace Academy 

June 26-27-28-29

9 AM-Noon
Sensory Social Circles/POP™ $37/hour
CALL BETH SINGLETON AT PACE ACADEMY TO REGISTER OR GO TO THEIR WEBSITE    www.paceacademy.org    404-240-7412






Susan  Orloff, OTR/L, FAOTA
CEO/EXEC Director
Children's Special Services, LLC
770-394-9791
www.childrens-services.com
Twitter OTRLovesKids
Clinical Assoc. Professor
GA Sate University OT Dept.

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