Re: Topic of the week: Occupational Therapy..what is working for you?

[Guest guest]

Our Dorothy is 2 with MDS. She has had minimal OT over the last year. Her

main need was due to not eating. Basically not liking anything near her mouth!

She had open heart surgery early on so this made her very suspicious of

anything tests, needles, anything she wasn't sure of. she just started eating

solid

foods at 1.5 years old. We have a lot of experience in this area! In the

beginning she would scream, cry, push you away, pull away, just about

everything.

Now it's very pleasant.

Alice Poholsky

cell

[Guest guest]

One of my girls with DS (not my MDS child) didn't really eat solid food until

around age 3. I did worry, as she was so tiny! But I needn't have worried.

She's 17 now, and she's HUGE--she needs a diet badly!!! I can't believe there

ever was a time she fit in Cabbage Patch clothes (but she did!). Looking back

and putting it in perspective, I have NEVER seen any child starve to death,

disabled or not, who really could eat the " normal " way (obviously one who needs

tube feeding is a different story). It's just a matter of trying new things

until they are eating a variety. All my girls are now good eaters (ages 9--MDS,

11--DS, and 17--DS). Marilyn

[Guest guest]

Marilyn,

Sounds like you've investigated the therapeutic services given to

homeschoolers in your district. It sounds like it is a bit frustrating.

Anyway, good

luck! Hopefully we'll talk again!

[Guest guest]

Thanks, . Yes, good therapists have been rare around here. NO good

speech therapists at ALL (we asked them to do something for three years before

deciding to homeschool , and now that we're pulling her out, suddenly

they're calling in an expert!). One great OT (who diagnosed 's SID), but she

wasn't there long, and then they had FOUR OT's within a year!!! None of whom

knew a darn thing about SID! We've been homeschooling her for two years now.

Parents are getting fed up, but unfortunately, not many know they can choose to

opt out, or they think they " can't do it " for some reason. I'm so glad we

chose this for our girls! Marilyn