Will is faring ok. As long as he knows what is happening, and when, he does ok. He is in control. He misses museums and libraries most. We are doing what we can to meet those needs. Those are actually pretty easy with the number of online museum offerings now, and apps for reading. Friends who are trading books helps too. Also, I discovered thriftbooks.com...so we will soon be bankrupt!
Mack, though.He is struggling majorly. He is my SPD kid with lots of need to move. These chillier, wet days we have been having in MI coupled with the lack of farm chores have him pulling door frames off my walls... well trying to. I am thankful for the few days we have had decent temperatures and SUN! We have been able to be out hiking, climbing trees, riding bikes, and running around. However, with restrictions tightening, me working, and more people on the trails, we are finding it difficult to meet Mack's needs. Our stimulus check blessed us with a geodome climber which should arrive next week. That will help with the climbing need at home, and with the hanging needs. We also invested in some other outdoor games like cornhole and ladder ball. Everyone has bikes and scooters. Often they ride on our sidewalk, but we are blessed with a large parking lot a block away, so we go there too. Our yard is not terribly large, so we have to use the space wisely. Swingsets and jungle gyms are not possible. We have one tree that is sort of ok for climbing, but it isn't the most sturdy option. The geodome will be better. Mack needs lots of opportunity to run, climb, swing, pull, and hang. During inclement weather times, we have used indoor obstacle courses to meet some of these needs too. The farm work of lifting feed, hay, and manure were generally enough, though. Now that we lack that option to keep our farm family safe, Mack needs us to be creative in how we address his needs. Yarn tapes to our 12 foot hallway floor in different patterns has helped some. Assignments to build crazy structures with citi blocks or magnatiles helps too. Mack is still struggling, though. Many days, he vibrates with the need to expel energy.
Our space and financial restrictions make meeting his needs more challenging. If you have space, incorporating some of these items into your home may help your SPD child in the absence of OT, and outdoor excursions they're accustomed to.
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