Need a little feedback

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
The Occupational Therapist (OT) that Duckie saw last week has us doing the Wilbarger Protocol (brushing) and has advised us to consider using The Listing Program audio series this summer. It's a costly program (apparently) and I was hoping some of our members had experience with it and would let me know what they think. Thank you!
 
believe it or not, our Occupational Therapist (OT) had us do both too.

both were ok, neither worked miracles. my daughter did the brushing/compressions herself and forgot more often than not, so compliance was an issue. but the brush was given to us by the Occupational Therapist (OT) so we have zero to lose--it was easy.

i refused to buy the listening program so we only did it during Occupational Therapist (OT)...mine liked most of it. (it was weird). we did it every session and used the Occupational Therapist (OT)'s copy and it was fine. it was ridiculously expensive to buy it, and frankly there was zero proof it would do anything. i was SO glad i didnt spend the $$$ on it. it just felt like the "trendy" therapy of the day to me...i need things with some kind of scientific data to back them up...not, "i dont know why it works but it does"....especially when i'm being asked to open the checkbook. (and dont misunderstand....i'd pay a small fortune for something if i thought mine would benefit--i just need some proof)

if you have access to both, there isnt much to lose. if i had to choose, i'd go with brushing over the listening program---not just for the cost, but there is some history behind it and its been around for decades now. plus, the brush is portable, easy to do in a few minutes, easy for a kid to do, etc...its just easy. in my opinion, even if its bunk, well, depending on the sensory needs of the kid, if they arent adversive, it feels good and involves a .25 surgical scrub brush, so why not, lol.

they'll only get out of either of them what they put into it, and if duckie is like my difficult child, the attention span and compliance to do either of them faithfully is questionable at best, so i'd be careful if Occupational Therapist (OT) is insisting you run out and buy it.

just my .02.
(and for the record, to date--Occupational Therapist (OT) has been the most useful thing we've done to date...i definitely saw results overall--its been time and money well spent)
 
oh--and no, i didnt see any actual benefit to the listening program--and it definitely was no long term cure of anything. (or else i'd own it and lend it to you!)
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
I don't know anything about that, but surely she must have some other clients that are PRO and CON about it that would be willing to talk to you locallay? Maybe in NAMI chapter? Or maybe like in a local Rainbow shool or MR workshop? It would seem that MR children would have need for SI, or how about a school for the blind for resources and feedback?
 

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
Thanks confuzzled... I'm considering trying to buy it used.

Thanks Star, I thought I'd ask here first since we have such a varied group of parents. I know I'd get an honest (& possibly blunt, lol!) assessment.
 

smallworld

Moderator
Have you looked into any studies about the adult prognosis between kids with sensory issues who have had Occupational Therapist (OT) vs. kids who have not had Occupational Therapist (OT)? I'm wondering because the psychiatrist at my son's Residential Treatment Center (RTC) said that many kids with sensory issues tend to outgrow their challenges. That certainly happened with my son. You know I'm all for early intervention, but I do wonder about whether these methods have proven value (and I'm sure what I'm saying is controversial and will irk many here).
 
H

HaoZi

Guest
Question on the brushing: Does it work good "in the moment"? Not during a tantrum, but when it's obvious they're working their way to it to help calm them?
 
didnt irk me in the least ;-)
in fact, if you ask me. umm. yep.
but we dont have the tag issues, the sock seam issues, the feeding isses, etc.

in our case, the SI therapies were just a byproduct of Occupational Therapist (OT) in general....we were pursuing it more of actual occupational issues--namely, handwriting and typing. mine hates the "work" part of it, so the SI interventions were more to keep calm and reduce frustrations. i saw measureable improvement on both issues...was it just the routine "doing" of it, or did the SI stuff help, I don't know. but it certainly didnt hurt.

we needed ways to break up a session, and SI stuff was as good as any.

in my opinion, whether you believe it helps or not, it certainly can be done on a shoestring budget....in my opinion its ridiculous what some of these therapists reccommend. i'd need a second mortgage and another 12 hours in a day to do all of the nonsense that has been reccommended to us in the last 18 months (really, 18+ years--difficult child 1 has high needs too)---one of my personal rules of thumb is if ins. doesnt cover it, you better give me proof its effective.

no on asked, but this is also an opinion...tiredmommy didnt mention the circumstances behind the therapists reccomendation but in any case, i'd have HUGE issues with the reccomendation if the Occupational Therapist (OT) doesnt at least have the listening program on hand to trial and have some firsthand knowledge of...what if she hates it? how do you know if she'll tolerate it? (i guess i can see why the Occupational Therapist (OT) would want her to have her own copy, but thats pretty easy to say when you are spending someone elses money).
 

tiredmommy

Well-Known Member
SW- We had actually thought that Duckie had been growing out of her sensory issues. Second and third grades were excellent. But this year... not so much. The classroom environment is very loud and contentious just as social expectations are sky rocketing and puberty is coming on strong... it's a potent mix. I don't know about studies (I suppose I should have researched Wilbarger's more but I had heard of the protocol before now at least) but I can tell you that Duckie was very relaxed after the very first session and she has been able to sleep through the night again almost every night in the last week (that's nearly a miracle, lol!).

HZ- She hasn't had a meltdown at the particular time a session is scheduled but I think it's more preventive in nature. The brushing and joint compressions seem to be desensitizing her, though it's only been a week.

Confuzzled- She did say that she would let me trial her copy before we start to use the program. She said it's a good program and she's seen it help others like Duckie but acknowledged it is pricey. In addition she wants us to get through Wilbarger's first to see how Duckie is doing and doesn't want us to get overwhelmed with too much too do all at once. She said it would be ideal for Duckie to go through the listening program over the summer (if we feel she needs it).
 
thanks for understanding what i was trying to say (there WAS a whole lot of presumption in my post, but it was well intentioned, ::says the woman with a VARIETY of $$$ equipment and programs, most of which werent worth it::!).

but i really would strongly suggest you ask the Occupational Therapist (OT) to demo it before you buy...it is not unreasonable to ask to try 2 or 3 lessons before buying the program.
 
We did something similar years ago with difficult child. Got nothing for it but a lighter wallet in my humble opinion. Some people swear by these things, though. If I remember right, the idea was that you actually had to do it for a while to "see results" ... in which case, the difficult child might have improved some anyway because of the other therapies. Maybe you could ask how long it normally takes to see results for someone with your child's specific issues and see if you could have a trial period. Sorry if I seem negative -- I just felt like I tried a bunch of stuff that didn't do anything noticeable.
 
Top