If you happen to think of it, say a prayer for us today. We take Abigail to an occupational therapist for the S.I.D. (Sensory Integration Dysfunction). They’ll mainly just try to get a read on the “triggers” (clothing, scheduling, body, etc) by just talking with Abigail (and us, I assume) and probably come up with a plan of how to help her cope and adjust to the S.I.D. Overall we have no idea what to except, and are just hoping for some help.
[ UPDATE ]
Everything went fine. At this point it was mainly our chance to tell the Dr. what we’ve observed over the years, and for Abigail to give her insight as well. At first Abigail was nervous, but warmed up quickly because she was given a bucket of markers, a desk that “wrapped” around her, for her draw (she drew a T. Rex and a volcano for Miss Amy).
We talked about the rocking (when she walks or stands), head banging (when we drive), humming (when she is working on homework or anything that requires concentration), the outbursts (with clothing), the bouncing (when standing and upset), et al. Abigail added her insights, like “things are too noisy and I can‘t take it”, or quite often “I don’t know”; which is understandable for a 6 year old.
There is no formal diagnosis yet. We have to fill out a lengthy questionnaire that will determine the severity of what the Dr. called “hyper-sensitivity”. She will meet every other Monday after school to work on her sensory/physical adaptation (learning her triggers, how to cope with those annoyances she feels, etc through play, art, etc), and they recommended we also see someone for anxiety or the cognitive parts of her — such as worrying about someone dying in a car crash, etc — something adults may worry about, but not typically a 6 year old, on a daily basis. We also received some materials to read for us, and how to cope with some of her behaviors (which the Dr said we seemed to be doing a wonderful job – which is always nice to hear).
Thanks for your prayers, we will keep you all up to date.