Please or to access all these features

SN children

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

Unhappy with OT report.

8 replies

akaemmafrost · 18/09/2012 23:44

Ds has HFA, dyspraxia, hypermobility and sensory processing disorder. Recently we were offered sessions with an OT and were very happy. The sessions didn't go that well tbh. She seemed rather clueless about HFA and kept pushing ds to do things he clearly found difficult, writing etc in quite a restricted way. Ie sit down and practise your letters. Write letters in chalk on a board etc. He hates the feel of chalk on his fingers and got more and more stressed each week when she asked him to do it. On the last session it was hot and on the way in he told me he had a site throat but we were there so I took him in anyway.

About 20 minutes after becoming progressively more agitated, he melted down, he started throwing things round, refused to co-operate and called her a "stupid lady". On the scale of meltdowns I have witnessed from him this was about a 4 out of 10.

I removed him before it could get any worse. So I received the report and in it she has described ds as "naughty, with no understanding or acceptance of his naughtiness" and "he became progressively more mischievous" culminating in saying that he had been "verbally abusive".

I am so angry and upset. This report has already been circulated to ALL professionals involved with ds. I emailed her immediately to tell her I was unhappy with her choice of words and questioned whether or not she had any understanding of HFA in children and recommended she peruse the NAS website. I also forwarded a copy of my email to the professionals on the distribution list whom I had email addresses for.

I am not overreacting am I? Have I done the right thing? Taken the correct steps? The language was just so negative and wasn't a clear representation of what actually went on at the appointments. Any thoughts most welcome.

OP posts:
akaemmafrost · 18/09/2012 23:47

That was sore throat not site, obviously. Ds really struggles when unwell, makes him very prone to melt down and I did explain this to her. It was a massive thing that he even managed to tell me tbh!

OP posts:
Iceflower · 19/09/2012 06:42

YANBU!

Your OT sounds dreadful; its so sad when the very professionals that are supposed to help our children, that we have to fight so hard to access, do more harm than good Sad

Did you copy your letter to her manager? It sounds like you need someone who has the right mix of knowledge and experience which she obviously doesn't have.

I hope you manage to get some answers x

akaemmafrost · 19/09/2012 07:56

Thanks for replying. Actually I think I WILL copy the head OT at the clinic into my email and ask her to look at the report. She dealt with ds previously and was brilliant with him. I didn't think of that. I always worry that I am overreacting to things. I think I need to start getting a very thick skin because no one is going to stand up for ds except for me.

It's reassuring to hear someone agrees with me that the language she used was inappropriate, silly woman Angry!

OP posts:
porridgelover · 19/09/2012 08:09

OP
I am shocked that you have a report that says this.
One of the central tenets of paediatric OT is 'see motor/behaviour, think sensory'. That is always consider what are the sensory demands of the activity that the child is doing and how do they react to those demands.

I keep posting this here

Totally copy the report to her manager and ask for the report to be retracted as it is an unfair reflection on him to have on his file.

Not defending her, but it seems from what is on the board recently that there are lots of kids with complex needs being seen by OT who have no specialist paediatric experience, training or supervision. A basic grade OT is not a children's specialist. But a Basic Grade OT is cheaper than a specialist.......

Strongecoffeeismydrug · 19/09/2012 08:14

Uanbu! We have enough crap to deal with without so called professionals writing crap aswell.
I can't write what was once said by a so called community lpeadiatrition on here cos it would identify me immediately but
Y advise to you is make her withdraw that inaccurate report and be transferred to another OT with a bit more knowledge and a lot less ignorance :(

akaemmafrost · 19/09/2012 08:53

Thank you. I am going to take it a bit further. I emailed her and ds's caseworker at the LA on MONDAY! Heard back from the caseworker within an hour, still nothing from OT. You've given me confidence to take this further will contact the senior OT AND the developmental Paed at the centre we were see at today. I am not having this be said about him. She also got impatient with him sometimes during the sessions, just slightly, but I could sense it. Will mention that too.

OP posts:
Catsdontcare · 19/09/2012 09:02

Yes definately take this further! Ds can be incredibly uncooperative in his speech therapy sessions but his recognises this as being part of his ASD and us nothing but calm and sensitive. Her reports refer to his difficulties with attention and listening and his tendancy to oPt out of activities he finds hard but this reflects the fact that he has ASD and these issues are Part of it. I would be fuming in your shoes

chocjunkie · 19/09/2012 11:24

aka, omg, this is totally unacceptable. i would take it further and put a formal complain in! just don't let go. good luck.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page