OT Sensory Integrations Sessions

[LRB978]

DS(8) has been diagnosed with dyspraxia and assessed by the OT. We have just had a letter through inviting him to 5 individual sensory integration sessions and I was wondering if anyone else has had a child receive this, and if so what is likely to happen?

On a mostly unrelated note, is there any way of helping a dyspraxic child learn that falling over your own feet/an object and landing on your face is not a good idea? Ds has done so for the fourth time today (not all today, may I add), and is likely to end up bruised from above his eye to the bottom of his cheek on the left side of his face - triggered a trip to A&E and at least a day off school.

we had our first session yesterday, though ds had his session with another little boy and mums weren't invited to join in the fun. they had a great time which seemed to involve a series of activities for warm up, deep pressure, some finger exercises for hypermobile joints, and then calming work at the end.

i wonder if the ot could do some specific work with your ds to encourage him to use his hands when he falls before he ends up all bashed and bruised?! one of the exercises we do with ds (though not dyspraxic) is the "wheelbarrow" where he walks about on his hands while we hold up his feet to strengthen his wrists. i wonder if this would help in making your ds aware of his hands as potential head savers?

Sensory integration sessions? Colour me jealous!

On the falling over his own feet thing, DS2 has hypotonia/hypermobility and was always stumbling over and tripping over fresh air. The physio suggested exercises on an exercise ball where he's sat on it and rolled over until he feels like he's going to fall off. This had 2 aims for DS1: the first to improve his upper body strength, the second to teach him to instinctively put out his hands to stop himself from falling.

And, RaggedRobin we (try to) do wheelbarrows with DS1 at home. He's very strong, apart from his arms, so he finds it difficult to hold his own weight on them. We mostly do it because he finds being upside down calming, though - his natural response when we're cross with him or when he's stressed in another way is to stand on his head. A couple of minutes on his hands calms him right down.

same here - ds generally "sits" on the couch upside down. i'm sure he'd enjoy a perch that he could hang from, bat-like. exercise ball sounds like a good one for putting hands out.

What colour is jealous ?

Thank you for the description RaggedRobin, that at least gives me an idea of what will be happening. Neither ds or I do well going into a situation blind, at least I now have some possibles of what may happen.

I hadn't thought of the idea of wheelbarrows and similar to make him think of his hands when falling. TBH although it sounds bad, it has been four bad falls in 4 yrs (end of nursery year, half way through reception, half way through year one and now in year 3 - though this one wasn't at school), so its not something I have really thought about on a day to day basis, but I will try and get him to realise his hands are there, and hopefully his OT will have some ideas on Friday as well (no way will she miss what has happened, his eye is going black already).

Many thanks for the replies, am going to bed myself now, am feeling drained, think I am now reacting to the events of this evening (got a phone call from my friend as I was leaving work to tell me what had happened and stopped about 2 hours ago, have been feeling shaky and tired for the last 30-45 minutes)

dd1 has just started some sensory integration sessions. she has a whale of a time, tbh.

there is a lot of work on various swings (tyre swings, platforms, hammocky tpe things) to sort out various different senses.

Also some fine motor skills work, rollong around in barrels/tunnels, clambering around like at soft play etc etc.

HAr dot beleive there is any work going on, actually but it as had a great effect on her already.

Ds had some 1:1 therapy sessions in 2008, as everyone said lots of play and establishing what they can and cannot tolerate.

The sessions are usually with a view to you taking over the therapy and doing it at home, if thats the case they should provide a sensory diet.