I think today will be L’s last OT appointment for a while.
She made a lot of progress early on, mostly relating to her vestibular issues. She really has. Before OT, she wouldn’t lay her head back or do a somersault or recline in any way at all. After a good bit of swing work, now she loves flipping around. She is more confident jumping off the furniture (is that a good or a bad thing?), she happily logrolls around the living room, and she loves standing on her head while leaning her legs on the sofa.
But for the last month or so, I really feel like her progress has tapered off. The OT is insistent on continuing to work on visual things that have already been tested and cleared by the Vision Therapist. AND, she isn’t working on L’s sensory issues at all (which should be a priority if you ask me).
While I am not really on board with the current treatment plan, there may be an even bigger issue that is bothering me: She doesn’t acknowledge the huge gains L has already made with both vision therapy and OT. For example, last week I had L show her the table (backbendy thing where you push up from the floor) she has been working so hard on. In the past, there was no way L would do that because it involved pushing up and letting her head dangle upside down. She practiced and practiced and now L is awesome at her tables. Instead of praising her, the OT mumbled something about the “plane” and made L try again with her feet flat on the floor.
I guess I feel like she is always looking at L’s deficits. When I point out improvements, she always looks at the negative side or tries to find some other area where L isn’t up to par. While I get that this is partly her role, it is getting old for me. Also, she is flaky and I don’t know that I trust her professional judgment any more. She can’t give me a clear treatment plan or a timeline for how long L will theoretically need to keep going there. It is too expensive in both time and money for me to spend so much energy on someone I don’t trust.
I intended to quit last week, but (pussy that I am) I forgot to call and cancel. I will go back one last time and then I think we are done, at least for the summer. If it looks like L needs more OT (something I think is debatable right now), I will find her a new therapist in the fall.
The positive reinforcement and the sensory issues our OT worked on gave my Cammie such confidence we have been out of OT for almost a year now and she is thriving. Seriously, showing almost no issues or lags (she was 8 months behind and major SPD).
If the therapist isn’t giving positive feedback things will never improve beyond the basics. Move to a new therapist who will do sensory..and encourage L to go outside her little own self. You will be much happier and so will L.
There was a useful letter at, I think Leelo and her Potty Mouthed mom, about hiring a behavioral therapist (for autism), but the principles still seem to apply. The document was an example letter from a behavioral therapist to a family detailing the plans and expectations for everyone involved in the relationship. I can’t remember exactly where I saw it, but I thought that it was a good example about how to discuss expectations upfront.
I had the exact opposite happen, the school district OT said my daughter did not need it anymore, she just was not showing as many stimming behaviors in the presence of the OT. All that OT seemed to be worried about was if my child could hold scissors properly, and I was all.. what about the sensory stuff, the toe walking, the chewing on everything, the stimming and repetitive behaviors. Because it was on the schools dime, as soon as she mastered school related stuff, they shut us out.
I feel you and think you are doing the right thing by trusting your instincts.