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Page 6 of 8 My son Caleb has a neurological condition called Sensory Processing Disorder. We have put him in a program that tries to reprogram his brain so that it will better coordinate sensory information.
I thought it was time you heard from Caleb himself, so I turned on a microphone and interviewed him. Today's entry is the recording of that interview, his first-ever podcast.
And by the way he warmed up to it, I somehow think it won't be his last.
Download the interview (mp3) [~14 minutes, 8MB]
Caleb and I talk about a lot of things in the recording, focusing on his thoughts about why we're doing the Sensory Learning Program and what he thinks will come of it.
(He even starts talking to you - the audience - and refers to me in the third person at times. He's quite the ham.)
One of the interesting developments since Caleb began the treatment has been a sudden advance in some motor-control areas.
For example: He got a bounce-toy for Christmas that looks like a miniature planet Saturn. You stand on the "rings" and grip it between your feet, then hop around as though it were a pogo stick... without a stick.
 As soon as I saw the toy, I was pretty sure Caleb couldn't do it. Sure enough, it was just too much to coordinate -- there are a lot of visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive aspect to bring together. That was true even just a few weeks ago.
About half-way through the treatment my parents pulled out the bounce toy for Caleb to play with, and within a few minutes he was hopping madly around an empty parking lot, thrilled at his new mastery. You can hear all about it in the interview, but the picture to the right tells the real story.
Encouraged by this, I took Caleb to the mountains this past weekend and fulfilled a long-standing promise to teach him how to ski. The promise came before I knew he had SPD, and I hate to admit I've been putting it off, fearing the potential mayhem that could ensue. A fearless kid on skiis who doesn't feel gravity the same way you and I do... kind of scary. But I got some free tickets, and I had a promise to keep.
The ski lession comes up in the interview as well, and I have to say he did really well considering how extra-difficult it must be for him. This video clip is of his last ski run of the day, taken by a very proud daddy.
Parenting a child with SPD is a world filled with tiny defeats and too-few victories. A good day skiing is a pretty big victory in my book. I don't know if Caleb will ever be completely healed from his sensory issues, but I have to admit I'm excited at what I've seen so far.
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