Master 4! Autism his way! #5 Therapy Thursday.
Thursday again. I swear the weeks are just getting shorter and shorter as the year comes to an end.
Today we approached therapy with a new plan. We spent the morning in preparation mode. We spent the morning doing quiet activities and then we had a rest. I wanted Master 4 to have a nap but it didn't happen. So we had the next best thing and he laid down with his baby sister for her nap.
I decided on this course of preparation last fortnight when therapy was an absolute disaster. He had not slept enough the night before and being the end of the year it had been very busy with lots of unscheduled activities.
I started the day with very low expectations. Master 4 did not sleep very well again last night. He was unsettled and then finally at about 10.30 passed out exhausted. He then spent the night tossing and turning and talking in his sleep. So I was pretty sure no amount of preparation was going to make a difference. But I was determined to give it a go.
We dropped the other kids if at Nannas and headed of to his OT's office. As is the case with most medical centres they tend to run late. Ours is no exception. But this time I was ready for the waiting room. Having to wait for anything is not easy for Master 4. He does not understand. So today we had Mr Spidey with us. This is his current snuggley of choice.
Just having something he normally would have to leave in the car or at home made a huge difference straight of the bat. My back up was his brothers new game however we didn't even need it. He played happily with Mr Spidey until it was his turn to go in. He still played on he floor and found it difficult to sit still but we had no meltdowns and he was far more settled than last time round.
Once in, I had previously organised to concentrate on fine motor skills today. After no sleep I was sure we would not get any major work outs done without a meltdown. So straight over to the work table we went.
The OT had some fabulous new crayons. They come in the shape of nuts and bolts and before you can colour you have to place the correct coloured nut on the matching bolt. Master 4 found this very challenging, yet really enjoyed it. It has given me an idea for a game at home that I will try over the holidays using some tools that we have a t home. I always take notes during his therapy sessions and try to think of ways to utilise what he is learning at OT that we can incorporate into his home therapy.
After he had correctly placed all the nuts and bolts together he was able to draw with the crayons. This again proved a little challenging as the shape made it difficult for him to press into the paper, however he persevered and coloured in for at least 10 minutes. The longest time he has spent on drawing in one sitting without having to be pushed. I may have to get some of these crayons for at home I think.
After the novelty was gone we quickly moved onto stapling his picture together. Master 4 has never used a stapler before so he found this very exciting. He needed a lot of assistance for this as he just does not have the strength to push it down hard enough on his own.
By the time he had finished his stapling the session was almost over. He helped pack away all the items he had used and grabbed Mr Spidey. He had managed an entire 45 minutes without passing out on the floor or becoming agitated.
Today's session was a huge success. A little bit of extra planning and a forced rest before hand made a huge difference. We are hoping to be able to secure an earlier time slot next year as his performance definitely decreases as the day goes on.
I'm sure as we become more organised and get all the boys into a set routine at the beginning of next year things will go a lot more smoothly. I will absolutely be spending what ever day the have therapy getting them prepared earlier and keeping them settled befor hand. It made such a difference today and in didn't feel as though I had wasted $200 like I did last time.
We have one more session before the school summer holidays begin and then it will be down to me to continue the boys therapy until next February. It is going to be a very interesting school break as I try to incorporate outings and holiday fun into fine and gross motor skill development. I will keep you posted on how I am going!
Thanks for reading.