Parent Teacher Meeting & OT eval

I went to meet with Alison's teacher today. She had awesome things to say about Alison. She said that she is reading on a second grade level and in math, she is where they expect the kids to be at the end of first grade. She said Alison is very "proper and polite" and that she is a model of appropriate behavior for the class. Are we talking about my Alison? Ok, I shouldn't say that. I know she is an awesome kid. Smart and super caring. But she is stubborn and strong willed at home this year. She has spent a lot of time in the corner lately for back talking and not listening. I was getting worried that she might be the same way in school. Her teacher assured me that Alison does great every day and that the only thing she needs to work on is being more assertive with other kids. I don't think Alison will ever be assertive with her peers. It just isn't in her. She is a follower and very quiet in groups.

So I was quite happy that she is doing so great this year! Hopefully it will continue all year.

I got a copy of Heather's occupational therapy evaluation in the mail a few days a go. It was very thorough and very honest. It did make me sad to read that they feel Heather is doing so poorly in so many areas. But I keep telling myself that I know her better than anyone and that she is doing AMAZING. She has come so far, even just in the last month. I know she will keep getting better.
As for the eval.. This is a very small portion of what the eval copy says(word for word).
Heather is a funny and caring child. She was observed to be experiencing severe difficulty modulating sensory input. She required adult support to engage in purposeful activity and quickly moved away from activities that were perceived as challenging. She often sought out her mom for comfort if encouraged to continue with a challenging activity. She was cautious with textures and was observed seeking deep touch.

Heather appeared to be very distracted by visual stimuli throughout the evaluation. She covered her ears at unexpected noises and music. During the eval., Heather exhibited difficulty with sensory discrimination, particularly vestibular and proprioception.

She was very cautious with movement and became upset if moved unexpectedly. She did not tolerate any swinging or rotary input. Heather will often take movements or risks that compromise her safety, which suggests she is having difficulty discriminating vestibular information. Heather remained close to her mother and when challenged with new activities, Heather would ask to leave. (I had to laugh at that.)
These behaviors will affect Heather's ability to motor plan and problem solve. She is lacking appropriate skill development. She presents with poor postural control and poor stability.

based on these results, we recommend that Heather receive sensory integration therapy in 3 weekly 60 minute sessions to address difficulties as they relate to self-regulation and functional skill development.

On the other sheet, they scored her in many things on a scale of 1-4. 1 Being the worst and 4 the best. She got 1s in most, a few 2s and only 1- 3(in speech!) I was sad to see this. I know Heather will always be a challenging child(and I don't mean that in a bad way.) But I also know she is loving and will keep getting better. It will just take time and work on my part.