As promised, I am here to share with you an update on our work with the child psychologist, specifically regarding the use of rewards for behavior modification. I know, I know...it's been a long time coming. And I have a general update on all things D-man since it's been so long!
At one of our recent visits, I spoke candidly to the psychologist about rewarding D's behavior. She heard me through all the concerns that I had. If you missed it, you can find it here.
Her response was encouraging. Of course she gave me the "why" behind it and a bit into the science of it, but was absolutely willing to meet us where our parenting decisions stand. Actually, the behavior chart helped us to narrow down the biggest issues that D was having. So, at this time, we have shifted our focus to trying to handle D's difficulty with transitions and aggression. This is not any easy task at home during the day with 3 little ones to care for alone.
For the most part, I have a handle on things when we are at home and he functions pretty well as he knows what to expect here. But, it's important that he be able to function outside of this bubble. When something comes his way that is unexpected, its meltdown city, and it leaves me feeling helpless (and feeling the weight of staring eyes when we are in public).
In talking with others, it came to my attention that D might benefit from wrap around services, which would be provided in our home and/or in the classroom. THAT is really what he needs. Going into a room to talk about how he feels just isn't providing the change we desire. In fact, he often becomes frustrated, asking me "why do I have to go to all these appointments?", which tugs at my heartstrings for sure. I am pursing all kinds of paperwork to get that going.
Occupational Therapy is going exceptionally well. The focus of each therapy session is largely channeling his sensory issues and to a smaller extent, working on his fine motor deficits (hand strength, handwriting, visual attention, etc). We have lots of "homework" from therapy, which keeps us busy during the day. We are doing the Wilbarger Brushing Protocol daily in an effort to help calm him.
And lastly, we have consulted with a clinical nutritionist, with whom I have worked with in the past. I have heard others using this approach with children with PDD (pervasive developmental disorder, which is his medical diagnosis at this time) and have seen success. I firmly believe that food can directly affect how good or bad we feel. I have had my own success story working with dietary changes to reduce tinnitus in my ears. The ringing is distracting - I can hear it right now! And it can be awful sounding like you just left a loud rock concert every night while trying to go to sleep. When I eat the foods that can influence the inner ear, the ringing is worse and vice versa to make it better.
The first step was to test for heavy metal toxicity. We are awaiting the results. And those results will help the doctor create a plan for D. I expect to have another appointment with him in the next week or so. As Dr. Shaw explained, we all metabolize things differently. And D may not be able to excrete the heavy metals as well as some other kiddos. He also felt that D was a good candidate for nutritional intervention because of his personality and the fact that his "episodes" of anger/frustration are not constant.
That's about all the excitement happening around our abode! Most days are busy and exhausting, but we count ourselves blessed to be together as a family.
xoxo,
Chele
*I realized that a nutritional approach is not fit for everyone, nor in line with everyone's beliefs. Thus, I have disabled comments at the end of this post. My heart is to just share with you what we are doing.
