Occupational Therapy Evaluation

Yesterday morning was Caleb's Occupational Therapy evaluation.  I was fairly nervous going in because I didn't know what to expect, however my nerves a bit calmed by my husband who lovingly joined us.  Before the evaluation, I had to fill out a sensory survey while my husband kept an eye on Caleb.  Filling out the survey, I could already tell that this wasn't going to go well. 

• Does Caleb chew on things that weren't food? Check
• Does Caleb lack eye contact?  Check
• Does Caleb ignore you when you call him?  Check
• Does Caleb have only a few things that he is willing to eat?  Check
• Is Caleb sensitive to textures of clothing?  Check

I was able to fill out the survey fairly quickly since I have been doing these things over and over these days.  Then we were on to the evaluation!  The lady who was doing the evaluation, Jessica, was the Director of Occupational Therapy and Sensory Integration Programs.  She was nice and super friendly and immediately put me at ease.  Plus, she has a kick ass name.

First we talked about Caleb and discussed our main concerns.  I think, for the first time, I came clean with someone else other than my husband about what my child actually eats.  I have gotten slack from everyone (family, pediatricians) about my child's eating habits, but truth be told, I cannot change them.  I feel the guilt of being a bad mom, and it weighs heavily on me.  Jessica told me something very important.

Jessica said that while pediatricians and everyone else says, "oh, they will eat when they are hungry," that is not necessarily true with Autistic children.  Autistic children WILL starve themselves.  Wanting to feed your child is a primal instinct and when it doesn't go right, it can feel devastating.  Therefore, we mothers get calories into our child anyway we can.  So, yes, I give my child juice (or sugar water if that is what you want to call it) and most times all he eats for a meal is freeze dried yogurt bites and freeze dried strawberries (because he cannot stand the texture of anything else and he lacks the muscle strength in his jaw to chew anything tough).  And yes, I have given my child a handful of chocolate covered raisins just so he would eat something.

When Caleb moved to the gym area, I thought he would be in his element; in the summer, he loved to run around the park and climb up and down the structures.  I don't know if it was because of the soft floor or the different environment, or because he is truly regressing, but Caleb didn't want to climb on anything.  He wasn't aware of his body or his surroundings and all he wanted to do was to go back to the evaluation room and play with cars.

Jessica tested his tolerance of textures on his hands, which I had previously warned her was something that bothered Caleb.  She put some applesauce down on a desk and had him play with it - he immediately put his applesauced hands into his hair and rubbed his eyes.  Jessica explained that these behaviors are self-soothing behaviors.  He definitely has sensory issues.

Jessica took time after the evaluation to tell my husband and me her diagnosis.  I don't remember a lot of it.  I remember that I cried.  I don't know why.  I know that Caleb has these problems, but I guess having them confirmed hurts.  Does this make sense?  Probably not.  But every mom wants their child to be perfect.  And yes, I know, some moms of Autistic children will say their kids are perfect, but you know what I mean.

Everything ended on a happy note though.
My husband and I were asking Jessica about Caleb's future.  We wanted to know if Caleb would always have problems going forward.  Jessica said that considering the type and severity of Caleb's issues, with the proper therapy intervention Caleb could be Autistic-symptom free.  That is amazing and we have such hope for our sweet boy!

In the meantime, however, we have a ton of homework to make sure he gets to this incredible goal.  So, if you need us, we will be playing with applesauce, digging in bins of rice, and crawling through tunnels.