Jam is currently 4.75 years old
About a year ago when I fully realized that both Jam and I had dyspraxia and knowing, from personal experience, that the effects would be lifelong, I immediately moved our therapy focus from sensory issues to motor skills. Don't worry- the sensory issues are still being worked on and are coming along nicely, because, obviously, this is a condition that needs to be treated holistically, but I view our therapies through the motor skills lens now. Since then, we've seen big improvements in both his motor and sensory issues.
Jam's current schedule is this:
Occupational Therapy- twice weekly For the first year of OT, we went once a week with quarterly goals towards sensory defensiveness, gravitational insecurity and body awareness. As he's aged (and building on the progress of the first year), he's gained some muscle tone and flexibility (in body and, more importantly, in mind) so now we're able to work at a higher level of gross and fine motor control and spend more time on his major challenge, motor planning. He loves going to his therapist's house to 'play' and always has.
Hippotherapy- once weekly Physical therapy on a horse! Great for strengthening core muscles, improving muscle tone, balance, coordination and motor planning. Fortunately, Jam's taken to it more than I thought he would. I even gave him the choice of opting out during his therapist's maternity leave but he wanted to continue.
Integrated Movement Therapy- once weekly A yoga-based therapy approach, in it's infancy as a treatment. Great for sensory integration, sequencing, body awareness & strengthening, as well as increasing stamina and endurance. I'll be honest- Jam loves his teacher but until recently fought against going because it's hard work. Fun, but hard work. That kid is sweating when he's done.
Soccer- once weekly A 30 minute class for 3-4 year olds offered through our local community center. It's so low-organized it's a bit generous to call it an actual soccer class. But it's Jam's only small group activity that he gets to be around other kids with. The 'coach' is great and it's right next to the playground for afterwards. And, while Jam may be amongst the oldest in the group, his skills and stamina are in the middle. And that's only for the first half of the class- after 15 minutes, he gets lost as to what he's supposed to be doing and kind of tunes out. But it's obvious he's having a good time!
Gymnastics- bi-weekly This isn't a formal gymnastics class, per se. Our local gymnastics academy offers an hour-long indoor playground daily where 5 and unders can use their equipment with adult supervision. So Jam just moves around jumping on trampolines, going through obstacle courses they set up and trying to get out of their giant foam block pit. More sweaty hard work. It can be a bit loud and chaotic (not great for SPD kids) depending on who shows up, but we just decompress with snack and books in the car afterwards. Even though we live 2 miles away and could just as easily go home. He seems to need that immediate decompress time.
Swimming- bi-weekly Like gymnastics, this isn't a formal swim class. We just go to the community center pool on a weekday when most kids are in school and 'swim' around for a few hours. It's a great warm water pool with a sectioned-off shallow area for the young kids and also a looped area with a current so he can just float along with a safety vest. And it's taken a year to even get to the point of wearing a vest. And for him to not be overstimulated afterwards. Actual swimming classes are much further down the line, if ever. But in the meantime, the water has been great for sensory integration, improving muscle tone and muscle development.
This doesn't even include at least three weekly trips to various playgrounds to practice those motor skills and two playdates a week to practice those social skills. (The kid's got to have some regular kid fun!)
Sound like a packed schedule? It is. Especially for a highly sensitive, introverted kid who needs a lot of downtime. Fortunately, to Jam, it's all fun and games. Preschool used to be added to the mix and got dropped (at his request). And originally he was doing both gymnastics and swimming weekly but he was really wiped out by the end of the week so we switched to trade them off bi-weekly. I also stopped dragging him along on errands like grocery shopping and the library (both of which he, as an SPD kid hates going to) in order to increase his downtime at home. We've constantly adjusted around Jam's abilities and energy levels to get to the right balance we have now. But those are always changing.
Sound like an expensive schedule? It is. Each day I remember how fortunate I am to be in a situation where I can be at home with Jam and also take advantage of the great variety of therapies and activities available to us. But I'll be honest, it is expensive.
Next time, details on therapy costs!
No comments :
Post a Comment