Missing OT

So we're still waiting on the report from our OT eval and haven't scheduled any therapy sessions yet. I called on Friday and they said it'll be another week. It's really frustrating to have to wait, especially since we feel like we're seeing some regression in Bug.

For the most part, we've moved out of the tantrum phase (thankfully!) but Bug has been spending most of his time not engaging with us. We try and try and usually he just shuts us down. Especially for me, this takes a toll. Being constantly resisted means you try less, which is the exact opposite of what we need to do. I did read some wise words in a book about activities to do with ASD kids, that said that kids with ASD and sensory issues might not be able to react the way we expect, but we should assume that they benefit from the playing and interaction we do anyway. (Of course it's crucial to be mindful of their reactions and not push too hard if they're afraid, but being passive doesn't necessarily mean inattentive.)

The weather has not been real cooperative with getting outside. Even on nice days, the ground is still so soggy it's hard to play in the yard and most playgrounds are pretty mucky too. We do spend time hanging out in the driveway. Bug likes to sit in the wagon while watching the cars, and it's a good opportunity to talk to him about the things we see around us and what we feel.

Adam and I also talked and realized that we needed to "get back to basics" with Bug. We've been trying to encourage more physical play: rough-housing, tickles, action songs, etc. It's only been a couple of days, and I'm already seeing some minor changes :)

Speech is continuing to go quite well. Bug puts up a bit of a fight to go in the room with Laura, but it sounds like they get some good hard work done during their sessions. On Friday she told me that he frequently tells her he likes things (something we don't really hear much at home!). He told her he likes swimming which made me smile, because he certainly is a waterBug. :) She said that he's doing a great job adding -ing to his verbs, they're working on colors and eye contact when requesting things. He's also doing a great job saying hi and bye when asked.

I did also put in a call to another clinic to diagnose Bug. They are the ones that both speech and OT suggested, and after looking at their website, I feel like they're a better fit for us. The receptionist said that the waiting list to be evaluated is currently out until the end of May, so it'll be a while before we get anything set up with that, but I'm hoping to get paperwork starting this coming week.

I'm really hoping we can start seeing some better weather so we can do more outside activities, since Bug really thrives in more physical environments. But we continue to make do with what we have. I'm anxious to get OT started again, so hopefully we hear back soon!

OT Eval and breaking out of routines

So we finally had our OT eval. It went ok, but not great. Honestly, evals are always hard for me. On the one hand, I feel such pride when Bug shows off his skills. He built a tower using small blocks for the evaluator--something he never does at home--and I just wanted to jump up and dance. On the other hand, it is really, really hard to watch your boy not be able to do things that are age-appropriate. Like play with toys, or scribble on paper. The OT evaluator noted that Bug lacks any purposeful play skills--mostly he just lines his toys up to look at. Hard for me to hear, even though I know it's true. Bug wasn't real cooperative assessing his fine motor skills, the OT said she got him to about 24 months old, which is probably fairly accurate. She did say that she thinks he'll be a "continuous study" kid--he can do a lot it's just he doesn't "test" well. He really enjoyed the gross motor and sensory stuff, especially when she put him on a big swing. Then she got to see his grins :) We are looking forward to starting regular sessions, although I'm not sure when or how often yet.

Speech has gotten kind of interesting. Bug has been rather resistant to going back with Laura. It takes 15 minutes and then you have to kind of force him back. He doesn't seem super upset about it, more of a power-struggle type of thing. At our session on Friday, we came right on time, rather than a couple minutes early, and I walked Bug right back rather than going into the waiting room. He had a bit of a struggle with Laura picking a room, but after that he had a good productive session. So I guess we'll keep doing that until it doesn't work anymore.

We are really starting to hear good communication with Bug. He's pretty consistent with saying hi and bye and waving, which is great. A lot of times he'll correct himself to get longer phrases. "Blueberries. Blueberries. Blueberries. Mommy, I want blueberries." He does more spontaneous phrases too. On Saturday he told me, out of the blue "Put shoes on". :D That was really great to hear. It does take him a bit longer to process and find the right words, but we are all learning patience together.

As I mentioned in the family blog, we have hit a tantrum phase again. Completely developmentally appropriate, and sometimes we expected from time to time (even if we can't predict when). Bug does occasionally swat at us or Laura, but we don't think it's anything too serious. It's hard for him. He has the ideas of a 3-year old and big emotions and really struggles to communicate them with us sometimes. We're hoping that better sleep (we've been having troubles overnight) will help shorten this phase. Not my favorite.

I'm definitely ready to get back into OT and I am really hopeful that we can get some consistent progress from him. The plan is to start big (with sensory and gross motor) and then work on the fine motor stuff. We've got a long slog ahead of us, but I think it'll be so beneficial!