My four and a half year old was diagnosed with ADHD and some possible sensory issues. Her sensory issues are related to hyperactivity (vestibular, sensory seeker) not tags on clothing or your other typical sensory issues like texture of food, etc.
We have been taking her to OT but I am really not sure if it is helping. In fact, she almost seems more amped up as opposed to calmer and more focused after OT and has had a couple BIG meltdowns directly after OT (or jumping on the trampoline at home---which is supposed to help according to the OT). Has anyone had success with OT for ADHD? I am trying to decide if we should stick with it or not. Please no advice on nutrition,food allergies, supplements or other alternative treatments for ADHD. We have tried them all.
I would also try another OT. There is a scrub brushing technique for sensory integration that can do wonders. I used to be an early intervention specialist. We had some OTs that were great where I worked and others that were not so good (just like any profession.)
I know you said no supplement advise, but if you are willing to try something else, let me know.
Victoria
Yeah... adhd always has sensory stuff that goes along with it (because of how our brains process external stimuli). There are about a gazillion sensory tricks that go along with adhd... and I would assume that those would be what the OT is trying to share... but they're also fairly easily learned from books & support groups & places like www.additudemag.com
The biggest problem I could see is that the sensory stuff that usually goes along with adhd (and it's solutions) are typically -but not always- the OPPOSITE of what you do with someone with SPD or ASD.
Also... any thrill-seeking type of stuff (like jumping on a trampoline ... which is a common adhd trick) WILL amp them up. A trick for older kids is to do the thought-intensive stuff while they're on the tramp, but after they've been on it long enough for it to be relaxing instead of exciting. Tramp Tricks: There needs 1) to be enough time on it (typically, say, half an hour or so for a 4year old... or until they get tired/bored and get off on their own), and 2) a "transition" period. Usually around 4-5 minutes that also usually includes replacing lost calories... or they'll do a blood sugar crash. I'm fond of chocolate milk just for that reason: quick sugar to stave off the crash... with enough fats and proteins to keep them going long term.
If your OT is only superficially aware of ADHD, but is mostly treating SPD and Autism Spect. kids... you may be gettng a lot of mixed advice.
R
I would talk to you OT about this openly and see what he/she says. Discuss options how the therapy sessions could be done differently and maybe could have calming activities at the end.
The meltdowns show that definitely the sensory integration approach is stirring something in her body and hopefully these meltdowns are only a phase on the path to helping her body deal with these issues. Also, you can ask the OT for suggestions how to deal with these meltdowns when they occur, a lot of kids can be helped with putting pressure on the body, for example rolling them into a blanket. It sounds odd, but it really can help them to calm down again.
Good luck!
I don't know about ot treatment for adhd. However, I would suggest that you find a CHADD chapter near you. It's a national non-profit organization for children and adults with AD/HD. They give you access to drs, support groups, LOTS of current information, and they keep updating it whenever new research is published! My mom's been a part of it for nearly 20 years in order to help my two younger brothers that were diagnosed in elementarty school. It's come a long way. Good luck, I feel your pain. www.chadd.com
I have a three year old with pretty severe sensory issues. Like your daughter, its not the tactile stuff that bugs her, its more social and physical. She has been receiving OT since she was 18 months, and it has made a big difference. I do not know that she has the ADHD piece yet, although we haven't ruled it out. We also had speech therapy until she "graduated" when she turned three. My only advice would be to try working with a different OT. We lucked out and LOVED ours from the beginning, but it took three different speech therapists to find one who was successful with my daughter. Don't be afraid to speak up! Good luck...I know we are both on a very difficult road.
my daughter has OT and is MIMR and autistic. what has helped us it to talk to the OT therapist and ask what we can do at home to continue the therapy. I don't think therapy (we get one hour per week) does much good unless the parents try to do the same things at home. So I would contact the therapist and see if they can give suggestions since they already know your child. Good luck.
I would get a 2nd opinion from another OT. My son who has autism went to an OT for a year and then we switched because I didn't feel this OT was helping anymore and we have had much progress since then. Maybe another OT will do things a little differently or can offer you more suggestions for at home therapies.
Good Luck
Brain Balance Centers do that kind of stuff. I don't know their website. Sorry. You could check out www.interactivemetronome.com for a provider near you. It helped our son and did wonders for him. We brush our daughters skin and it seems to help her. She actually asks for it. She's only 21 months, so not old enough for the others yet. She's so calm after brushing. We do it throughout the day. Your son is just coming into the age for the others. Hope you get some good help!
We've not tried OT, meds are working well for us thankfully, but have you talked to the OT about the meltdowns? Activity is supposed to tire out their body (& their brain), enabling them to focus better. Is it a quick reaction & then a calming down, or is it more of a drawn-out meltdown? Maybe the tramp is too intense for his brain/body & he needs an easier physical outlet, or working into a set period of time on the tramp. We love to play popcorn (you jump w/a beachball sized ball, when it hits you you get a letter-p, o, p, etc-til somebody's out), maybe a tramp-based game would cause less melting down.
Not advice on any of the above that you asked for, but I'm on page 107 of a great book, Parenting Children with ADHD, 10 lessons that medicine cannot teach by Dr Vincent Monastra, & I've already got 20 bookmarks in it. It's an easy read & very informative. He covers all points of view, giving them equal weight. I haven't gotten to a section on OT yet, but maybe it's worth checking out at the library.
Good luck to you!
*Jenny McCarthy has a group of Autism books & a website (don't know what it is offhand) but she's got sensory therapy dough on her website, as well as a bunch of other stuff... have you checked that out too?
