[Danica]

Thanks for indulging me girls. I just wanted to get this off my chest. A little background.. Naden doesn't eat normal foods yet and he is 19 months old. He actually will only eat 3 different baby foods and also he'll eat nuts and crackers and junk. Nothing soft at all. He also doesn't speak much. Naden has been to a few Occupational Therapy appointments. Here are the updates...

For Eating- He's been to two appointments now. Turns out that Naden has a sensory issue. I think the OT called it Sensory defensivness. Anyway, she said he won't eat new foods and is very uneasy in new surroundings/people because he is over sensitive. She said you could compare the new surroundings/people uneasieness to when you are walking through a parking lot in a bad part of town at night. How your body is just tense and on edge and very aware. She said you could compare the food issue to when you feel a spider crawling on your skin and you immediately react to swipe it off. That is why he doesn't even want new food near him and if I put it in his mouth he gags and throws up. Anyway, she gave me this thing that looks like a silicone potato scrubber and I have to apply deep pressure with this in long strokes on his arms, legs & back every 2 hours during the day. I think she said it releases seratonin in his brain on makes him more comfortable with his surroundings. She said that usually if you actually do this every 2 hours very regularly that I could stop or cut down after 2 weeks because he would be back on track. She also gave me a feeding schedule for him since he is considered a grazer (snacks all day) and she said that he HAS to eat out of his high chair and that I can't give in to letting him sit on my lap to eat because it is reinforcing his behavior of throwing a fit to get his way. I know she is right but I have to say that it makes me feel like I am not doing a good job as a mom because of all his bad eating behaviors... I am really hoping that this gets him back on track. I told her that I just don't want him to be one of those boys who hides behind my legs when he is 6 years old every time a new person is around. She said that I am doing the right things with working with him now because if I didn't he would most likely develop that extra timidness as he got older. I am really making an effor to do this. I'll keep you all posted. He goes in for an appt every week now at Children's hospital...

For Speech - The therapist did think he was behind in his skills. She thought he should have scored higher word association. Like if you line up three toys and ask for the duck he didn't grab the duck. He only has put words to certain toys so she wants me to work more on that. She basically said that I need to speak to him more with only 2 - 3 words and have him interact like saying, get socks or where's shoes so he starts associating his words and objects better. She didn't need to see him again for another 6 months thank goodness. I am honestly not too worried about the speaking because he is picking up new words each week. I just had to set that appt. because it was required in order to get a referral for the eating therapist.

Thanks for reading. I just had to get that off my chest.

[*Judy*]

First I am sorry that you have to go thru all that, but I am so glad you did! I work in the school system and there are so many parents that don't follow up with things when their kids are having issues. It really ticks me off, because the sooner these things are addressed the quicker thay can be overcome. It sounds like for the most part it will all turn out well. I have heard of the hairbrush thing before and it is suppose to work great as long as you follow through with it. As for the eating habits...well I think all kids go through phases. About the time Sophie was 2 she would do that whole gaging thing. We finally had enough of it and what ever she spit out we put right back in. Eventually she figured out that she was stuck with it and has become a very good eater. Another thing was that was hard was the only eating at the table. Even for snacks we make her eat at the table. We also make sure we sit at the table for all meals, which was no small feat for a couple of people who used to always eat on the couch, and no one leaves until everyone was finished. She is usually a slow eater, but knowing that we have to wait for her to be done gives DH and I time to chat about our days and stuff.
As for speech, boys usually develop this slower than girls do. I hope all goes well and that Naden is talking and feeling comfortable in new places soon. He won't like the brush much when you first start I assume, but it will desensitize him. I wish you the best of luck and hope that all turns out great for Naden!!!

[MinDB]

i hope everything the therapists suggest work out for you.
with what Judy said about boys developing speech slower than girls--i actually noticed this with my twin niece and nephew--my niece started talking way sooner than my nephew--for a while, she was in the habit of talkng FOR him, but that habit is long gone.
good luck to you!

[..Jessica..]

I'm sorry you're going through this with Naden!

I'm glad the doctor you have him seeing is giving you sooo much advice about how to help your son. That's great and will help him in the long run! I agree with you, nobody wants their 6 year old hiding behind their legs whenever a new person is near them. It's wonderful that you're getting him help now, rather than waiting.

I'm sure his eating habits will change with a little guidance, and I'm sure he'll be a smart little boy once all those words are starting to enter his mind.

Good luck with this! Update us on his progress too!

[Danica]

Thanks for the kind words!

Judy, I think you described me a dh eating habits exactly. It is hard to change the whole eating at a table thing. I do wish I could just pop the food back in Naden's mouth but unfortunatly he actually projetile vomits if I do that so you can imagine the number of messes I cleaned up before I gave up on that method! HAHA. Like you said, even snacks now get eaten at the table. That is a battle in itself, let me tell ya (but you already know since you've been there!). Can you believe he actually likes the brush thing? He keeps handing it to me like, do it again. At least that won't be a battle for me. Yippie!

Mindy, you know I heard the same thing about girls speaking faster than boys and also the same about them potty training faster than boys. I really hope that I can get him potty trained this next year. Diaper are so annoying and gross. UGH

Jessica, your right. I just need to stick to it to give him that guidance. It'll be tough because I am sure I'll want to give in. I am really not a push over but with my son, he knows just what to do to get his way. The OT actually said they were thinking of doing a study on these types of kids because they think they are pretty intelligent since they have already learned basically manipulation of adults and modified manipulation if they don't get the reaction they are looking for. I was like... great, my son the manipulator!


The OT wants him to play with food so that he at least feels comfortalble with touching it, then we can move on to tasting. I'll keep you all posted if he hits any big milestones like maybe eating a chicken nugget! Eventually maybe I can move on to sushi YUMMY!