The OT evaluation was very difficult for Thomas. We talked about it a lot before we went, but
he was very anxious there. They were aware of his SM and I thought they
handled everything very well. When they called us in he was in good spirits,
but they led us to the gym where the toys/exercise things were and he planted
his feet and refused to go in. He was
screaming and saying he wanted to go home.
The gym wasn’t loud or crowded, but something about it scared him. After a few different attempts, the therapist
brought some toys to a small room where he played while I discussed things
with her. He would not cooperate in any
way. He refused to stand up and do
certain things, so she wasn’t sure how to evaluate him. She said it was very clear that anxiety was the
big issue and the need for control, which we already knew. I told her we were doing CBT with him. She thought he seemed to demonstrate more
limitations due to anxiety rather than sensory given that he accepts sensory
input in the home environment or when he has control. Although she said they would be able to help
him with things like movement which he has difficulty with in a group, it would
require his participation in the gym and felt she didn’t want to push him to do
things and cause any disruption in the progress he has been making. She had her supervisor come in too and after
observing Thomas doing his own thing and asking me questions, they didn’t feel
he had any major sensory issues and didn’t believe he would benefit from their
therapy at this time. I did not agree. They gave me some ideas to work on at home.
Yes, I was disappointed that things didn't go better, but after being in that waiting room and seeing some of the other children who had physical diabilities waiting to go into PT, it put things into perspective for me. Yes, we struggle every day with SM, but there are so many worse things out there that other children and parents are facing.
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