Adam
Adam is a 9 year old boy who was diagnosed with Autism in May 2003. Adam has been receiving OT from me since age 2 1/2 with insurance coverage! He received PT for 3 years and behavioral services for 2 years at Indiana State University. Adam is home schooled. He receives Speech from school and PT on a consultative basis, even though he does not attend the school. Adam attempted PE but it was too stressful for him. Adam's parents have tried a variety of dietary interventions which have been helpful for his cognition, speech, and behavioral development per Mom's report.
Adam's strengths are his ability to memorize facts, complete puzzles, and recall all sports facts. Mom reports that he is very affectionate and responds well to affection from his family. He calls himself "joke boy" although his jokes aren't always funny. Eating at kid friendly restaurants such as McDonald's and Chuck E. Cheese are enjoyable. However, he becomes restless if he is expected to sit and wait for food. The family cannot go anywhere without his easy grip Gerby sippy cup. Adam's weaknesses include resistance to change, inability to deal with unpredictable situations, oral defensiveness, gravitational insecurity, fine motor delays, low tone, visual motor delays, and impaired ADL function and social interaction. All domains of his life have been impacted.
Adam's parents have been married for 12 years and describe their marriage as strong, stable, and loving. They are devoted to each other and working toward raising their children. Adam's older brother is 12 years old and has a diagnosis of PDD-NOS, a younger sister 6, and a younger sister 5 who was adopted at age 3. All 4 children are home schooled. Mom stays at home and Dad is an engineer. Adam attends church regularly with his family. He will go to Sunday School independently but stays with his parents instead of attending children's church. He really enjoys his Tae Kwon Do class which is 1 on 1. He has not played with his same age peers due to scheduling, but plays with his brother. They play Star Wars and the Wii. The majority of his time is spent playing the Wii or watching his brother play.
Kirsten,
ReplyDeleteI sounds like you have had a wonderful opportunity to get to know Ryan's strengths and areas of need over the years. The family sounds open to explore interventions to aid in his growth (diets, social opportunities). I look forward to hearing more about Ryan. Meg
Kirsten! What a wonderful family and a great kid! And a really wonderful choice of children from your caseload-- this is a child you have had a long history with, and so you will be able to apply course topics across a long period of time... I hope you find some new and refreshing ways to help this amazing family!
ReplyDeleteAmy
Ryan sounds like a wonderful boy. Can you tell me more about his gravitional challenges? I also find it interesting to ahve 2 special needs children, then a third and adopt another child. Talk about cohesiveness in the family-must have a strong foundation. chris
ReplyDeleteKirsten, catching up on some blogs...so I am starting at the beginning of yours! I thought I had before, but I haven't been here! He sounds sweet, and how great to have such a long relationship with him and his family! joan
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