Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My son is dealing with SPD and we are about to start him at Kinetic Kids in Charlotte a few times a month to supplement his regular OT. There is also an MSE house at the Easter Seals in Charlotte.
We have also been told that Alpha Stim has been used to help control and treat SPD.
Thanks again for all the replies. It's been my experience that special ed is extremely child-specific, and much of the positive/negative commentary is based on unique sets of circumstances, which makes it hard to truly evaluate from this perspective, and yes, as some have indicated, we intend to discuss our specific situation with the appropriate special ed or EC departments as things progress.
Because our son only has SPD and dyspraxia, here in NY, he doesn't qualify for a ton of additional services, and ironically, his main issue - the sensory - simply isn't addressed. And much like other places - there is no benefit to fighting with the school district because they'll simply tell us, "he's getting the required OT every week - what more do you want?" Quite frankly, in our situation - it comes down to "content" not "quantity". He can get all the OT in the world at school through his IEP. But if it doesn't address the underlying root issue, it's of little value. So, we began looking outside of the special ed realm into private-pay therapies, that can specifically give him the sensory piece. Might as well be looking for a three-headed unicorn here in upstate NY, which is why we are targeting metro areas with SPD-based therapy centers.
I've spoken to 4 SPD professionals in the past month. One in Upstate NY, one in SC, and two in AZ. This is what I've found. For our specific situation, the correct therapeutic interventions could have a big impact on our entire family. Unfortunately, sensory therapies are not often available at school because it's out of the OT's scope of practice. This is a consistent theme in NY, as well as other states. A good seasoned OT (which we had a few years ago) in the schools will slip it in as they know it's the foundation for real change for a child with SPD, but the IEP is not structured for sensory goals.
True. Many school districts avoid writing sensory specific goals as on the surface it appears the goal is not addressing an "educationally relevant" issue. One idea that may help is during the annual IEP, (or really anytime) ideally prior to the actual meeting you can discuss with the OT how s/he is actually carrying out the goal. Let's say the child has a handwriting goal, you can request the OT use sensory based strategies and activities to carry out the goal.
OT's have the knowledge of sensory strategies it is a part of the education and training of therapists, definitely within the scope of practice.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
