Many years ago now I worked with a little boy (for the sake of the story he can be called Luke) who really struggled to balance his sensory needs and as a result of this he found many everyday tasks a real struggle. At school it was like Luke was so willing learn, but he had a huge barrier holding him back and this really upset him.
Luke was observed numerous times, by numerous professionals who asked questions, took notes, changed things, brought in new programmes but nothing seemed to really work.
He was so unhappy and it seemed that nobody could help.
One of the tasks Luke found particularly difficult was walking down to our classroom at the start of the day. He lost his balance so frequently that in the end he gave up and regressed to crawling. So one morning this was going on and I was doing my best to encourage him up from the floor and guide him to the classroom, with my collegue to the left of me on standby to help. I noticed there was a lady also watching us beside the staff room, smiling. What with being caught up in the task at hand and not having a clue who she was, I ignored her and continued with what I was doing.
Later that day there was a knock at the door and the same face I saw that morning was there smiling at us. Anyway, she introduced herself as Chloe the new OT (Occupational Therapist) and explained she would be working with Luke and that she’d seen us this morning in the corridor with him. She went on to ask all the same questions the other professionals did then she took him out for a session with her.
At the end of the day Chloe explained Luke’s sensory needs to us in more detail and said she would be using a weighted rucksack to help him walk independently. She said she’d be starting from tomorrow. We were all pretty overwhelmed with Chloe’s “get up and go” attitude and willingness to get involved.
The next day Chloe greeted Luke at the door with his rucksack, put it on his back, steadied him and told him to walk to Green class. And to our amazement for the first time he walked down, a little wobbly but, he did it!
And for the rest of the academic year Luke walked with his rucksack happily and made great progress.
Sensory Sensitivity can be a extraordinarily big challenge for our Autistic children and for us to deal with.
So I just wanted to share that story with you all as a bit of encouragement there are many other “Chloe’s” out there with fresh new ideas for our ASD children so don’t give up when you feel that a challenge is too big for your child.
Speak with you soon, until then
Live every moment, Love beyond words and make a difference today!
Emma Ottaway
The Autism Support Specialist
