A Bug's Life (Part One)

So I thought I'd deviate a little bit from our normal "progress" report and do a little more explaining about Bug's world. I'm thinking there will be two parts, one focusing more on the physical world (ie, our home) and how we're making a more Bug-friendly environment and the other part focusing on how Bug interacts with his world.

Bug tends to have a lot of "sensory seeking" behaviors--meaning he requires more stimulus. However, he also can get overstimulated easily, so we are learning to make an organized, simple and comfortable home for our boy.

The Playroom:

This is where we spend the majority of our day. When we bought our house, I wanted to create a designated playroom for the kids--where they can be pretty free to do whatever they want. This room is constantly a work in progress to keep it as sensory-friendly as possible.

Sensory-friendly toys:
Trampoline- This was a great deal I found online. Just $62 and free shipping from Rakuten. It supports up to 100 pounds so hopefully we can use it for several more years

Huge beanbag: Bug likes to lean against this for reading. He also loves it when we throw him on the beanbag when roughhousing.

Chalkboard easel: Using chalk is a fairly new thing for Bug to do. He doesn't draw on the chalkboard a ton, but it is always available for him.

Bilibo: The green "shell" shaped seat in the middle of the rug is called a Bilibo. It's a free-play toy, meaning kids can use it however they like. Bug likes to be spun in it, stand on top of it, and scoot himself around in it.

Waterbeads:

I've read about these on the Play at Home Mom blog which I'm a big fan of. Waterbeads are a great sensory toy. They're kind of soft and can be difficult to pick up, but they bounce around and are fun to play with. We like to fling them around our box. I got our beads on Zulily but you can find them at Joanns or Michaels. They are traditionally used as vase fillers.

Our Chewy Tubes are a crucial sensory "toy" too. These were designed for kids who need to strengthen their jaws, but our OT recommended them so we can redirect inappropriate chewing. When we see him chewing on something he shouldn't be we ask him to get a Chewy or offer him one. This allows him to meet his sensory needs without being scolded all the time.

We have a lot of traditional toys too. The play kitchen, cars, trains and tracks, Duplos, some balls. I have them in bins that are easy to pull out of the wire cubes. This helps things be put away but still very accessible. We've found this works much better for us than a toybox. We also have a bookshelf where we keep all Bug's books and puzzles. Obviously, Bug loves his books so he needs full access to them. The puzzles see a lot less use, but occasionally Bug will do the simple wooden puzzles for us.

Just outside of the playroom is the daily chart:

We don't use this a ton right now. A certain newly-mobile little man I know has a penchant for removing the pictures and trying to eat them ;) The idea, however, is to have a daily plan that Bug can see so he can better anticipate what will happen during the day. This is especially important on the days we have therapy or are going to do something out of the ordinary. Bug does not cope well with things being "sprung" on him.

Bug's Room:
I don't have a great picture of Bug's room. The only "sensory" specific thing we have in there is a new addition and a work in progress:

This is Bug's tent. Our occupational therapist suggested we create a "safe spot" or a "nest" for Bug to hunker down in when he's feeling over stimulated. I plan on putting a bunch of pillows in there so it's nice and cozy for him.

Around the house:

We have a water table that goes outside during the summer. During the fall/winter/early spring we keep it indoors and put beans in it. Bug loves to run his fingers through the beans. We also have some scoops and cars that can go in it too.

 One of Bug's other favorite places is our bedroom. He loves to be tossed onto our bed, pretty much until Daddy or I call it quits.

He also likes to play peek-a-boo in our closet. We use the physical activities as a way to encourage him to talk. He has to ask "Throw me on the bed please" or "More" or "Again." Opening and closing closet doors gets us to work on "Hi" and "bye" and cooperative play.

We also like to go to nearby parks or Maymont to meet Bug's physical needs. Bug loves to swing. One of our goals for the next year (or so) is to put a swingset in the backyard so we can go out more often, but we have a park within walking distance that we go to fairly often.

While we have pretty much stopped any focused attention on a "sensory diet", we have found that Bug enjoys sensory-intensive activities and that we can use them to encourage language, cooperative play and social skills. 

Hopefully this gives you a little peek into Bug's world. The next post will be more about how Bug experiences things (from my eyes, of course) and how we cope and help him cope.


 

A Mother's Reflection

So I've been meaning to do this post for a while, but today, we're watching Wall-E and it hit me: Bug has grown so much in such a short period of time!

We used to watch Wall-E all the time when I was pregnant, because I was sick and Bug loooovvvvesss Wall-E. We thought he liked it so much because there wasn't a lot of talking, so it was easy to follow. He used to get so excited, he would be glued to the screen the entire movie, usually flapping and jumping in excitement. But he wouldn't say anything, barely even make noise.

Today, he asked to watch "La-lee". He's been repeating words and sounds he hears. He turns around to tell me things he sees. He pointed out a letter or two. He asked for crackers as a snack while he is watching. And we're only about 35 minutes in! Yes, he's still flapping his arms and jumping, but he is far more engaged than he's ever been before.

When we started therapy, Bug was typically in his own little world. It was hard to get his attention, nearly impossible to get him to follow even a basic instruction, and he almost always was chewing on something.

We still struggle sometimes to get his attention. But I am quite certain he hears me and understands me now. I think it just takes a bit longer to process sometimes, especially if it's not a predictable or common request. He is so helpful with putting things away and will put some things away without being asked. And we very rarely have issues with him putting "inappropriate" objects in his mouth anymore.

While we still haven't seen a ton of improvement in his ability to make sentences, he has increased his vocabulary and "old" words that were only one syllable are slowly becoming longer and clearer. He is able to tell us whether or not he wants something, and that is HUGE! He also will point to things in books and will follow our line of sight if we point to something.

The changes have been noticed by our family and friends, our therapists and even Dr. Marks noticed when Bug was at the doctor last week. Bug is far more verbal and socially engaged than he's ever been, and it's wonderful! We still have goals we'd like to accomplish, and there's always room for progress, but I thought I should take a moment to call attention to and give thanks for how far we've come in just 3 months! This momma couldn't be prouder!