A therapeutic history February 11, 2008
Posted by Good Fountain in Sensory Integration, The kids.Tags: garage, occupational therapy, sensory processing disorder, therapy, unusual fears
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Chee has been in therapy longer than she’s been IN therapy. Her first therapeutic experience was back when she about 9-10 months old. It was spring and she showed a huge aversion to grass. Kicking and screaming if I tried to plop her in the yard, clinging to me – terror on her face. In a bit of eerie foreshadowing, I started her in what I jokingly referred to as Grass Therapy.
Grass Therapy consisted of me exposing her to grass, i.e., the backyard, for increasingly long intervals with fewer and fewer barriers. Initially she wore long pants and sat on a thick blanket. I would put a few blades of grass on the blanket so she could twirl them around in her fingers in her classic reluctant-explorer fashion. We went from the blanket to a sheet (could still feel the grass, but not as prickly) to wearing shorts on the sheet to eventually long pants again but no blanket or sheet and eventually shorts again. There were times when she’d sit there for a whole minute just screaming before I’d pick her up.
I don’t remember exactly how long it took, a few weeks maybe, but eventually Grass Therapy worked wonders and she grew to love the yard. One of my all-time favorite pictures of her is one where she’s rolling around in the grass with a huge smile on her face – happy as can be.
We have had other variations of Grass Therapy. I remember Denim Therapy (I’m a jeans girl through and through and I was determined she would not refuse them forever). Grandpa Therapy was a fun one. We’re pretty sure it was the mustache. I think one of my favorites was Happy Bear Therapy.
Sometime last year, Chee suddenly became afraid of a little stuffed bear that she’d had since she was an infant. It’s the kind that you can stretch out and it plays a lullaby while contracting. Press a button and it recites a bedtime prayer. It was an innocuous little thing, sweetly occupying a corner of her crib or bed.
One day I noticed her warily eying the little yellow bear. I picked him up and asked, “Are you looking at this?” and I Pushed The Button. She ran screaming down the hall, hands covering her ears, No no no!!!
“What are you afraid of?” I ask, “This bear is okay, he’s a Happy Bear.” No happy bear, no happy bear, no happy bear!! Thus began a weird little fearful obsession with Happy Bear. She was terrified of him, but she couldn’t ignore him. He moved into Ess’ room and she would frequently peer around the corner to confirm his presence. If he wasn’t readily seen, her eyes would dart from surface to surface, corner to corner, in a desperate attempt to locate him. Where’s Happy Bear? Where is he? Where’s Happy Bear? I guess if she could see him, she knew she was safe from him?? I may never know the answer to that.
Chee’s Daddy gets credit for Happy Bear Therapy. He started with having Happy Bear nearby when they’d play, moved to encouraging her to Push The Button herself (using another toy initially – she wouldn’t touch him directly) and eventually, Happy Bear earned his rightful place back in the Tub of Stuffed Animals.
These therapies were all before she started OT for her Sensory Processing Disorder. Since then, she hasn’t shown any new, unexplained fears. However, there is one Giant Fear that has eluded all therapeutic efforts.
The Garage.
Chee is terrified of the garage. Not just our garage, any garage. And anything resembling a garage. I’ve been at a loss how to help her overcome this fear. All of my efforts have been too intense and have resulted in no steps forward and sometimes two steps back.
In my blog browsing this weekend, I read about a technique used to help children overcome severe food aversions. Put the food on the table. No expectations to touch it or eat it, it’s just there. Reflecting back on Happy Bear Therapy, we started just having Happy Bear nearby, no pressure to touch him.
How can this work with the garage? My thoughts are to have the garage door open on our walk from door to Mommy Minivan. I’ve unintentionally had it open before and she would not step off the front step. So maybe I’ll carry her for awhile. Let her see that although the door is open, it’s safe, and nothing scary is going to happen. What happens next is undecided. Let’s see if we can get past Step 1 without any trauma.
Garage Therapy. Here we come!
I can’t tell you how familiar a lot of this sounds. The irrational fears, the desensitizing over time. Doing all this before we knew that there was an underlying factor–we were flying blind, going on instinct. I think we created as many odd obsessions as we squashed. My son’s fears were centered on specific people or objects, just as you describe, toys, even a chair! And the rituals!!! The strange order of things. And the need for it to always be in that order. ugh! So glad, most of that is behind us.
Good luck with the garage. I don’t have any advice, just keep trying.
Sounds like a good, smart plan!
Good luck!
oh, i love all these therapies! yes, garage therapy. why not! what if the door were to open, incrementally? you could walk by it closed, then the next day, opened a bit, until it was all the way opened. garage doors are sort of creepy, arent’ they? that big dark maw opening to lord knows what. wait a minute. can you come and instigate a little garage therapy for ME?
Kristen – Scared of chair, huh? I’m surprised Chee’s not had furniture fears. Better not say that too smugly … don’t want the universe to give her any ideas. LOL
kyra, great idea with the incremental opening of the garage door. I think I shall amend my plan. LOL on your own personal need for garage therapy. We all have our things, don’t we?
Thanks for the well wishes, I’ll keep everyone posted on our progress (said hopefully).
This is a lovely post. I like the way you write, with humour, care and compassion. Lucky family.
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