Hi Everyone,
I'm in Scotland and my DS is 7 and just started year 3.He is in a small country school and because my son has had other medical issues that have required surgery, he is under a massive umbrella embracing 3 hospitals and 5 consultants.
We realised that although he had an IQ of 136,he was struggling at school which is in a lovely village setting and has 60 pupils.He couldn't stand noise,smells,being touched,the 'feel' of the carpet in the quiet corner and so on.He struggled to hold a pencil for any length of time and was thus disinterested in writing or drawing.He did however have an amazing vocabulary,his interest in reference books made his general knowledge extensive and he could read very well.We noticed that he just wasn't engaging with school the way his elder siblings had.He hated homework of any kind and it was like pulling teeth getting him to sit and write-hugely stressful for me too!He was becoming hugely frustrated that he couldn't write fast enough to get his thoughts down on paper.
I asked our paediatrician to refer him to an OT and we were assessed within weeks.Our OT is amazing and has been a huge help.She has been to support meetings, trained the staff in proprioceptive child needs like positioning where our son sits and has supplied the school with so much information that they are able to start each day with exercises specifically for him.He now has ear defenders (trendy ones, and they bought 4 pairs in case any of the other kids fancy wearing a pair) and they've designed a traffic light system whereby he can signal to the staff when he's not happy.He has a touchy feely seat and lots of squishy putty etc to help strengthen his fingers.He has started mouthing things more,eating pencils etc but as he has his own school support plan, this was flagged in a recent meeting and the school have sent for chew stixx which are designed just for the job-again recommended by the OT.We also have a laptop now supplied by the local authority and DS is being taught how to access programmes specifically designed for children like him.It has a word bank so instead of typing full words, a he starts to type a drop down menu of words appear for him to choose from.He also has a programme to teach him how to type quickly which he loves.DS has never been made to feel any different, he's a very bright,popular member of the class and none of his classmates have ever mentioned any of the extra help he gets in a negative way.They understand that he's been ill and needs extra help-end of.
All in all it's a long slog and still ongoing but getting yourselves a good OT who is knowledgeable and committed is a massive step forwards.If it's all taking too long, try and get your GP onside too as they can make phonecalls and push things along.
If anyone needs any advice about getting help,please get in touch,I know how soul destroying this can be.