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What to expect at OT sensory eval?



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amother
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Post Sun, Jul 19 2015, 8:43 am
I'm bringing 5 year old DD tomorrow for an eval. My concerns are that she is sensory seeking and socially/emotionally immature (not that she has tactile sensory issues).
What typical goes on during such an eval?
What types of behaviors will they look for In order to be qualified for services?
DD also has anxiety, and may not do any of the activities that the OT asks. Do they typically take this into consideration?

Thanks
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momaleh




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 19 2015, 8:53 am
At my daughter's eval, she was asked to do motor related actions - drawing, puzzles, etc. She also had to follow instructions for creating something and copy certain things. she had to walk in a straight line, throw a ball and catch it a certain way, and so on.
They definitely take into consideration her willingness to do these things, not just ability. She was approved for some sessions and after a follow up, when things looked better, denied for further services, which was annoying. Good luck!
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amother
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Post Sun, Jul 19 2015, 9:41 am
DD is pretty good with everything you mentioned, and she functions well In school, besides from putting hands in mouth, and barely talking to adults.

I think she holds herself together all day at school, and then comes home and let's it all out. She's a mess at home. Moving, jumping, crashing, biting/chewing on everything, talking in a really loud voice, tantrums very often, dresses herself, but looks disheveled, ignores me when I ask anything, and says everything is "not fair", has a lot of trouble falling asleep, and wakes during the night.
I could go on and on...

I'm worried that she won't qualify for services bc of it.
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amother
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Post Sun, Jul 19 2015, 9:46 am
I feel like I should take videos and show the ot. Her behaviors will not come out during an eval.
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 19 2015, 10:33 am
Usually the sensory diagosis is based mostly on a parent questionnaire. The kid's eval is mainly some simple tasks because that's the standard OT protocol. During that part of the eval the OT will observe not only whether the child can do the tasks, but also keeping an eye on their posture and other mannerisms that are often associated with sensory problems. You will also have an opportunity to describe your concerns to the OT.

I wouldn't worry so much about not qualifying for services based on the eval. I'd be more concerned about not qualifying due to doing well in school - based on the way you're talking it seems like this is a DOE eval and their job is to deal with school issues. If you're in preschool your odds are a lot better, especially if the teacher can emphasize whatever concerns she does have. In school age they almost never approve services for sensory alone unless it or something related are really affecting school behavior.
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ra_mom




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 19 2015, 10:41 am
amother wrote:
I feel like I should take videos and show the ot. Her behaviors will not come out during an eval.

Do whatever you can to advocate for your child.
Years ago when we were doing evals for dd, the coordinator told me she would probably not get services because we were looking to address excessive sensory issues. But I was desperate for help. She desperately needed it. Hearing what the coordinator said me go into mama bear mode and I prepared typed up lists of every. every. every. little thing. And I made sure to go over all the issues with every. every. every. evaluator that walked in.
And it turns out that one of the evaluators told me dd qualified for services that I hadn't originally asked for, and told me to inform every other evaluator that one of the evaluators were recommending x service. Because once dd was recommended for one service, her score didn't have to be as high in order to be recommended for the next service. And I begged the OT, went through my list, showed her how much dd was suffering, and somehow through the nick of our teeth, dd just made the right score.
And weeks later, when the coordinator finally saw that dd really had issues, the same coordinator who discouraged me originally, told me keep advocating for your child, noone else will do it.
So my words to you are keep advocating. Be an aggressive mama bear. Be proactive and prepare for each evaluation, not just the OT one.
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acccdac




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 19 2015, 10:51 am
just to let you know, I had to see a neurologist then I was able to take my son to an OT (who evaluated him to see what plan of action they wanted to follow).

At the neurologist office the doctor herself, not a nurse, calls you in. My sons reaction was to laugh when he got called in. As I was passing the doctor she said to me "I just learned so much" (that is why she does that)

The evaluation was 1.5 hours long, she spoke to my son asking him questions, the physical part of the evaluation was maybe 5 minutes long. Like your child my son never showed anything in school only at home. The lack of eye contact, or nodding verses saying yes/no, etc different responses like that clued her in. Also while I was asking questions he was asked to sit nicely next to me with a few desk toys to play with. Sitting for 30-45 minutes like that is hard for any child but she was able to learn more about him during that time.
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srbmom




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Jul 19 2015, 12:23 pm
Quote:
Do whatever you can to advocate for your child.


This.

My DS was evaluated for sensory seeking and I think most of the diagnoses came from my talking with the therapist doing the evaluation. They also gave me a bunch of forms to fill out with scales about his behaviors, and I made sure to be very "aggressive" in how I answered so he would be eligible for services.
Also, a child who is very sensory seeking - you can usually notice it within 5 minutes. I remember the therapist called us into the office and my son was trailing his hand along the wall the whole walk down the hallway - always having to touch something. The therapist noticed immediately and started laughing.
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amother
Red


 

Post Mon, Jul 20 2015, 10:39 am
Did the eval today, and she's already been diagnosed with spd. Just waiting to see if insurance aproves it.
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