Asperger's In Action in OT

Our followers are going to get treated to an extra blog entry today. We have a netbook on loan from BJs' job for the next few weeks, and I was able to get a signal in the office we are currently at. I figured Sean's first encounter with Occupational Therapy was a blog-worthy event.

We are about 30 minutes into the first session, and it's not going well at all. This is surprising because usually when Sean meets a new person for the first time, even a therapist, he's sweeter than anything. he really turns the charm on and makes the person think there is absolutely nothing wrong with him. Lately that is even developing into a defense mechanism for him. He tries to be funny to the point of class clown, and act as normal as possible, because he doesn't want anyone knowing he has Asperger's.

That's not happening today though, and I'm really starting to feel sorry for his poor therapist. She seems like such a sweet girl, and Sean is really giving her a run for her money. He liked the swinging and jumping exercises at first, but as soon as she moved onto other things, Sean got agitated. So far he has called her and the session stupid, dumb, boring, and a bunch of other things I couldn't even identify as words. He bristled at touching shaving cream, and at the moment is refusing to show how he buttons and zippers clothing. All he wants to do is go back on the tire swing, the first activity she did with him.

This is the obsessive and fixated part of Asperger's. No other activity this therapist does is going to be good enough. He wants that tire swing and only that tire swing, and he's going to make this poor girl's life a living hell until he gets it. He is slacking through the list of evaluative activities or refusing to do them altogether, because he wants that swing. He has also gotten to the point of breaking the pencil during a writing exercise and throwing things at the therapist to prove his point. One look at him right now and you would think I never taught the kid how to behave in public.

But I know with the way he is refusing eye contact, and speaking at times almost incoherently, he is really agitated, and things are beyond his control. The only thing on his mind right now is that swing. Right now he is refusing to write letters to the point he has thrown his chair across the room and flopped to the floor. Thank goodness the TSS counselor will come here with us next week!

Off to help this poor girl before Sean gives her a concussion!