Not enough has been made about the effect vision therapy is having on our so called "typical" little guy. Let me begin by saying the therapy is excruciating for him. We switch exercises each week and the first few days are hell. I had no idea how disjointed the right and left sides of his body had been? Exp: I had no idea it would nearly kill him to sit in a chair and simultaneously lift his right leg and left arm ten times. He cries, he stalls, he slumps in his seat. I quickly had to get over my "you’re supposed to be the easy one. Don’t give me any trouble" mentality. Now that I’ve remembered to offer him the same compassion I give his sister, we are getting through much more smoothly.
No one ever would have said that Seth was a "behavior" problem before, but he did have some annoying tendencies, which I attributed to living with a sib with issues. He was whiny. He was sometimes clingy. He never had a problem at preschool, but would often come home and be miserable the rest of the day.
Seth has always been fought bedtime. He takes a long time to settle down. He comes out of his room repeatedly after we tuck him in. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve sent him off to sleep after screaming at him when he’s come out for the 4th or 5th time. It makes you feel awful, but GO TO BED KID!
Once asleep, he thrashes all over, ending up with his head at the foot, his blankets everywhere. We have two kitchen chairs backed up to the edge of his bed to keep him from falling out.
Now suddenly, fourth week in, Todd and I notice.....hey....he hasn’t been miserable? I can’t remember the last time I yelled at him. Hey, he hasn’t come out at bedtime in like, two weeks ? In fact, he’s walking into his room and crawling under his covers without being asked. Hey, he hasn’t been whining, has he? No. He hasn’t.
The only thing different is the vision therapy. Somehow it is helping him sleep better? Perhaps my little love bug was just baseline tired before, (and not emotionally damaged due to screaming Mi-Mi...please God)?
Anyway....we are thrilled with what we're seeing. He is working so hard and we are so proud of our little man. We are enjoying him more than ever.
We are definitely fortunate people, who are benefiting from positive circumstances.
http://www.autisticvision.com/
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7 comments:
It never ceases to amaze me how simple things can change one's way of experiencing life. I am so glad you discovered this therapy and am so pleased that it's changing your lives for the better. Keep on keeping on...
Do you know if that group of doctors in NY that you referenced are part of a larger organization that could refer people to locations closer to their area?
You might try this link?
http://www.oep.org/
I'm not sure if Dr. Kaplan's office might have a list? (His link is at the bottom of this post).
There aren't a lot of doctors doing this kind of therapy. We had to travel 8 hours from VA to NY.
Great news! It has to be connected. Good for you for sticking with it!
If I"m not mistaken, I think there is some work being done in vision therapy as regards post-traumatic stress syndrome, too.
I'm delighted things are going well for you guys. Keep up the great work. It's inspiring to all.
What a conincidence Mystic? At an autism conference I attended, one of the researchers was doing work with CAT scans on autistic kids. On a lark he scanned some of the moms and he said their mom's scans looked just like war veterans...all lit up with PTSD.
Maybe the eye doctors should be offering mother/child deals?
This is great to hear. I love to hear how much hope you give others, because of what you do/try for your kids. This blog is blessing, and so empowering.
I send you love!
:)
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