SticKids = Lots of Hope

Today was an absolutely AMAZING day! Let me back up by telling you about Wednesday first...that was a great day too!

I was planning to put this (Wed info) in a super long blog post (with tons of pics too) that I started working on the other day, but the awesomeness of today has inspired me to share it all now :)

Okay, so back to me telling you about Wednesday.

That was the day that we had a new OT come over with Kylie's current therapist to discuss all things sensory. All I can say is that I feel she is "The Sensory Expert."

I immediately felt comfortable with her, which is Huge, because if that wasn't there then it would make the process more difficult. I can say that you really need to believe in your therapist to make things work. I totally Believe!

Our appointment was scheduled to last an hour, as are all of our apptmts. Both therapists stayed for just over 1 1/2 hrs. Our regular therapist tends to stay over an hour when she can, because she is so supportive and wants to do whatever she can for Kylie and us.

So yes, the love and drive are definitely there and that alone just speaks so much!

I was so excited to see how much growth Kylie has made in the months since we have been receiving services. The little girl that would cling to me and scream when I tried to move, was now feeding her therapist her cereal, playing pretend with her with her food, reading books with her. Just amazing!

Oh, and she even tried to interact with our new OT. She kept a safe distance and was hesitant, but she still tried. To think how scared she tends to be with new people. She just warmed up so quickly...who'd have thought :)

Our OT did a sensory profile and she said she just uses it as a guideline, because sometimes kids can test just fine in areas where it is obvious to her where they need help and vice versa. I don't have Kylie's official results, but she did mention that Kylie had issues in all areas, but 3 more so than the rest.

I've been trying to think about what it was that made me feel like this is it...this is exactly what I feel will work and this is the person that can help us all make that happen. Problem is, I can't pinpoint what it was about our meeting that made me feel that way. It was just all so right for Kylie, for us :)

This will let you know how excited I felt after they left. Here is a copy of the email I sent to our regular therapist and to our family service coordinator (she determines who comes to help and what help is needed).

I just wanted to email and let you both know how excited I am about where we are going with Kylie! She is and always has been an amazing little girl and we could have never come this far without your support, and all of the care you have given Kylie and our family. For what seemed like a long time, we felt alone in this (in the physical sense) and weren't sure how we would get through everything and know how to best help Kylie. God has totally answered our prayers and more by placing you both in our lives and helping us put all of the right things in place for Kylie. I just wanted you both to know that you are part of the little miracle that we call Kylie. She has become such a shining light in our lives and just gets brighter all the time, because of your expertise and love for our family.

So yes, thank you times infinity :)

There's another thing I wanted to add. Today was a GREAT day for us, and I don't think it was a coincidence that today just also happened to be a day that M and C were here. I really loved meeting C and I think she is going to show and teach me things that will be a tremendous help to us. She really knows her stuff, just from the meeting we had today. I am just thrilled to see how much brighter Kylie will shine with her on our team! I know she is on our team thanks to both of you for seeing that she is just what Kylie needs to get to that next level. So thank you again!

So it is obvious from the email I sent that I was definitely elated after our visit on Wednesday. We then scheduled to do another co-treatment for what I thought was next Friday during Kylie's naptime, so we can discuss what we were going to do to help Kylie.

That appointment ended up being today, which was perfect because I put Kylie down late for her nap, since we got home late from our playdate today....more on that later.

I was sewing some of my flowers when I heard a light knock at the door. I was going to just ignore it, but I figured it must be someone I know since they didn't ring the bell with Kylie napping.

So glad I got it, because it was our amazing team of therapists ready with a game plan. Our OT received a grant or scholarship for her work and she had purchased this program specifically for kids with Sensory Processing Disorders. It is called SticKids. Click here for more info. I am already convinced it is the best program out there!

Through this program our OT was able to design a Sensory Diet specific for Kylie. This model addresses 6 areas: Motion, Pressure n' Touch, Heavy Work, Retreat, Routine n' Planning, Suck Chew n' Breathe.

We have sheets for each area, with ideas on what we can do to help Kylie. Some of those activities are: goopy play, massage, climbing, jumping on a trampoline, giving choices, negotiate, quiet time, my own space, blowing bubbles....just to name a few.

Anyhow, just as we feed Kylie 3 meals and 3 snacks a day, we are to give her 3 meals of therapy and 3 snacks of therapy a day. Since the goopy play is a big thing that brings on lots of anxiety for Kylie, we would consider that a meal, and climbing would be considered more of a snack.

We will have to gauge how things go and determine if Kylie is more of a snack kid, as far as therapies are concerned or if we can do both.

The absolute best part of this is that we can plug all of these things into a calendar so we have activities already planned out for us! I love that feature of this program.

I told our OT that I tend to get overwhelmed with new things like this, because I wouldn't know which one I should pick first and what to go with it. This program has so many wonderful features, one of them being a weekly planner. I was instantly sold when I heard that!

Since she is the expert, she is going to set up a calendar for us to get started on. Yay!!

I was sure to let both therapists know how excited I was about the direction we are going in. Lots of hope and excitement!

So one more wonderful day with some truly awesome ladies!