Occupational Therapy Evaluation

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

Just thought I'd share some interesting info I learned from a highly

regarded Occupational Therapist who evaluated Zoe (3 1/2 years old) last

week for some concerns about Sensory Integration issues...

(Sensory Integration (SI) occurs naturally in the majority of people. For

some reason, some children's ability to process sensory input is impaired.

These are kids whose senses seem to be hyperalert: don't like tags on their

clothes, don't want to touch anything, can only eat certain textures, cover

their ears a lot, don't like bright lights. There also kids at the other end

of the spectrum who don't register stimulation, like my daughter. Loves to

get dirty, is clumsy, loves to touch everything, loves to spin and never

gets dizzy (big red flag), has poor social skills. Some kids are a

combination of both of these. " The " Book about this issue: The Out of Sync

Child.)

In the past, I think the topic of W sitting has been discussed. I had

learned why it's not good because of the problems it can cause to their

muscles, tendons, ligaments, but the Occupational Therapist (OT) said that W

sitting is a red flag for an inner ear/balance problem, which is what Zoe

appears to have which was causing her behavioral issues. Children sit with

their legs out to the side (which makes a W shape when looking at them head

on) because they're seeking balance, but then their torso and hip muscles

weaken over time which worsens their ability to balance as well.

Another big red flag is the way Zoe climbs stairs. I learned from the OT

that typically, the ability to climb up and down stairs develops at the same

rate. Zoe's stairclimbing is " out of sync " . She is able to walk up stairs

with her hands together and step with one foot at a time, but going down,

she had to hold the rail and do one step at a time with each foot because

she has no sense of balance.

The final red flag was her inability to balance on one foot for more than a

second. She has never enjoyed doing most gross motor activities. She'd

rather sit and draw, do playdough, read stories.

Anyway, the good news is that this issue can be improved a great deal with

some simple exercises, especially when the child is young. She has already

improved a great deal using behavior modification, but that's not addressing

the underlying cause of the problems.

We had a discussion about learning to walk, and the OT said that studies had

been done indicating that smaller children typically walk earlier. Zoe was

rather large, as was her dad when he was a baby, and she was a late walker.

I was an early walker and I was quite tiny as a baby. Of course, there is a

wide range of development and children who are the exception to the norm.

But there are some baselines.

Just wanted to share in case anyone else's child was acting " different " and

parents were concerned.

Best, Joanne W. mom to big Zoe, 3-25-01, right clubfoot

_________________________________________________________________

FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar – get it now!

http://toolbar.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/