(03-06-2012, 09:44 AM)owensmum Wrote: have SALT ever done an evaluation on him? I cant remember the test the therapist did with my boy but it showed misinterperetation and lack of semantic understanding. Also that if things have a couple of parts to them then he hears the beginning and the last part or only hears the middle so just totally misses what you were saying.

As for the logic in thinking no socks cant go to school. It could be like others have said, its just such a literal thought process. At some point he'l have heard that you cant go to school without socks and thats then become a solid rule in his mind. I think this rigid throught process I have been reading is atually a part of SPD but initially my thoughts would have been that that is a spectrum type trait. No flexibility of thought or taking things too literally.

The PECS sounds like a good idea - I have been trying to eliminate our use of them and get my boy more verbal but then CCD went into school and suggested he use them even more so who knows lol.

Hope you find some way to work around these things

Have you considered evaluating him for central auditory processing disorder? The envelope/ antelope confusion caught my attention and CAPD kids can get quite frazzled from the effort of trying to cope with the day to day challenges of CAPD. By the way, Fast forWord is a good therapy for it.
Best wishes...

My son has only ever been seen by OT who said he had SPD. How would you go about finding out if he could be tested for other things. I am in the UK and things seem slightly different here.

I love this thread. I learned so much from reading everyone's responses. My daughter has a similar problem where she answers the opposite of what she wants, then falls apart when we give her what she answered. For example, do you want peas or green beans with your dinner? She answers, peas. I give her peas and she cries, no, no, no I wanted green beans. After further discussion, it appears she really thinks she answered green beans. Is this part of auditory processing disorder? She hasn't been diagnosed with that, and I've seen no signs of dyslexia (if that's a possibility). I'd appreciate your thoughts and/or insights.

(11-13-2012, 10:17 AM)Jaffa Wrote: My son has only ever been seen by OT who said he had SPD. How would you go about finding out if he could be tested for other things. I am in the UK and things seem slightly different here.

My son was seen by an OT who commented that he had visual/perceptual problems but she wasn't qualified to test him properly as NHS won't pay for the proper training. Both the OT and the National Autistic Society mentioned an organisation called Bibic (British Institute for Brain Injured Children). They have very experienced OT's who can carry out all sorts of tests and assessments and really get to the bottom of what is going on -my "lightbulb" moment. It turns out that my son has all manner of sensory problems and has difficulty processing what he hears, remembering things in sequences and being able to organise things and that's before we get to the visual issues.

They have recommended a type of sound therapy which we are going to try - only problem is that in the UK these things cost money - not covered by insurance like the USA unless you are lucky.

You may be able to get school to organise a review by an Educational Psychologist but this will depend on whether the school SENCO is involved and whether you have a statement for your child. Also the Educational Psychologist who reviewed my son said that some of the issues we were finding out about did not start to become obvious until the child is around 7 or 8 They can be a bit reluctant to suggest therapies if they are going to cost the Local Authority money (or so has been my experience!).

You may be able to get some help via your local IDS (Integrated Disability Service). Sometimes it can help to go to your GP as they will know of local services, if not they can refer you to a paediatrician who can make a note of any concerns and refer you to specialists.

For a start, the picture chart can help your child to plan their day and understand what is going to happen. I had not appreciated that by telling my son what to do but not giving him a start and finish point would make him anxious. For example, if I told him to brush his teeth he thought it was a never ending task and would not do it. If I told him to brush for two minutes, even though he has no idea of how long it is, he can see an end to it and is happier to co-operate.

Just draw a sequence of words or pictures to describe what is going to happen and keep referring back to it. Keep verbal instructions short as often they simply cannot take in more than a couple of words at a time or pick out one or two from a sentence and take them out of context. Also be careful how you phrase things as they can be taken very literally, with unintended results!

Sorry to go on for so long but I hope some of it makes sense! Best of luck!

Tismum I appreciate your input and yes I understand it. I have been caught out before by omitting part of a sequence. When I gave him medicine which he didn't want to take, I suggested medicine then water then a sweet, great me thinks but I forgot to say swallow between and he took it literally. All three we in his mouth which made him gag and throw up. End of trying medicine for a while. I also think yes he can't take in more than a couple of words in instructions. Go upstairs and get cotton wool off changing unit. Means go upstairs and bring anything down. I haven't heard of Bibic, will try and found out. His SENCO teacher is quite good so will broach her at next meeting. Thanks.

Fascinating thread here. My son is extremely literal, pedantic and rule-driven. He cant process two or more instructions: put pjs on, stuff away, do teeth becomes a meltdown about"you asked me to do 3 things! I don't know what I'm supposed to do!" Cue end of world. I always used to put it down to being male He also doesn't grasp open-ended or"no right answer" situations. There are RULES, therefore there MUST be a right answer. So glad to have some ideas about being specific and precise from this conversation. Thanks!