Occupational Therapy Class For My Attention Deficit Kid...is It Worth?

jananikrupa · Jul 5, 2016

Hi Ilites,

I need your suggestions/guidance to decide on an important matter relating to my DD, about staring on Occupational therapy class for her severe attention deficit/lack of interest problem. Since the therapy cost a lot, I need to know is it worth the pain of shuttling to the therapy center about 4 days a week along with spending tons of money.

Has any of your kids/known kids benefited from these classes?, please share your thoughts. I'm planning to enroll her in Pebbles therapy center chennai (chromepet).

A brief background about my DD, she is 61/2 yrs old studying in an international school (grade 2). She has a severe attention deficit in anything she does, be it reading/writing/activities/playing. When she is disturbed by a simple sound/by other person, she forgets what she was doing and gets blank.

She does not have any interest in doing anything be it studying/activity, she gets bored after 5 mins.She is fine when she is left to herself. Until we ask her to read/write her home work, she would not touch her school bag/books.This is her behavior since her kinder garden days.This is stressing me a lot.

Earlier we thought she is a kid and would be responsible once she grows up, but I feel she is not improving, in fact she has become habituated to this and becomes angry when we remind her to do her work. We are living in a joint family setup, she is pampered a lot by my in-laws who still treats her like a kid.

Regards,
Janani

vaidehi71 · Jul 5, 2016

I hope you read them and hope it helps you understand about this disorder!
Discuss with your doctor for further information.
NIMH » Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Laks09 · Jul 21, 2016

Yes, OT and Cognitive Behavioral therapy along with a lot of parental support can go a long way in helping kids with ADHD. Have you got an official diagnosis?
The therapists providing the therapies should be trained and experienced in dealing with ADHD. Therapist matters a lot. Parental involvement is also key. You have to get some kind of training from the therapists especially for behavior modification and follow through at home. It is very important to be consistent with that. Your joint family should understand the child's issues and stand with you on this. If they ever say I don't want to do this but your mom is making me then it's back to square one again. It's hard for GPs to accept something is wrong so they need to hear it from the doctors. They need to hear from someone how important therapies are and how it can immensely help her.

KashmirFlower · Jul 21, 2016

did kid got evaluated already ? If she is left on her own , is she concentrating on the task?

She is fine when she is left to herself.
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may be a part of discipline issue, try this book in amazon : Setting Limits with Your Strong-Willed Child,Eliminating Conflict by Establishing CLEAR, Firm, and Respectful Boundaries
helped me to set boundaries for my stubborn kid for now.

As a parent u may want to try different areas/methods to help your child,

Shanvy · Jul 25, 2016

jananikrupa said: ↑

Hi Ilites,

I need your suggestions/guidance to decide on an important matter relating to my DD, about staring on Occupational therapy class for her severe attention deficit/lack of interest problem. Since the therapy cost a lot, I need to know is it worth the pain of shuttling to the therapy center about 4 days a week along with spending tons of money.[\quote]
Janani if she has been already evaluated and diagonised with adhd and has been recommended occupational therapy i would suggest you go for it. yes it is very costly, but it is a blessing that we have it available unlike the 2000.
At the same time i would say check out groups that are there specifically for these. i can't seem to remember the name of the madras based group.

Has any of your kids/known kids benefited from these classes?, please share your thoughts. I'm planning to enroll her in Pebbles therapy center chennai (chromepet).
Click to expand...

occupational therapy helps a lot. i know of a few kids who are back in the main stream after being weaned off the regular school. infact one of them will be graduation in 2017..

Regards,
Janani
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A lot of things fall into place once the family understands how to act and react and support the child. how to react during a tantrum, how to act or encourage without putting pressure. you need a lot of guidance apart from the child. today there are loads of camps and awareness workshops.

infact if you have the inclination and interest do a course like diploma in learning disabilities..should help your child in the long run. also check out this
the madras dyslexic association. MDA CHENNAI they do have workshops.
v-excel had the diploma course sometime back. do check with them.
V-Excel Educational Trust
. stay the strong pillar, do not let go of that support you give your child, be firm, be consistent and you can find a lot of change.
and all the best

irenesa · Jul 26, 2016

Hi Janani,
Did u start OT for ur DD?My DD also goes for OT but her problem is handwriting,copying from board and spellings.We go to Pratiksha in chrompet.I am vv much worried about her as orally she says everything but when it's putting on paper......

Shanvy · Jul 26, 2016

@irenesa

Be patient, and do a lot of practice at home, with a timer. i do not know what is the age of your daughter, but speed of copying from the boards, spellings and handwriting are all interlinked. some of the kids do have a tough time coping with this. so just do not put any pressure, encourage and ask her practice..

and i am sure ot would have suggested grips for pencils and exercises for the hands if any. keep practicing them, and make it playful .

Shanvy · Jul 27, 2016

Pencil Grippers check this out on the grips that i mentioned if your ot has not discussed them. the way your child holds the pencil plays a pivotal role in the speed at which she writes too.

Posture, the way your child sits while writing..sitting on the edge of the chair does not help.

when you make her practice use ruled papers and make it fun to write..may be writing a story or whatever she wants to describe in a beautiful way..pin it to the fridge for a couple of days and then file it away. with practice you can show her her improvement..which will itself be a motivation.

apart from this give her clay to play with her fingers..work with stress balls or squeezee balls.

all the best..

P.S i have a adhd son who is now in college..

jananikrupa · Jul 27, 2016

Hi Ilites,

Thanks all for your wonderful suggestions...im following them..

jananikrupa · Jul 27, 2016

@irenesa

I have started OT for my DD at Pebbles, she's going for almost a month now, can see some minute changes in her behavior, yet to see some notable changes.

She is also having handwriting, copying from board and spelling issues, which I believe is due to her disinterest in writing. For handwriting, I have joined a separate handwriting class in Radha nagar, the class was for 15 days with an hour per day. She has improved her handwriting now, but the problem of speed and copying from board still remains. For this I have made a daily practice to write a few lines, recently started the timing also.

Patience is the what we need..I have reduced my expectations with her which has made me much saner now.