I wrote this back on August 26, but forgot to post it!
Samuel has had a tough time at his last two Occupational Therapy sessions. Last week he would not cooperate with his therapist when it was time for him to use Wii. All Samuel wanted to do was go into the "settings" menu. (At home he erased all the data we had accumulated the first month we owned it while he played around in the "settings" menu.. so it's not a good thing for him to be there!) His therapist had already endured several sessions of this, so last week she decided that no more would be tolerated, his opportunity to play Wii would be lost once he did not comply with her request to stay out of "settings." Their session ended early. Samuel was upset, but he was over it by the time I picked him up at the scheduled ending time.
Yesterday, Samuel never even got together with the therapist to start the session. Over several days prior to the session and on the way in the car, I had talked with Samuel about how it was important to play Wii as his therapist requested, by staying out of the "settings" menu. This caused him to become a bit agitated. Then, as we were waiting in the reception area, he tried getting on to the computer located there. He has learned how to get into the DOS menu on computers (thanks You Tube!) and has already wrought havoc on the entire office's computer system. Stopping him from getting to the computer caused further agitation. He began to yell and throw toys so I told him we would have to leave the office until he could be calm. A few minutes later the therapist joined us outside, where Samuel was still upset. I gave him a few minutes to calm down and his therapist brought a container of rice for him to play with. He still didn't calm down and then he started throwing the rice on the ground.
The next step was to take him to the car to calm down. I gave him five minutes to become calm. I tried giving him some "sensory toys" that I had stashed in my purse, but they were not helpful. Ultimately, we had to call it a day and had to agree that we would try again next week. He was then upset because not partipating in Occupational Therapy meant that the soda I usually get for him afterwards was not available. It took about another 10 minutes for Samuel to calm down enough that I felt safe driving home with him. He apologized within an hour after getting home and has done so again several times today.
What will I do differently next time? I am thinking about setting up some kind of sticker chart or token system that he will have to fill in in order to "earn" his soda after OT next week. I am going to call the therapist and see how many activities we should place on the chart, and determine within what parameters he will "earn" the sticker for each activity. I will also make up a social story for him to read. It seems the "verbal only" method of talking to him about the problem isn't working very well! I am also going to offer him more verbal encouragement ("I know that you can earn all of your stickers!" "Won't if feel great to show Miss M____ how well you can do your Wii exercises?")
Since then we have had two successful therapy sessions! The sticker chart is helping out and his therapist really likes having it. Samuel is happy that he is earning and able to get something he really likes.
5 comments:
*whew*
Sometimes you just don't know what to do, but it sure sounds like you handled everything so nicely. It's so hard to keep cool when this is going on.
that's awesome!
what kind of sensory toys do u keep in ur purse? i have one of those gel goo timer thingies, but am looking 4 some more portable options
Thanks Mrs. C and Sharon! Maybe you can relate to how it becomes necessary to block out everyone who is staring and wondering as you attempt to deal with a child having a meltdown in public. Sometimes after it's all over I just want to collapse, I get so fatigued from trying to keep my cool.
Sharon, I keep anything from gel-type balls to "gooey" lizards and bugs to party-favor type toys in my purse. They help with Samuel and his younger siblings! I have found it's also good to let Samuel bring along a favorite thing when we go out too (usually a video!).
Wow! I know how you feel when all your tricks and tools just don't work. And you know that Samuel doesn't want to lose control either, you can tell how he apologizes afterward. It's that darn autism that makes things like this hard. It is exhausting, but your new ideas seem to be working so nicely - give yourself a well deserved pat on the back!
My names layla baker and i'm from imagine publishing. i was going to contact you privately but i thought it'd be good for others to see as well. We just came out with a new book called The Marvelous Toy, by Tom Paxton. For those of you that don't already know, its a classic older song that has warmed the hearts of millions for years. The book is paired with a 4-song CD also. I know that colorful vivid graphics and music are very important for spectrum disorder and developmentally disabled children and adults and this book captures the heart of all. So please look into seeing a copy, if not for yourself than for someone you love. and mommy blogger, if your interested in reviewing the book i'd love to send you a copy.
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