Communicating pain

[Guest guest]

This is a post from an IL list-serve that I thought might be helpful to some

of you.

I have long espoused the importance of teaching our kids to effectively

communicate 1. pain 2. location 3. intensity

My son has rec'd lots of communcative supports. Several years ago, routine

blood tests indicated when fasting He has low glucose levels - low 50s. He

was hypoglycemic. Symptoms: an aura of anxiety, shakiness, irritability,

heart palpitations, fatigue, blurry vision, lightheadedness, stomachache.

Symptoms that even this *very* observant mother can't see. I had not given

Josh the language to tell me if he was " feeling " any of these symptoms. It

was a hard, cold reality.

I uploaded the first board I made to help him give us the information we

needed while he was going through extensive diagnostics to determine how his

blood glucose levels were affecting him.

My daughter was the photog and I the facilitator. My goal was to teach him

how to connect the language with the feeling - take the picture and assemble

a board with him that he could use to effectively communicate with others.

We sat him in my office chair and spun him around. A little Dizzy Spun

again. very dizzy. Spun again. Very Very Dizzy.

Using hand over hand, pumping over his heart lightly - then a bit faster and

harder - then even faster and harder. Pounding heart

Tired was easy. He knew tired.

I told him that I was going to pack up all of his DVDs and give them away.

Worried. Very very worried.

Showing him a comm board while shaking it - blurry eyes. He helped to select

the photos of his eyes and the shaking board to use.

Quivering hands - shaky hands

etc.

He learned the language and the associations. He learned that there are

varying degrees of feeling. The board was successful.

[Guest guest]

wow

>

> This is a post from an IL list-serve that I thought might be helpful to

> some

> of you.

>

> I have long espoused the importance of teaching our kids to effectively

> communicate 1. pain 2. location 3. intensity

>

> My son has rec'd lots of communcative supports. Several years ago, routine

> blood tests indicated when fasting He has low glucose levels - low 50s. He

> was hypoglycemic. Symptoms: an aura of anxiety, shakiness, irritability,

> heart palpitations, fatigue, blurry vision, lightheadedness, stomachache.

> Symptoms that even this *very* observant mother can't see. I had not given

> Josh the language to tell me if he was " feeling " any of these symptoms. It

> was a hard, cold reality.

>

> I uploaded the first board I made to help him give us the information we

> needed while he was going through extensive diagnostics to determine how

> his

> blood glucose levels were affecting him.

>

> My daughter was the photog and I the facilitator. My goal was to teach him

> how to connect the language with the feeling - take the picture and

> assemble

> a board with him that he could use to effectively communicate with others.

>

>

> We sat him in my office chair and spun him around. A little Dizzy Spun

> again. very dizzy. Spun again. Very Very Dizzy.

>

> Using hand over hand, pumping over his heart lightly - then a bit faster

> and

> harder - then even faster and harder. Pounding heart

>

> Tired was easy. He knew tired.

>

> I told him that I was going to pack up all of his DVDs and give them away.

> Worried. Very very worried.

>

> Showing him a comm board while shaking it - blurry eyes. He helped to

> select

> the photos of his eyes and the shaking board to use.

>

> Quivering hands - shaky hands

>

> etc.

>

> He learned the language and the associations. He learned that there are

> varying degrees of feeling. The board was successful.

>

>