Sometimes I can only gauge Henry's progress on the simple things. Is he screaming? Less. Is he talking? More.
Thankfully, the bright and big-hearted therapists at STAR see the details. "He's using a lateral tongue tip suspended equipment elevated arousal verbal cue!" I made that one up.
But they do have some technical ways to describe a simple message. Henry is doing really very extremely well. In fact yesterday, he was referred to as a feeding therapy rockstar. It's hard for me to wrap my head around this. Can all the hopes and prayers pinned on ball pits and swings be changing his life? Can playing with food and chewing demonstrably be shaping who he will be? The fascinating and mindbending answer is YES. I always expected OT to work. Now that it has, I feel like crying and smiling and falling asleep.
Coming to STAR might have been the best decision we've ever made. Now that it's over, it seems like a chapter in Henry's book is coming to an end. And I don't know what's next and I don't know how it ends. But I think it's a romance. And it's not going to be easy reading. But I know I can't put it down.
Reading your stories gives me such reassurance that my son is not alone in his struggles. Henry seems to be a mirror image of my child. I understand your struggles as a parent of a 2 year old SPD child. I relate to the knowing that in public means hours of screaming and meltdowns. And I wonder the same as you about how in the world they survive without eating hardly anything at all. I appreciate and look forward to reading your continued blog!
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