How sensory processing changes the approach to therapy

This week has been frustrating as a parent.

After school on Tuesdays we have a parent session with the preschool SLP (speech lang. pathologist) and we work on trying to improve Chloe's auditory/verbal skills.  When Chloe was younger we would work on inputting sounds with objects; now we work on her vocabulary and trying to get her to sort, follow directions, etc.  We also try to "test" her by having her follow simple directions by verbal cue only. (Chloe show me the boat, the cow, the horse, the car etc. etc.) and we start with one object out of 3 then increase the "set" to 5 and eventually 10. (is the goal)

Well This past Tuesday Chloe was NOT cooperating, we would ask for the boat, she would SIGN boat, then hand or point to the ball. then we would ask her to show us the sock, she would SIGN sock then pick up the bus.... so on and so forth. Then I tried holding the photo up to her and saying Chloe what is this? and she would sign boat for boat, sock for sock, etc. etc. (she has a lot of signs and is quite good at them).  So the questions is WHY is she not able to hear me say boat, and give me the boat.  I know she knows where the boat is, and what a boat is.... but she still picks up the sock or bus or car.... I think she was picking at random to make us leave her alone; that way she can get down and jump and climb and spin.

I believe it is because she is bored and exhausted after preschool.  She has a lot of sensory needs and has the NEED to move and jump and spin and chew etc. etc. and I think after class she has not had "enough" of that type of input to be able to focus. And on the same token she has just had a few hours of auditory input and socialization and noise and I think she is over stimulated in that department.  We came home and took a nap.

I am waiting to hear about changing out session to a different day that is not right before or after school.  I know it means another 20 minutes drive, but I would much rather have productive sessions then feel like we have accomplished nothing... week after week.

Just as an experiment (and to settle my worried mind, as I was freaking out if she has lost the ability to do this activity) I video taped her after her nap the same day.

These video's (linked below) are of me sitting directly behind her so she cannot read my lips. (yes, my 2 year old can lip read) and it is forcing her to think and you can see her concentrating and focusing.  Also... we gave her lots of trampoline and trapeze time before this activity.... This allowed her to sit still.

With sensory seeking disorders (or any SPD), she cannot sit still if she has not/is not getting the input she craves.  We struggle with eating, and I am starting to realize if we make her sit for a little while until she can no longer sit and then let her run around... she will come back and eat more.  So the issue isn't gastric (like we thought) as much as sensory.  This is a new piece to the puzzle... and we are still learning about it.  We have not had an official diagnosis but ALL of her therapist agree, we are setting up an Occupational Therapist to come observe her.

The concentration and attention of the child in the video's is night and day different then earlier in the same day doing a very similar activity.... It is showing me how much she NEEDS that input in order to be able to think and process information.  It also eases my mind that she does really know what a boat is, as well as the other things you see in the video.  Some of the things she misses are "newer" in the input department but she tries really hard to get them right!

All in all, my personal conclusion is that while a typical hard of hearing child (one that only had a hearing loss with no additional needs) may be able to sit and do this activity after preschool, or any other therapy. But a HOH child with a sensory processing need... It adds the extra challenge of meeting the sensory needs before you can ask the child to listen and think and problem solve.  Asking a SPD child to sit at a table without them having the adequate amount of input, is like asking me to sit on a bed of nails.  It is physically uncomfortable and impossible for them to do it. 

So as a parent... my job is to advocate for my daughters, (both of them) for any need they have.  For Chloe this means not always doing things the "convenient way", but making sure her appointments and therapies are spread out enough... To make sure we are not doing too much in too short a time frame where she is not benefiting from these therapies.  It also means trying to space things out appropriately. I would not want to have her auditory input preschool, then speech and feeding therapy, then her hearing teacher all on the same day.  Sometimes we are forced to have more then one therapy a day, but then we need to be sure there is enough space for a break in between every session.

Video 1
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7tNmA8eW_I&feature=g-upl

Video 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Guf9gz9BJw&feature=g-upl

Video 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dVRFHiFNZ4&feature=relmfu

I also have e-mailed these to her teacher. :-)
I am so proud of my smart little girl!