This is, by far, Logan’s favorite luxury!!!
We started going to DTA (Developmental Therapy Associates) when Logan was about 2. Our OT at the time, Sue, had been raving about it for sensory issues, and when she said jump…we leaped (or is it leapt?? IDK)! I honestly didn’t know what to expect, since I didn’t feel that Logan had any sensory issues. She had no aversions to textures, sounds, tastes, movements, etc.
Well, apparently there is another type of sensory issue…sensory seeking! When we first learned about this it made total sense. Since Logie isn’t moving around on her own she doesn’t get the sensory input that typical kids do, so she in a way craves it. She loves rough play with her brothers, loves extreme movement (ok, maybe not extreme, but intense), she used to kick her feet on her crib at night (she loved this…us, not so much!), she loves to jump and spin to the point where anyone would get dizzy just even looking at her, and she likes to really hit toys with her hands. She also loves to be squeezed tight 🙂 Let me tell you, she is one tough cookie. She can happily do all of the above and more, and my other two boys would only last half as long. They think she is the strongest and toughest girl alive. So do I.
Our first session was an eye opener for sure. I filled out this questionnaire while our therapist, Jenny, played with Logan and talked with Sue about her daily life. Logan immediately took to Jenny and looked excited about this new adventure! Sure enough, Logan proved to be a mystery here as well. She scored as a typical kid in the sensory department, but her overall score resulted in having abnormal sensory issues. It baffled all of us!
We quickly came up with a plan that included activating her vestibular system before any therapy to get her brain organized, lots of swinging and brushing with The Wilbarger Brushing Protocol. The what?! I’ll let the professionals describe this one here.
This is a surgical brush that is used in this method. We were to brush her arms, hands, legs, feet and back every 2 hours that she was awake, for 2 weeks. After we brushed her, we were to apply deep pressure throughout her major joints to wake up her proprioceptor system. I started to panic inside when she was telling me this, wondering how in the world would I keep that up!? Well, there was no need to do so. It was EASY, and fun! Logan loved it. Jenny did it on me so I would know what it felt like, and it was honestly like a mini massage. A luxury for sure!
After only one week we started to see some pretty cool stuff. She was more aware of her body, and she even reached out and grabbed a french fry out of my hand…and ate it!!!! Cue the heavenly choir. That was a first! And she was so proud of herself for doing that. Most moms wouldn’t get on the phone to call the grandparents about something like this, but I did…and all were thrilled and screaming with excitement! You see, it’s the smallest, most overlooked milestones that make our day. Baby steps. Pure baby steps.
We continued with the DTA for about a month and felt that Logan was “organized” enough to where she didn’t need sensory therapy. We maintained her sensory “diet”, and brushed when we felt it was needed. Thankfully she continued to improve and progress.
After Logan was diagnosed I decided to really revamp her therapy, and that included going back to the DTA. And, it has been even more successful 🙂 Be on the lookout for posts about this!