OT is coming to an end after two years. What is the average time frame to be in OT?

by Melissa
(NC)

My son is 6 and has been in OT for SPD and ADHD since he was 4. It really has become a part of our lives. For the past year and a half he met with his therapist once a week and then it switched to once every other week around June.




This past September his therapist was moving away so we got a new therapist. She hasn't been able to provoke my son and get him frustrated or to melt down like the other therapist could. Those are the behaviors that we need the therapy with the most. Yesterday she told me that he is ready to be discharged. We will have one more visit in two weeks and then that is is. Part of me isn't sure I'm ready to stop, but I also know we weren't expecting to be in OT forever. We knew at some point this day would come. My husband says that fact that the therapist isn't able to provoke our son is a good thing, it means that he's learned how to cope properly.

On the one hand I agree, but I do still see many of the behaviors that are socially awkward that I wish so badly I could help with with. I do a lot with our son to help keep him from melting down and to help him with his energy level and frustrations, so part of me knows that as scared as I am to be letting go of the safety blanket of OT, I also know the therapists know that I have all the tools to work with him at home. I was also told that if things start to get bad we can come back for another assessment and start therapy again. I'd love to know what a general length of time for OT is for you? I should be so happy with this news, but honestly I'm scared. Thanks for any insight you can provide.



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Nov 06, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		continuation
by: Anonymous

Thank you for responding. I didn't mean that I would want the OT to provoke my child, but the previous OT would do a mix of things that he loved but also things that really frustrated him. By having him do the frustrating things she was really able to help him with his coping skills as well as the other skills he needed help with (like fine motor, which is no longer an issue). I really don't know how else they would be able to properly help him if the therapist wasn't able to see how frustrated and enraged he gets when something sets him off. I can honestly say his coping skills are so much better now than what they were before we started two years ago. However, he still does some socially awkward things when he is frustrated and I'm wondering "is this it?" or can we continue to improve upon what we've already done? The new OT is very friendly and so far everything she has been doing with my child has been fun. She hasn't done the computer with the headphones and the metronome (can't think of the name for this), but this was something my child really struggled with at first, but over time he did it without a fight for longer periods, but I know he was never crazy about this activity. The new OT is not trained in this so that is why she hasn't done it. Obviously if every activity is fun, then the OT isn't going to see the frustration and anger that we see at home.
Nov 06, 2011
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starstarstarstar 		Provoke?
by: Anonymous

I'm an OT- and I have never heard of provoking a child on purpose. I want to address the underlying skills/processing so that they don't become frustrated or melt down. If I push them that far- I'm not providing a "just right" challenge.
That being said - it's variable but anywhere from 6 months to 1-2 years- as long as goals can still be set and progress is being made.

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