Marie’s mother first called us when she was about 7 years old. Her daughter was a bright, articulate child who attended a private, parochial school in Orange County. She was doing well academically, had lots of friends, was social and was very good-natured. However, getting dressed in the morning could be a nightmare with some mornings worse than others. This morning difficulty was impacting the family’s ability to get their daughters to school on time and the parents were not able to get to work on time either. Marie melted down at least 3 of 5 weekday morning, because her socks did not feel just right and there were times she had to change 5 pairs of socks before she could find a pair that felt just right. On other days, her clothes don’t feel right and she can go through several pairs of shorts or shirts until she found something she could wear. Clothes that felt just fine yesterday were scratchy today. She did not like having her hair brushed or combed. She could not tolerate lotions and certain smells. The family could not go into certain restaurants because of the odors emanating from within that were bothersome to Marie. She was a very picky eater and would eat only certain foods. The texture and taste of various foods was not tolerated by Marie. The parents had sought assistance form a psychologist who tested her extensively to find her in the gifted range intellectually. However, the psychologist knew about sensory integration and immediately recognized Marie needed occupational therapy (OT), not just any OT, but OT from a therapist and in a clinic that specialized in handling sensory processing challenges. Marie was referred to ITS. Following the initial evaluation, it was clear she had sensory processing/sensory integration challenges. Therapy followed, twice weekly for a year. The morning meltdowns disappeared. Gradually Marie started to be more willing to try new foods. By the time she was discharged from therapy, Marie’s problems had all resolved and she was a happy, healthy young lady continuing to excel in her academic program.

There is help . . .