each of harrison’s OT sessions is just a bit unique but they all have the same format.

we do therapy three times each week. you can read about STAR center’s intensive treatment model HERE.

we arrive at STAR, sit in the waiting area for a few minutes until juliana (harrison’s OT) comes to fetch us. she helps harrison put on his “jet pack” and headphones. the “jet pack” is a cool, boy-friendly term to describe a backpack. inside the backpack is a well-protected ipod which feeds music to the headphones that harrison wears while we play. this is called integrated listening therapy. you can read more about it HERE and HERE. my understanding of it is that the music harrison listens to – mostly classical and some chant – has been engineered to highlight different tones. the different tones in the music – low, mid and high – affect the brain differently and help to create new pathways in the brain.

as i’ve stated before, i may be making all that up. so research it yourself to make sure i’m not leading you astray! …continue reading

As the parents of a caring and funny little six year old, who just happens to have been diagnosed with SPD,  my husband and I have become accustoms to all that SPD means to our family. We can set up picture schedules, arrange therapies and appointments , manage a sensory diet, cook gluten free, ignore dirt looks, make a speedy exit from most locations, and calm a speeding/spinning child with one arm tied behind our back. Well maybe not that easily, but we’ve gotten pretty good at it. As you may know  when things seem to settle down that is usually when  life throws you a curve ball.

Besides being the proud parents of our caring and funny six year old we are also the adoring parents of an adorable and energetic little three year old. My husband and I absolutely love our boys and thecrazy funny life we share with them. When our second son came along we were just beginning our journey into discovering how special and unique our oldest son is. I think there is a reason for that. Hadwe known the twists and turns our life would take we might not have had the courage to expand ourfamily from three to four, but I digress.

Even with the distractions of our oldest sons trials our youngest has always made his present known. As a newborn he developed refux that kept him from eating or sleeping most of the time and so he required special care. When the reflex began to subside he was about one and already running through the house like a mad man. No place was safe from his reach.  Then he started talking.  He  talked in complete sentences almost from the start, and to this day really never stops talking unless he is asleep. With the way in which he talks and moves about you simply cannot be in the same building as him and not know he is there.

Unlike our older son who has been riddled with infection after infection most of his six years our little guy has always been very healthy. Well that is with the exception of his reflux. Being as healthy as he is we have tried not to worry too much about his odd eating habits. You see although he will request a variety of foods he actually only eats a select number of things. He also tends to gag when attempting to eat certain foods. Our pediatrician has always said this is a left over effect of having such severe reflux as a baby. The thing is it isn’t getting better. Sometimes it feels like it is getting worse. The other thing is that the bigger our little guy is getting the harder it seems to be for him to enjoy himself and control his emotions. He does ok when he is one on one with an adult, but add any one else or a change of location into the mix and he often spins out of control. …continue reading