Have you ever hit a point with your child where you hit a bit of a road block when it comes to therapy? Has your child become "therapied" out? If so, what did you do?
I think Colin is "therapied" out. Although he has always been cooperative for the most part, he has been extremely resistive, even to the therapists that he has always shown love to. I have been really stressed during the therapy sessions I am at as I watch him resist and not cooperate. It's hard to know what the cause is because there are numerous possible reasons. One of the major reasons is probably his age and the different things he is going through now because of that (although I always hate using that as a reason). He is definitely in the "no" stage, so that is a common word we hear associated with everything. Another reason is that he has been going through a very long and drawn out process with his teeth coming in. He has two eye teeth that are just about to pop through, plus another molar, so that in turn has been affecting his eating habits. On top of all that, the feeding struggles are at their all-time low and I hate that I have to handle him so much while he is eating (using our method from the feeding clinic we go to). And the biggest reason? I think he is just burnt out from therapy...
So, we made the decision today to cancel therapy for the rest of the week through Monday. I talked about it with Colin's speech therapist and although I am uneasy about it in the sense that I worry about things being worse after a long break, I think he needs the rest. So, we are going to try it out and see what a good 6 days off does for him. We all need a rest sometime, so why shouldn't Colin?
I guess you never know the results of your decisions until after you go through with them, so we will see how this goes. However, I think it's what is best and I think Colin just needs to be a regular ole' kid for a week.
I want to see more of this...
...and less of his sad face.
9 comments:
Hi Kel-
You are his mom, you know him best, and you are equipped to make the best decisions for him. We had to do that last year with PT. He got to the point where he would just cry and shut down when we saw her, so we took some time off. About 6 months actually, since he was still getting a tiny bit through school. When we returned he was like a new kid. I agree with you, sometimes they need a break from therapy and just need to eat because they are hungry and it tastes good. And sometimes WE need a break from constantly working on something. Enjoy the vacation!
So, you're not going to believe it but I cancelled Bennett's private speech AND OT all together...until we move and get new ones. Can you believe it!? I'm just like you, this is why we get along so wonderfully;) But first, his private st kind of pissed me off, always canceling or I would mix up the time, or they changed the place PLUS- absolutely no progress in feeding which is what she mainly worked on.
Kelli this is 3 hours of therapy a week I have canceled. We needed a break. The private OT was great but I felt bad for the girls because instead of the pool, it was therapy for B.
I want to spend time with my mom but it's always been "I can't go down there because of B's therapy". Well not anymore. We're just taking a break. He'll still gets his PT, OT and ST thru EI as well as another hour of private PT but we're going to my mom's on Thurs. and staying for a while-almost 2 weeks!. I just need to get away from it all. I think the whole family does.
So long story short, I think you're doing the right thing. And really Kelli, aren't we almost certified in PT, OT, speech and feeding!!?? I mean c'mon! I'm kidding, you know but we've been doing this for 2 years right along with our therapists, we know how to work with our kid. I know, it always feels good to know when they've had their therapy and you feel like you're doing what you should but really, we know what to work on if we need to, at least that's what I've been telling myself every time I regret calling it quits on B's therapists;)
Love you guys!!
once, when ben was colin's age, we cancelled everything for about a month. we needed it. he needed it. and it did us all a world of good.
take this time off and do not feel guilty. this is your mom-instinct kicking in. listen to it and enjoy your time off!
There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a break, especially just a week : ) We stopped doing private therapy in March (Ella still did her therapies at school) for many of the same reasons, Ella was uncooperative, she was frustrated and I was frustrated! We just picked private speech back up 3 weeks ago and are doing horse therapy instead of OT. I think the time off was great for Ella and was certainly good for me!!
Honestly lately I have been feeling the same way, sometimes I wonder if the therapies are doing any good at all since Emily does not want to cooperate. I the beginning I felt like she needed it, well I guess more accurately, I needed it because I was lost. But now I think I know more of what Emily needs than the therapists and I am trying to weave those things into everyday life. We are still doing our therapy sessions but now I don't freak out if we miss because I realized it was becoming more of a "to-do" than anything else. I will be interested to see what others think since I am feeling the same exact way!
Kelli @ livinglifewithes
I would have "thrown in the towel" ages ago with the feeding stuff, you guys totally deserve a break from it, you have done amazing to persist with it. Enjoy some picnics in the backyard, or in the lounge room, share a bowl of crisps or a bowl of popcorn or a bowl of cottage cheese (what ever it takes) together relax, enjoy, play, you are an amazing mum, let go, trust yourself, you are the best therapist he could ever have.
Cant wait to see more pics of that happy Colin (and his mum !) - Viv Owens mum (who cant post unless you logs in as anonymous) grrr blogger
I'm proud of you for following your instincts! Go enjoy the week of pure summer and I hope you get to see more of that grinning boy soon!
Before I even read the part where you said you are taking a break, that was going to be my advice! We haven't had any therapies since June and it's been amazing!!! We'll start back up in August and that will be an adjustment I'm sure, but the break has been great for me and for Sutter. I think you are following your mommy instincts and only good can come from it! Enjoy the time off...I'm sure Colin will!
I agree - take a break. My daughter has had some of the same therapy issues you're experiencing with Colin right now. We've taken 2 breaks (she's 23 months old). We took one for about 2 months last fall and I cancelled all therapy sessions after school ended in June for the summer. We just needed a summer off. After the last break, when we got back into therapy, my daughter was a like a new kid. Enjoy the time off!
Post a Comment