Children's Classic Kid

I took Ethan to his first occupational therapy session today.  There is good news, and bad news.  Let's start with the good news first.  We have been hoping that Ethan would qualify for the Union Hospital Children's Classic grant money which would make each visit only $5, since our insurance doesn't cover any therapy.   I received the necessary paperwork from the insurance company yesterday, so I was able to submit it today.  I am happy to announce that Ethan is now officially a Children's Classic Kid!!   

Now....for the bad news.  The therapy session wasn't the most heart-warming experience of his life.  He is used to being at home with Jacob and me, and is not used to being out with a bunch of other kids.  The waiting area at the clinic is very small, and when you add a few children with varying issues, it can be quite overwhelming for a two year old.  There were children flipping the lights off and on, jumping up on the table, and crawling through my chair like it was a tunnel.  Ethan just looked at me as if he wasn't sure what to do.  Luckily, we were called back within a few minutes. 

The therapist seemed a little flustered and told me that she hates "first days" because of all of the paperwork.  (Not a great way to start off a session.)  She evidently had a lot of tasks that she needed Ethan to perform for her documentation, because she was jumping from one thing to another, and made very little eye contact with him.  She was mainly glued to her laptop, and her jumpiness seemed to make Ethan a little nervous. 

First off, she wanted to see if Ethan could draw a line with a marker.  She gave him one and said, "Make a mark!"  He was confused as to what she was asking him to do, so she took a marker, drew two lines, and told him to "make a mark" again.  Finally, he started hitting the paper with the marker.  Next, she threw blocks on the tray and said, "Stack 'em!"  He understood that, but I don't think he appreciated her approach.  I know that I didn't.  After that, we followed her to, what I presume, was a gross motor room.  There were all kinds of neat looking contraptions.  She had Ethan explore the area, since it was his first visit.  He soon spotted a giant tire swing, that he really liked.  He looked at me and said, "Donut!"  I said, "That's right Ethan!  It does look like a donut."  The clinician replied, "It's a TIRE." Seriously??  I was really starting to get irritated with her.

Now here's the kicker!  When we returned to the clinician's room, she asked him if he wanted a snack so that she could evaluate his eating behavior.  He said that he wanted one, so she gave him some pretzel sticks. Apparently he didn't eat them fast enough because she literally grabbed the last pretzel out of his hand and told him that he could finish it later.  It was time to see if he could figure out a puzzle. He worked on the puzzle and then on a pegboard.  They were the last two activities for the session.  I guess you could say that Ethan and I were less than impressed, and I am hoping that it was just a "first day" issue.  Hopefully, next week, the clinician won't be as stressed out about all of the paperwork and the session will run more smoothly (and she will be more personable).

On  a different note, before we knew that Ethan would one day be a Children's Classic Kid, our family participated in the Union Hospital Children's Classic Fun Run.  I looked through my photos and found some from that day, back in September.  I am happy that we participated, and am sure that we will continue to participate every year from now on.  The money raised from the event helps kids like Ethan, and their families, afford the services that they need.  It is such a great program, and we are fortunate that Ethan qualifies.