ST and OT Questions

[MicheleB]

I might have asked some before but now that I'm in the thick of things, I would like some advice. Dh and I were discussing our dss's needs and that if possible we'd like to use the ST and OT in our town. For lots of reasons, mostly time and financial.

What types of specific question do I need to ask both the OT and the ST and what types of specific things should I expect them to do or ask them to do?

OT is needed for sensory problems as well as fine motor skills for one ds and dysgraphia (?) for other ds.

ST is for possible CAPD in one ds, plus articulation issues and language delays for the other ds (see previous post).

I think the more specific I can be, the better I'll feel about it and the more on top of the treatment I can be. Then if we determine it's not the best therapy we can go from there.

Also, any tips on how to phrase these questions without offending the therapists would be great. That's what I worry about, I guess. I don't want them to feel like I think they don't know their jobs.

[Laurie4b]

I just went in for an appointment with a new OT practice, which I will probably use at some point. I met with the therapist, showed her ds's testing and asked how she would approach his issues. (He has some issues that don't fit neatly into any box.) She told me how she would approach it and I asked questions. I also asked to see the therapy room before I left. She actually didn't charge me for the consult, either. (Not to worry; I'll be paying the big bucks when we go, LOL!)

A real professional is not going to get all hyper about being asked how she would approach things, what kind of background she has, etc. They expect to be asked these things.

As for more specific questions, you might read broadly on sensory issues first. The book Sensational Kids is very well done and explores exactly what kinds of things help kids with specific combinations of issues. Having that as a background might help you to better evaluate what she says as well as to possibly give you some more questions. HTH