Somewhat of a beginning break through – at OT at TCH they’ve been using the emotion #’s scale, like i have at home and Ms. G has in the classroom. also she’s been working with various facial pictures from magazines and such that would relate to the numbers, having Tyler pick them out and then they laminate and match them.
today – Tyler had a mi…ni-meltdown that consisted of crying and screaming (never this bad at therapy – tears wise) i got him to calm down and once he was calmed down – he went back with the OT therapist. They worked on writing, fingergrips, wrist extensions, etc. he was getting frustrated and the therapist asked him, Tyler are you frustrated and pointing to #3 on the scale and she said Tyler responded with “5/4” and she said your a 5 or a 4? He responded again with “5/4.” She said he seemed “relieved” once he expressed that. Before he finished with OT therapy and went into speech, he mentioned he was back at a 1. We don’t know as he still seemed a little agitated.
This was great to hear as Tyler has never recognized past the 3 on the # scale. I’ve been doing what she’s suggests and even at home when i frustrated or angry, I use the number scale to show Tyler how i feel (even though for the most part he can recognize the emotions on others faces) and try to say, i am angry inside – when that frustration or anger subsides, I show him that I am back at a one – the OT is wanting me to model for him what he can’t seem to grasp.
Now with Tyler being so unpredictable, not sure when we will see this again, but a breakthrough is a breakthrough!
We will go to the behavorial therapist on May 7 so hopefully she can give me some pointers as well, as soon as I have a pattern going with her, i will make another visit to he behavior psychologist to bring him up to date on what we’ve been working on with the psychiatrist, the school therapists, the outside therapist, the homework (following therapy direction), the parent trainer intensely in this area for now, over a year.
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