Thursday, November 13, 2008

An Answer

So, normally I do not post about Micah's medical issues. There have been a few things that I have not shared because it is his personal business. This, however, I am sharing in the hopes that it might help other parents who are struggling.

We have always known Micah was a 'spirited' child. He loves things to be LOUD and he is in constant motion. The comment we get most about our son (and this goes back to his infancy) is, "Wow, he's so busy." Yes, he is busy. We have always just figured it was normal since I didn't notice anything too out of the ordinary. I did think about sensory issues, as I have studied them in the past and have a friend whose son (George) had severe Sensory Processing Disorder but I pushed those thoughts to the side and just figured Micah was going through normal toddler stuff.

Then one night we decided to try a practice class at the Little Gym. It was a disaster. We left in tears - well, Micah & I at least. Kevin and I had a strong suspicion that something wasn't right (Kevin more than me - I was still in denial). We were worried about our son. Kevin had a gut feeling for a while that something was wrong, and although it was hard to hear it, I finally listened and we decided to do something about it. We thought about the things he was having problems with, his habits, and the way he reacts to certain situations. We talked about the fact that he almost never sits down to finish a task (puzzle, coloring, etc.) and that he gets very easily frustrated and then gives up on a lot of activities. We realized that, within our group of friends, Micah gets compared to George the most (and not because they were both adopted). We decided to have Micah evaluated by an occupational therapist.

I took Micah to the appointment yesterday and it was hard, but we feel so much better today. It was hard to watch Micah being asked to perform tasks and seeing him either unable to do them, or simply giving up because he became frustrated. I'll be honest - I was close to tears a lot during that appointment. But, my emotions also contained relief. Relief because in the end, our suspicions were confirmed and now we know what to do.

Micah is mild-moderately "Sensory-Seeking" which explains his high activity level. Our OT said to think of it as if he had a "sensory bucket" inside of him that has to be filled. His is bigger than most children's and we have to work to fill it up in order for him to be able to feel calm and able to focus. That makes so much sense to me. He also has a spatial issue in that his mind does not compute where his body is in relation to the things around him. We always joked that he was clumsy; now it is relief to find out why.

Here's the good part - and I've seen this in action - Occupational Therapy can help. He starts next week and we will begin to learn how to help our son fill his 'bucket'. I know it seems I should be more worried now, but it is a relief to know what is wrong and that we can overcome it. And, just this morning we had a Family Dance Hour to the new Twilight soundtrack to help fill him up - and for the FIRST TIME EVER (EVER!) Micah sat and put his duplo blocks together. He did this for about 20 minutes (!!!!) and did not get frustrated and throw the blocks across the room - not even once. I almost cried. It was amazing. I feel good.

I will continue to post about his development in OT and please feel free to ask any type of question - or give me any advice.

As always after a long text-filled post - here are pictures!

Micah & Dad making pumpkin bread together. Yum.

Doesn't he look cute in his sweatshirt from Sam? Cute buckeye fan.

Micah being Micah. :)

24 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for posting this - I know it's going to help a lot of other new(or not so new!) parents.

    Can I say, too, that family dance time sounds pretty fantastic? Photos of that sometime, please! :)

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  2. Stacie, to have an answer is half the battle it seems sometimes! This is wonderful that you have a direction and the tools to move forward together as a family. How scary but reassuring the appointment must have been. We'll be thinking of you!

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  3. Sweet Micah poo.. I saw on your FB status yesterday something about OT and I didn't know what appt you were referring to ... I was going to ask, but then never did. Props to you for taking a look into seeing if Micah needed any help and props to you for posting about it for others to learn from... We will be thinking of Micah and you guys too! I am glad you feel so encouraged... and yes, family dance time sounds pretty great! :)

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  4. HI Stacie- I just wanted to let you know that my son Jacob is definitely a spirited child-- I feel the author wrote that book just for me!! Anyway, we never took Jacob to be evaluated, and sometimes I wish we would have. He was always just a little different, a little "more" than the other kids. I definitely left my share of playdates, music classes, etc. in tears!! :) It's tough when they're young and have a hard time controlling their bodies, etc., but I do have to say that I think we reap bigger and greater rewards with a spirited one-- they seem to love and live bigger than most. It's exhausting at times, but now that Jacob is 5 (which I know probably sounds YEARS away), his sensory issues have definitely mellowed...and things have gotten so much easier for him, and us. Feel free to email me, etc. if you have any questions or anything. When Jake was little, all I wanted was to find another mom who had a child like Jake-- but I never did.

    -Suzi

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  5. Thanks for sharing that imfo. so glad you can work through them...What a cutie pie Micah is....

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  6. First of all I want to thank you for your honesty. Second, I used to nanny two separate boys that had sensory seeking tendencies. Funny thing is I did the exact same thing with them, we'd have a huge dance marathon after lunch (usually for about 30-40 minutes) and then we could settle into our afternoon activity.

    I didn't know this was what we were supposed to do but I did it with one and it worked and tried it with the other and it worked as well. Plus, think of all the great exercise you get dancing with your boy!

    Also, one of the boys is now a high functioning (very smart), happy teenager and the other is literally in a school for kids that have IQ's that are higher than most adults. So my guess is Micah is a secret genius.

    All the best
    Dawn and Kane

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  7. Glad you have some answers. The unknown is always so much worse. Good luck with OT!!!

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  8. You are such great parents...you saw the issue and faced it head on to help your sweet boy. I am so glad to hear that you have some answers. I would love to have seen some video of family dance time...take some nexe time!!

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  9. I just posted today that our son just completed OT and Speech for Early Interventions for reasons that are much like you are describing. He is adopted too. You will learn so much about him during this process, I know I did! The gains that my son made as a result of the OT and Speech have been phenomenal. I am sure that Micah's will be as well!

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  10. Stacie- You and Kevin are amazing, beautiful parents. To seek help when you felt like something just wasn't completely right, well, it's just not something enough parents are brave enough to do. And you both are.

    Micah will make amazing progress. He will. He will do it for himself, he will do it for you.

    If you're into sewing, you might think about buying a little vest or t-shirt that you can sew some light-weight rice bags in (hem them in the bottom of the shirt). It's a great way for kids to know where they are at in space- the heaviness tends to center them. I would also suggest cutting a slit into two tennis balls and placing them on opposite corners of the bottom of a chair (on the chair legs... one on the right front, one of the left rear). It makes it like a small rocking chair that he can move back and forth on while playing with a table-type activity. Again- the motion might help center him.

    xoxo

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  11. So glad that you know how to help him through this...I am sure that some moments might be stressful...we will be praying for you guys and little Micah

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  12. Thanks for being so open about your challenges. I just watched the video and Micah has got some moves! I love how he thinks to re-hydrate too. He is adorable.

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  13. Ummmm.......the video is probably the best thing ever!!!

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  14. I'm glad you all were able to get some answers. It's frustrating when you don't know what is going on at all. Thank you for being transparent. It's encouraging for people like me starting out on this journey. You are bringing awareness to us so that we won't be afraid to advocate on our children's behalf. Parents gut feelings are the best things to listen to most of the time! I'm glad you have the tools you need to move forward!

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  15. Thanks for sharing about this. You guys are wonderful parents for getting him help so quickly - so many parents stay in the denial phase if they think anything might need to be evaluated because they are too afraid of the results. The fact that you sought help so quickly and that he'll start the OT so young will make a world of difference for him.

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  16. Stacie~
    It is a wonderful thing to see new parents becoming so proactive with their concerns for their child. I know the hardest part is to get past the denial. Our youngest, right now, was diagnosed with ADHD when she was 7. It was hard at first because that comes with so much stigma anymore. BUT we decided that our main concern was our child and that we MUST do what is best for her to be successful in life. I will be praying for great results and progress for you all. Micah is adorable!!!

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  17. Stacie,
    I can't begin to tell you how much it felt like you were talking about Boomer. I have always watched him so closely and made mental notes of all the things that 'struck me.' However, I have also watched as he has made such progress. We also get the busy comment EVERYWHERE we go. I just want to scream DUH!!! like we haven't noticed.. Seriously. Our pediatrician even mentioned ADHD at our last appt just based on his activity level in the office and I laughed because, seriously, he's 2!!! Yes, he's busy, yes, we're aware, yes, we make modifications. But he is getting better. Yesterday he stayed home with me while I worked from home, and he played with his train next to my desk for like 2 hours! He occasionally became frustrated and tore the track apart and threw the train because it wasn't fitting together the way he wanted, but I would watch as he would lay there, calm down, then sit up and start putting it together again. I can't tell you how proud I was! Anyways, we should let the two of them hang out some time, they can wear each other out, or just beat each other up :) whichever comes first. Oh, and we bought a little trampoline that has a net (at K-mart) and love it, he can go jump all he wants!!!

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  18. Answers are so much better than questions. Answers can be hard, but questions can make you crazy because our minds can take us to really extreme places. I'm glad you all are on the path to OT - it is wonderful. Ben gets speech, pt and ot for his cerebral palsy and therapy can have such a fast impact on little ones. Kudos for you guys for finding out what he needs and making it happen for him.

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  19. Wow, you guys are such great parents. Way to go on following through on what your instincts knew and wondered about. I bet it is such a relief to have answers and to be able to help him be who he was made to be!!

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  20. All the best for the O.T. and especially the home exercises. I had 2 children in O.T. for sensory integration from 1985 - 1990. The one is today a C.A. and a financial manager. The other one still suffers from ADDH, but he has passed his matric, gone to Britain on his own and worked there for two years. He is now training as a plumber. Right now this handsome young man is making me some coffee - of own accord. (I hope this gives you some courage! O.T. is quite a challenging road, but it HELPS!)

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  21. The therapy sounds encouraging. Are you receiving these services through your state for free? I know Early Intervention provides free evaluations and if they see a need for OT, he would get it for free or for a reduced cost depending on your financial status (developmental therapy would be free). At least that's how it works in some states--I assume the programs are similar. Just something to think about.

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  22. Stacie,

    just wanted to let you know that my bio daughter also had sensory issues that were diagnosed when she was almost three. She had some of the same issues and watching her try to be in a preschool classroom was a nightmare. She was in OT for almost six months and she really responded well to it. She loved going since its so play based and we also worked with her a little bit at home. Now at six, her sensory issues are almost a non-issue. The sensory things are so treatable-- its just retuning their brain a bit. He sounds like he has a great support system. Now I'll have to find you one facebook!! :)

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  23. wonderful.....love the dance....he was definitely filling his bucket...love that he put his blocks together afterward

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  24. Morgan's got that same shirt!!!!

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