In September, I met Nathan, a 4.8-year-old boy, last year through his parents. He needed an Occupational Therapy assessment at the request of his lovely family. My first interaction with him wasn’t so rosy; he cried, kicked, and screamed. Nathan came across as a strong and healthy boy in those few minutes. There was a lot of carrying, pulling, tagging, running, kicking, and screaming. It took a while for Nathan to get into the room for the assessment, but finally, he did. When he got in, there was little or no eye contact with me; he did not respond to his name being called, nor did he actively participate or follow instructions.

As he explored his environment, I interacted with his parents, and it was evident that he came from a loving and stable home. Nathan, the second born of three children, liked moving around and used every opportunity well. We all have likes and dislikes, and Nathan did not like sitting at the table or doing any activity involving sitting. Not to mention writing, getting Nathan to hold a pencil to write was a toll order. When he finally got to hold the pencil, we were far from the table and on the floor. He doodled a bit and tried to copy a circle, but he closed this pencil chapter just like that.

I noted that he was a sensory seeker, and he sought proprioceptive and tactile sensory stimuli. For more information about sensory processing and Autism Spectrum Disorder, you can read our article; Sensory Processing Disorder in Autism Spectrum Disorder, Lessons from a Burger

When a parent/caregiver is involved through coaching, it makes a big difference!!! Once the parent/caregiver is aware of their child’s condition, then they get access to the correct information about what they need to do, and they actually do it. It does have an impact on their child. Parents/caregivers have much more hours to work with a child than therapists. In addition, they have access to special moments during a child’s day-to-day life, where they can teach a skill.