If OT always went smoothly, that would probably be a sign that Thanh doens't need it. Tonight she was much less cooperative, tried to get me to do the activities for her (because she was out of her comfort zone), got fixated on an activity and wouldn't move on, and was a general Miss Sassypants. Oh well, at least the OT is getting to see a more typical view of Thanh. I still learned a lot, and the OT has a plan for how to try things differently next week. She's going to make a schedule with pictures of 3 activities and then a fourth activity spot with two activities to choose from. Tonight Thanh worked on knocking over marker tops with a party blower, swinging and spinning, washing plastic animals with soap and picking the animals up out of the water with tongs, and using circle stickers to fill in circles. She became fixated with the stickers and was very upset when a sticker touched the edge of the circle on the paper. When I wouldn't do the activity for her, she began putting stickers on me as a punishment. Other planned activities that Thanh wouldn't do included an obstacle course, making lines with glitter glue, and drawing a person. Thanh did draw bones, but would not draw the outside of a person.
Thanh had her first OT session today. It went really well. She is working with a different therapist than the one who evaluated her. I like her, and I liked the rapport she built with Thanh. Part of me still feels very unsure of myself with all of this, and I was relieved to find the therapist agreeing with how we see Thanh's issues. In fact, I can't really imagine Thanh doing better in a therapy session, and yet T saw a lot of sensory issues. The vestibular, or need to move and reaction to movement, really stood out to her. T is going to work vestibular activities in as much as she can. Thanh did a lot of the activities while sitting or laying on a swing tonight. T swung her and spun her and could see in Thanh's eyes that she wasn't dizzy in the way a person typically would be. She gave me a lot of suggestions of things we can be doing at home like using an exercise ball, using a lite brite, using clips and clothespins, and swinging in a variety of different ways. She explained that the rigidity Thanh has, wanting things to look an exact way, is typical of kids with sensory issues because they need control. She noticed Thanh worrying about items falling on the floor and she talked to her about how the classroom was a fun place where they could get messy. Above all, Thanh enjoyed herself and had a positive experience. She started to build a positive relationship with T, and I felt comfortable with her as well. I think we are off to a good start.
Thanh and I both made it through a school day today. We are tired, but up and walking around. Thanh's teacher said she wasn't herself still though. She did choose to play this evening rather than sit on the couch and watch tv, which was what I was planning on. M is still working from home. She was planning to do an overnight volunteer shift tomorrow night and someone just called to offer to take her place. M accepted her offer. I think it is important that we all get as much rest as possible as we recover from the dreaded H1N1.
Day 6 of the flu and Thanh's fever keeps coming back. She woke up at 2:30 am with a 103.5 temperature. Today it has been normal, but that is with motrin and tylenol. We took her back to the doctor's this morning. I was getting worried because her face was twitching and I started to worry that she was having a side-effect from the fever. At the office we were able to determine that it is voluntary because she would twitch and then I would spin her around to show the doctor and she would relax her face. I called my mom and she said, "It was just drama!" Pretty much. But I'd rather check than have my kid's face freezing up without me knowing it. I am feeling better. M is achy. I am filling my afternoon by doing some online holiday shopping and baking some muffins. It is the first time I"ve felt motivated to do anything since Saturday evening when I felt sick. Eventually I'll return to work, but probably not soon.
Thanh's pediatrician thinks she has H1N1. She is better today though. Her fever broke and she has more energy. In fact, I had trouble getting her to nap because she hadn't had enough movement opportunities. I put her in the car and drove around until she fell asleep, just like old times.