Nine-Year-Old Crushing OT Goals Through In-Home, Telehealth Sessions

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects how a person acts, learns and expresses themselves. While individuals with ASD can share common symptoms, each individual is different and so are their strengths and difficulties.

At four-years-old, Johnny P. was diagnosed with ASD Level 3, which requires substantial support and is defined by severe challenges in social communication and extremely inflexible behavior. Johnny also had issues with sensory overload and a sensory processing disorder. This included food textures and difficulty swallowing and being prone to choking. Self-care tasks such as dressing, brushing teeth and other fine motor skills was a challenge too, due to weakness and difficulty with coordination.

In 2017, after a thorough evaluation, Johnny began speech, occupational and physical therapy from several clinicians at Solace Pediatric Healthcare.

“Johnny immediately started feeding therapy, auditory memory exercises, activities of daily living (ADL) such as buttoning, zipping, and hand exercises to increase fine motor strength. We also worked on exercises to help develop hand eye coordination,” adds Amber B., certified occupational therapist assistant.

“I really enjoy working with Amber. Not only has she been such an integral part of Johnny’s success, she has become part of our family. I love our in-home health sessions because she makes it fun for Johnny, and it doesn’t feel like he’s having to do actual ‘work’. This makes him more prone to engage in the therapy because he enjoys it,” adds Trina, Johnny’s mother.

Convenient, Productive Telehealth Sessions 

Pediatric telehealth therapy removes the barriers of remote locations, weather, compromised immunities and challenging family schedules hindering many children from receiving individualized one-on-one care. The pediatric telehealth clinicians at Solace Pediatric Healthcare specialize in virtual sessions and provide the same level of outstanding outcomes our children and families receive from our in-home sessions.

“Our telehealth visits are fun because he gets to experience a different way of receiving therapy that’s more interactive and also fun. Telehealth sessions also allow me to be more hands on learning new techniques and ways to work with him here at home.” 

“Johnny has improved in so many areas because of the quality of therapy that Amber continues to provide for him. She has also provided me with so much knowledge over the years with suggestions that have allowed me to help Johnny as well. We are truly lucky to have her as part of our family,” adds Trina.

Trina is an active participant in the treatment sessions with Amber, and she plays games that challenge Johnny to step out of his comfort zone by completing exercises that may be difficult for him. Amber remains positive, cheering Johnny along, which makes him feel accomplished afterwards.

“We absolutely love Amber! She is always so positive during our sessions. Even if Johnny is having a bad day and doesn’t want to participate, she manages to engage him in a way that makes him want to participate, and he ends up having fun and completing the goals set for that day. She is always so calm even when Johnny isn’t and knows exactly what to say to him to get him on board. I call her the child whisperer,” adds Trina. 

Celebrating Accomplishments

Johnny is now nine-years-old and he’s doing great! 

“One of the biggest accomplishments is that through feeding therapy Amber has been able to get Johnny to broaden the number of foods that he’s willing to eat. Prior to working with Amber he only ate about 3-4 different types of foods, with NO vegetables. Today Johnny eats about 15 types of foods that include vegetables and fruit,” said Trina.

“Through fine motor exercises she has also helped him improve his handwriting and ADL. We know that this is a battle we will have to continue to work on but I am so grateful for the progress we have made,” adds Trina.

“Solace has provided the best care to my son and has been a great company to work with. I tell friends of mine with children who need services that if they want a company that provides therapists that truly care about families, go to Solace. Solace has changed my son’s life for the better and I am forever grateful.”

How to Refer Your Child

For parents of a child with ASD, knowing which level the child has can help prepare them for the types of challenges their child might face in daily life.

Solace Pediatric Healthcare is the leading provider of family caregiver, occupational, physical, speech and feeding therapy services. Since 2005, our clinicians have provided pediatric care to children from birth to 21 years of age. We offer comprehensive pediatric therapy services in Colorado and Arizona.

At Solace, we’ve instilled a culture built on trust, communication, teamwork and accountability. Our mission is to provide pediatric clinical services to help children and families live their best lives.

• I want to refer my child for an Evaluation/Therapy. If you know you would like to speak to our patient advocate to discuss scheduling an initial evaluation with a licensed pediatric therapist, simply complete and submit the Referral Form so we may contact you. Please provide as much information on the secure/encrypted form as possible as it is required to begin the process. We do accept Medicaid and most insurances.
  
• I Want to Be Contacted. If you would like to speak with our patient advocate for more information prior to submitting a Referral Form, simply complete the Contact Me Form and submit.
  
• If you prefer to contact us to discuss your child, please call our team. You can reach us by phone at: (Denver) 303.432.8487; (Colorado Springs) 719.623.5463; (Northern Colorado) 970.775.8476; and (Pueblo) 719.695.4535.