Ethan's Occupational Therapy Evaluation

So this was the one I was waiting for... It's taken me a couple days to mentally and emotionally process the appointment itself and the results.

I really liked the therapist! She seemed so young but she was patient, took a lot of time with him, etc. And she smiled a lot :) I told her up front that he has anxiety issues and she asked if he was easily frustrated. She seemed to keep these in mind the whole time and at one point told me that she was trying to keep his frustration and anxiety to a minimum.

She started by asking me some questions about my concerns and some sensory issue oriented questions. Based on what I told her, she gave me a 125 item questionnaire to fill out while she tested his motor skills. The questionnaire dealt with sensory experiences. More about it later... She had Ethan write, draw, use scissors, and stack blocks. She also did a series of tests having to do with spatial perception and vision.

A few hours later she called me with the results. 50th percentile is considered average. 51st and above is considered above average. 49th and below is considered below average. She said they offer services if they score under 37th. On the motor skills/perception tests, he scored 32nd on one subtest, and 16th on the other. On one section he scored off the chart though! That was probably what brought his score up to 32nd. So his overall motor skills score was way below average.

Then there was the questionnaire... I tried really hard to be as accurate as I could. Each item had 5 choices ranging from always to never. It covered the whole sensory spectrum - hearing, vision, touch, movement, taste, texture, etc. I answered each item with a good deal of thought.

After she gave me the results of the motor skills tests, we discussed the sensory questionnaire. She explained how it was scored and that there were 3 possible categories for his score to fall into - normal, borderline, and (basically) so extreme as to interfere with normal daily functioning. Ethan fell "well within" the extreme category... She said it wasn't even close. She wasn't surprised because she had witnessed some of his sensory issues while she was doing the motor skills tests. There are 2 extremes with sensory issues. One is sensory-seeking, the other is sensory-avoiding. Ethan is in the sensory-avoiding extreme. What it amounts to is that he's easily overstimulated. We already knew that, but didn't know if he was out of the range of normal.

So now we're waiting on the paperwork to all go through. It will take about 3 weeks but the therapist already put him on the calendar for a regular weekly appointment starting in 3 weeks. The first appointment she'll be explaining the treatment plan and what she has laid out for us to do at home with him.

I have mixed feelings about how things went... First, I'm very happy he was tested and that he'll be getting help! I'm also relieved to know he does have sensory processing issues since Jesse and I have seen his hypersensitivity since he was born.

I'm okay with the motor delays. He was on the late end of normal with most of his physical milestones as a baby so I'm not surprised. I know he may always be slightly delayed.

I'm having a harder time dealing with the sensory issues... Jesse and I talked about it last night and I realized in talking with him that the questionnaire is a lot of what's bothering me. It's one thing to notice his reactions to stimuli throughout the day as they happen. It's another to sit down and answer questions about each of those behaviors, dwelling on them as you go, having them pile one on top of the other. It was quite overwhelming... And having a professional tell you that your child has issues that are severe enough that they interfere with him being able to function normally... It's a lot for a parent to come to terms with :(

I honestly couldn't write this post before today. Last night talking through things with Jesse and having a good cry over it really helped. I feel better about everything now.

Overall, I'm excited about the direction things are taking with Ethan :) His behavior has already improved with the PCIT, and we expect it to get better as he's taught to cope with his sensory issues. We're also looking at his behaviors a bit differently now and paying more attention to whether he could be acting out because of being overstimulated.

Jesse and I also reminded ourselves last night that God gave us this child to parent, with all of his challenges. And that He will continue to lead us in the direction that will give Ethan the help he needs, and grow us as parents...