Case Study Follow-Up: Supporting Regulation Through Transitions

Part 2: S.- 6 ½ year old boy, no other diagnosis

Two Years Later: A New Season Brings New Challenges

Nearly one year after S. finished therapy, I got a call from his mom. He’d had a wonderful school year, his academics were really excelling, but his behavior as the transition to summer began was deteriorating, with more meltdowns and outbursts. She was calling to get ahead of the behaviors, they didn’t want it to get as bad as it had been before.

A Proactive Plan to Support Regulation

Within the day we had a phone consultation. After talking we decided on a plan of reintroducing some integration techniques and tools, using a new listening program, The Rest and Restore Protocol, to help with sleep again, and a book that would help dad understand the body brain connection better. If these didn’t work, we would book a few sessions and do a “tune-up”. A couple of weeks later she reported things were improving. A month later she reported that he was still having impulsive moments but nothing that felt out of control – and dad had been reading the recommended book and their relationship was improving.

Understanding Developmental “Growing Pains”

I call what happened a growing pain – sometimes when a child is suddenly making huge growth in physical, motor, cognitive or emotional areas, past difficulties re-surface as the nervous system works it out. It’s a progress-recession cycle. I’m so happy that when they were having growing pains they called. He didn’t need another round of therapy, they just needed to remember and use their tools.

Empowering Families Beyond the Therapy Room

Helping parents find and use resources is a large part of the work I do. Each client doesn’t exist in a vacuum separate from their family structure, and each family structure brings their own history and understanding of child development. Guiding parents as they learn to react and behave in different ways to meet their child’s unique neurologic needs, fills my heart with gratitude that I can be a part of their lives in such an influential way.