Nick does not like transition. Change is easy, but transition through the change makes him extremely unhappy, unless there's a video game involved. He can't express complex feelings, or simple feelings some days, so he communicates in the way that gets the biggest reaction - SCREAMING.
I can honestly say that screaming is the soundtrack of my life and I want someone to please change the CD!
Last week I reached my max with these loud, frustrating and challenging morning routines and decided the only way to make it better was to change. Which meant transition. Can you guess who wasn't happy?
I went to our arsenal of home therapy devices. We are the Disney of home devices with two children who have special needs. Everything from vibrating pillows to kangaroo swings that hang in the playroom. I chose a weighted vest for Nick and strapped it to him.
Instantly, he relaxed. There were still a few whimpers, but not the guttural open-mouthed scream. The idea behind the weighted vest, which also come as blankets and lap bands, is to provide compression, similar to a hug, and deep pressure so the body is more aware of it's position. It provides proprioceptive input and calms the person.
I'm thinking of having several large ones made. Having a hard day? Here's a vest.
This morning as I removed all of Nick's accessories after he finished eating breakfast - without any screams, mind you - I was reminded of unsaddling a horse. He has a pillow as a riser to fill the empty space between his tiny back and the chair. It helps him keep his legs down and not pull them up to sit sideways in the chair. He has his weighted vest. This is all topped with a bib, because CP kids are messy eaters. As I placed it all on the antique butter churner in the kitchen, it really felt like unsaddling.
Maybe that IS what I'm doing..... Unsaddling my stress.
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