Sorry it took so long to write this. I've had some emails from people that have wanted to know how it went, and I just haven't had the time (nor desire since I've been sick) to sit here and write it. But here I am. :)
About two weeks ago, Corby met with an occupational therapist. I didn't know what an OT did, and it was hard for me to describe it to a friend. The simplest explanation is this: a physical therapist works with the body, an occupational therapist works with the brain. An OT works with how the brain works, where it's problems lie, and the accompanying nervous system. Corby's particular therapist works with feeding problems and sensory problems.
I was sent a huge packet of paperwork before the visit. No joke, at least 30 pages. About half of it was insurance related, about 10 pages were medical history related, and the rest was information on how the clinic operates. It's a huge clinic that helps children of all kinds. We were told to get there 15 minutes before our first appointment, so Corby had plenty of time to play before the therapist brought us back.
They had all sorts of things to play with, but it wasn't overwhelming. The main area was very calming, with boats built right into the floor. They were padded, meant to be climbed on, and Corby went right for them. There was also a room off to the side for sensory seekers. Those are the kids that crave touch, color, and sound. Corby didn't enter that room, although I'm sure he would have had a ball there.
While in the waiting room, I was watching all of the other children. One child was a lot like Corby, only VERY loud. He was climbing on everything, running all over the place, and yelling. I was very thankful at that point that while Corby has sensory issues, that they are not that bad. But then some more kids came in, and I felt horrible. One child, probably around 18-24 months old, came in who was literally missing a part of his head. It was very obvious a large portion of his brain was missing. And another child came in who was in a motorized chair. She appeared to be a quadriplegic. My heart ached for those children and their parents. Corby may have his problems, but we are so blessed with his good health. His sensory problems are difficult to deal with, but he has no major problems to speak of. It was a truly humbling experience.
When the therapist brought us back, Corby was very closed off, as he often is with new people. He's even closed off with people he loves at first. When we first walk into church, he doesn't want to see or speak to anyone - no matter what. So his reaction to her wasn't surprising to me. She asked me questions for about 15 minutes, then she moved into the evaluation. She mostly evaluated his fine motor skills, since other things can be established through questions. She asked him to build things with blocks, unzip things, use scissors, draw shapes, etc. He tested in the sixteenth percentile. That means that 84% of children his age do better than him, 15% of children his age do worse than him, and 1% are right with him. But she thinks he has the ability to do it, he just doesn't want to do it.
The explanation for that falls into the next blog post. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment