If your child gets CPSE services, please come in

I just took dc to his very first OT therapy session and a few things surprised me.
He is 3- we were filling out paperwork in the waiting room when she came out, pretty much only introduced herself & grabbed my child and off they went. There was no conversation beforehand about his weaknesses, no setting of goals, etc. I;m actually unhappy that I can't witness his sessions because I would love to watch how my son does in therapy vs at home. Plus I would love to do whatever exercises/activities they do there, at home.

At the end, she told me they did wheelbarrow & cutting with scissors & he did well. That's another thing- he doesn't do them well at home. He fatigues very easily because he has low tone. I want to see what is going on so that I know how much to fight or not fight for him for more services once this is over.

I am looking to see if your experiences are similar to mine with cpse.

Re: If your child gets CPSE services, please come in

Mine are done at home

I spoke with her before and we went over what my concerns were,what he can do/can't etc

I am present during his sessions but I don't know how it would be if he recieved them elsewhere

They work on fine motor skills mostly bc my son hates coloring/holding a pencil. Has trouble opening doors etc. Using scissors.

I would speak with her and ask what you can do at home but definitely check online and Pinterest

I have had gotten many OT toys/exercises from there and my son has really come a long way

You have every right to find out what's going on etc. I would ask. Good luck!

If your child gets CPSE services, please come in

Where do u go? With my ds they took him in.I wasn't allowed to be in there which I was fine with..he would have been too distracted but also bc there are other children getting help at the same time no parents were allowed..if they did the testing beforehand to see if he qualifies they already know what to work on

Re: If your child gets CPSE services, please come in

My son gets his services at a special needs pre-school so I am not there, but there is a communication notebook I can write in if I have any questions, etc. I would definitely ask the OT what you can do at home to reinforce what he is working on in therapy.

Re: If your child gets CPSE services, please come in

We are going to kidz therapy in garden city. Yeah, I 'll have to just ask more questions I guess even though I think being present would help me easier at home with him.

If your child gets CPSE services, please come in

Dd started pt early intervention for late walking. She started at about 19 months. Everything was done in my home and the therapist taught me things to practice with her. She was great.

Re: If your child gets CPSE services, please come in

My son is going to be getting an eval soon actually so I haven't had the experience yet but I am a former OT so I can offer you some insight.

Basically, the goals were based upon the deficits noted on the Peabody. I always sought parental input but the eval findings were my primary mode of establishing goals. As for observation, parents are very distracting, even if they are sitting very quietly in a corner or looking through a window. Your child knows you are there and watching and it will effect the quality of the session. You child will act completely differently in your presence. On occasion, I would allow for an observation but not frequently. However, if a parent had questions about what was being done in the session or wanted some suggestions for some at home activities, I welcomed the interest and would provide information. Also, bear in mind that as a parent, you should be having enjoyable play time with your child. It's absolutely fine to incorporate therapeutic activities into what would be your regular play with your child but you don't want to turn what should be fun time with mom into a therapy session. Even though we try to make therapy fun for the kids, it is still work. You don't want your child to start making a negative association with playtime with mom.

Also, with regard to fighting for services, the OT should be your ally. If your child truly needs the services, the OT should ensure it happens. You mentioned the difficulty with cutting...my DS will NOT use scissors at home. He hates it. But at school he uses them everyday and he cuts pretty well. When the time comes for reassessment, bear in mind that they work with him on these things so they probably have a good idea of the services needed.

Message edited 1/7/2016 3:10:54 PM.

Re: If your child gets CPSE services, please come in

We go to a center. The first few months I was present. I now wait in the lobby but go in the last 5 minutes to see what they did and the therapist shows me what to work on during the week. She always from day one pointed out strengths, weaknesses, goals.

I would not be happy in the situation you described.

If your child gets CPSE services, please come in

I took dd to a center. She was six months old so I stayed with her, but all the other parents were not allowed in. They had signs everywhere and were very strict, so j think that's the norm.

Re: If your child gets CPSE services, please come in

Thank you everyone.
Thank you First mate for your input! I had more time with the therapist today & she is lovely. We spoke more about what they did & she will see him again next week & at the end of the week give me things to try at home.

Re: If your child gets CPSE services, please come in

My DS got OT and PT at a center. They would talk to me for a quick minute after each session to tell me what they worked on and sometimes gives suggestions of west to work on at home. But I never sat in on a single session.

Re: If your child gets CPSE services, please come in

We went to Kidz Therapy also. I really liked the services there. They know your sons deficits and what to work on because it's all on his IEP. They will talk to you more and more as the sessions go on.

If your child gets CPSE services, please come in

We also go to Kidz Therapy in Garden City. My son gets PT/OT. We love our therapists & wish we could be there, but she tells me at EVERY session what they did.
I believe you can only get home sessions if you are in Early Intervention. After 3yrs old you have to bring him to the location or they get at school

Re: If your child gets CPSE services, please come in

My dd had ot and pt therapies at a special education preschool. She went during her class time so I wasn't there but we communicated through the notebook, and you could always set up a time to go in and observe. After I became close with the therapist I would just show up a little early and watch for the last few mins a few times a week. With my dd I know she did better without me there. As soon I walked in the door she would become distracted so it was better when I wasn't there.