Problems With Transitions and Role Playing

by BJ
(Chicago)

Our 3.5 year old son was diagnosed with slight SPD when he was two. After a year and a half of OT, we have taken him out because there did not seem to be any marked improvement in his behaviors. In fact in many ways, it became worse, particularly with transitions (bathing, dressing, bedtime, leaving the house).

He is exceptionally bright, but in addition to the very difficult time with transitions, he has also exhibited other unusual behavior.

Early on he was fascinated with spinning things like ceiling fans. Even as young as 12 months he would want to have control over the switch that adjusted the speed of the fan.

He has always been very good at memorizing the television programs he likes. But recently he has developed a behavior where he insists that we reenact the shows with him and gets upset when we do not do it correctly. However the bigger problem is that he insist that we draw by hand some of the props and devices used by the characters in the cartoon. No sooner do we have one drawn and he is playing with it when he breaks down crying and insists we do it again. This process consumes hours and always ends up with everyone frustrated and upset.

Is this consistent with SPD?

Finally, we are committed to getting him back in OT. Any recommendations for a good OT for SPD in the Chicago area?