How do you do therapy with another child always tagging along?

ash2

My son was just diagnosed ASD and we recently started EI with the county, but they are only doing once a week for speech and once a month for OT, so that doesn't even come close to cutting it. We are starting a 6 month program at KKI next week, which will give us 2 days a week of group speech with 3 other kids, and 1 of those days will have a private session as well. We haven't started OT yet, and I'm just wondering how I can possibly do this with my DD always having to tag along. It 's difficult enough just trying to take DS, but to add in my almost 3 year old DD seems nearly impossible. Not to mention, I feel like DD's life shouldn't have to consist of constantly sitting through therapy appts. I'm a SAHM so she is with my all day, every day. Because of the cost of therapy for DS, we just can't afford to put her in a daycare. How do you do it?

MaxandRuby

I do my best when having to bring DS1 to DS2's therapies. Sometimes I get a babysitter for DS1. I hate that I have to spend money for it, but like you, I don't want DS1 to always have to come. He deserves to be able to play and have fun. I don't do it often but I do do it occasionally. I am also a SAHM. And I always get a babysitter if at all possible when DS2 has one of his specialist appointments.

BUmama

For a while we paid to have a friend watch DD2, but when she had her second baby she just couldn't keep up with three kids 2 and under (and I don't blame her). With DD1 having therapy pretty much every day last year, DD2 got pretty good at waiting. We kept a bag in the car with coloring books, crayons, a few small quiet toys and I always took a snack. Now she only has to go to 2 therapies a week (DD1 started kindergarten) and our slp lets her get some toys out of the back or I take the iPad and let her play starfall.

Assembly_Reqd

Have you checked out what I think is a 'child watch' area they have on the first floor by the aquarium? (In the new building) I think they will do crafts or an activity with your child while you are in with the therapist. Or maybe you can use the room and do fun craftty stuff with her while DS is in with his group? I have not fully investigated this since I only have one child, so I am not sure what exactly they do in that office but I have seen someone doing crafts with what looks like an older sibling before. I would call the peeps you are seeing for the program and ask them what other parents do...

If you are not needed to observe the sessions, another option is to bring her bike or riding toy and use it in the therapy garden by the valet drop off. There are a couple of fountains and a little maze out there too....

lite-bright

Our SLP who does Floortime integrates my 19-month-old DD2 into our sessions so that DD1 is interacting with her, and/or DD2 runs around exploring and playing (we do the sessions at her home, she has her basement set up for therapy sessions). 

When I go for our weekly RDI meetings, we use a therapy room with toys for DD2. I bring snacks and a drink and accept that she's, at some level, going to be crawling all over me at times. Sometimes DD1 is there, too; other times she goes to do therapy-play with other kids who are doing sessions with therapists, to provide a diad/triad situation. 

If it's absolutely necessary on certain occasions, DH can take off work to watch one or both of the girls -- but that is rare. Most therapists recognize the situation and are willing to work with us.

kar5162

Can you sign her up for mother's day out or a preschool 1-2 days a week?  Even 1/2 days would let her get some play time away from all of his therapies.  With DS, I just bring DD along, but she's not even 2 months old.  When she gets older, we might put her in 1/2 time daycare or something to allow her some fun time without having to go to everything with him.

Glendi2.0

I did a few things when this was an issue for me (DD#1 is in Kindy now, so it's not a problem anymore):

1) schedule therapies for when DD#1 was in preschool (mornings)

2) For DD#2's out-of-the-house therapy, I scheduled them back-to-back (speech & OT) so that I'd have a chunk of time- DD#1 and I would go somewhere, get ice cream, whatever. Even running an errand at Costco could become fun if it was just the two of us.

4) One of DD#2's speech therapists worked DD#1 into her sessions (it was a group session), using DD#1 as a model child. That worked well for a while, but didn't last too long.

5) When all else failed, I'd have a bag of "special" toys (books, puzzles, her Leapster Explorer, etc.) that DD#1 got to go through while waiting for her sister. Once she started reading, it also got a million times easier... she'd just pick a book to bring with her. It's hard, but we somehow muddled through.

 

wellfleet04

My 4.5 yo DD has been in OT and/or PT for pretty much her entire life, and for the whole of my 2.5 year old DS's life.  He's used to waiting.  We bring books and snacks, if we have time he and I will scoot out and go to Starbucks or something fun, we take walks and explore around the therapy locations, etc.  Really, he just has to deal.  Sometimes that means he watches an episode of SuperWhy! on my iPhone.  It's always been his reality, so he just rolls with it.  Right now he sits through 2 PT sessions and one OT session a week.   

macchiatto

Good question! One of my twins is finally starting EI (PT, OT, ST--feeding therapy--and family training with the EI coordinator once a week). I think for the PT/OT (which is about 1/2 hr away) DH is going to try to schedule around it so he can take care of our other son while A and I are at PT/OT. The others are at our home so I'm hoping it will work to have W there, that he won't be too distracting. He's very high energy and tends to dominate. DH has been able to come home to keep him occupied for the first few meetings but he won't be able to do that every week.