I would love any information that you could pass along. It has been a very long year for us. We are in Texas and it has taken alomst a full year to have my son diagnosed with PDD. All of the signs were there including the SI issues, but no one wanted the responsibility of labeling a 3 year old. OT has been VERY helpful for my son. Once we started working on his SI, his verbal language starting developing. I am a firm believer that these things are related. Our insurance coverage for the OT is about to run out, and the school district has basically said that he doesn't need the OT provided by them because he can walk...deep breaths help some yoga and pilates too !! lol We are trying to develop an at home program before I lose his therapy all together. Any resource manuals or publications you can direct me to would be appreciated
Thanks
Thank you for that Karrie--- At times OTs in the school system are not much appreciated! Many OTs are not trained in SI, alot of times the extra and advanced training comes while working in the field and attending conferences and workshops. I think that true SI OTs usually work in the SI clinic/medical setting where they are encouraged to be SIPT certified....the school-based OT are not required to have those training, although it is encouraged!
Hi there: School-based OT services can be difficult to obtain because we mainly focus on the education of the child and how he functions as a student in the school and his/her classroom setting. The best thing for any parent to do is to get written home programs from their current OT for follow-through and carryover at home as well as providing teachers with any helpful tips to enhance your child's educational performance (i.e. attention, self-regulatory interventions, etc.). The book mentioned in my first post is extremely informative also check out the "Out-of-Sync Child"
Good luck!
ot4kids,
Hi I just wanted to say welcome to the board! It's so nice to have an OT here that is trained and experienced with SI. While my son was in EI in Tennessee he had various different OT's throughout and only a couple were trained in SI. I can tell you with my son at least it really made a HUGE difference when he seen these people. My son is hyper and hypo so from day to day it can be very confusing to figure out what is going on at times. His first OT had me read the "out of sync child" and it was a real eye opener for me. At this time we had not gotten a diagnosis of PDD-NOS yet but knew that he had severe problems in this area. Adam no longer walks on his toes and he also is a self regulator now. I consider myself fortunate to have had such great people work with my son in the past. His current OT is not trained in SI and I can tell a difference in the type of therapy that he is getting. He will start pre- school in Aug and I am assured by them that their therapists are well trained in SI. I really hope for my son's sake that they are. To me at least..OT therapy is just as important as any other therapy that my son gets. Well I just wanted to say thank you for choosing a profession that touches the lives of so many of our children. You all are greatly needed, respected, and appreciated. Take care,
Karrie
hello all: i am new to this forum -- I came across this site while doing some research. I am an occupational therapist here in California and is working in the school districts...I would like to provide some reading resource for those who are interested in learning more about Autism as well as getting ideas for SI intervention. There is a great book out there called : Building Bridges through Sensory Integration by Ellen Yack. Although, SI is never proven and has little evidence on the effects of children with Autism it is an intervention that provides and maintains "order" and function in the daily lives of these children :) The OT that comes to my daughters school is contracted from a local hospital and is trained in SI. I was excited about it because my insurance is terrible and we can no longer afford a private OT. As it turns out, the school system isn't intrested in SI and there isn't much therapy that can be done @ the school. Theres no room and no equipment.