First Parent Conference

Today was the first time since Michael started school that I've been able to attend a parent conference. It went pretty well. I really feel like his teacher, ST, and OT know Michael really well. The things they struggle with at school sound like the exact things we struggle with at home (no surprise!). Most the conference was the OT going over Michael's sensory needs. She actually told me that he is the most severely tactile defensive child she has ever worked with. She suggested we get him into sensory integration therapy. We then talked about how I was toying with the idea of dropping speech to pick up OT because I can't really afford both therapies. They didn't really recommend I do that as they also feel he still needs speech. So I'm not sure. They said there are low cost/no cost options out there for SI but they don't really recommend them for children like Michael because he needs a very experienced OT to work with. So right now I'm not sure what we will do. I might talk to the ST on Wed about what she thinks. I know she said a comment about seeing speech ending in the foreseeable future. Maybe I should put ourselves on a wait list now just in case.

They also talked about how most kids gain skills at a gradual pace, but Michael seems to plateau and then just JUMP to the next level. I noticed that as well. It's like one day something will click and he will just take off in that one skill, but then he will be stuck there for a while. They did however comment on how he is very smart and has great cognitive abilities. :)

Overall, he has grown leaps and bounds since starting school! I can't wait to see how far we are by the end of this year. And then we have 1 more year. I hope next year he has the same teacher and team of professionals because these guys are great.

Then at the end of the conference, the OT showed me how to do the wilbarger brushing protocol and joint compressions. It was a bit awkward when she had me do them on her, especially when she lifted up her outer shirt and I had to brush her under shirt, HA! According to her though, I am a natural. ;)