Highlights
Heather is experienced in treating children with special needs, including those with autism, and describes the program they’ve developed that creates an environment where a child with special needs can tolerate care.
- The Patient-Guided Sensory Integration Program provides a framework for treatment that can be adjusted according to what a child is most comfortable with.
- The program requires a quiet location with minimal distractions where the child is allowed to settle.
- Conversations with a parent allows the hygienist to find out what’s worked or not worked for their child, and determine what approach to use.
- Since the child is usually nonverbal, it’s important to have a parent present as a silent observer.
- Establishing comfort boundaries is crucial.
“I use a lot of counting to 5 and singing. Whenever my hands are on a child, they come off by the time I get to 5. So it sets up a trust, it sets up a start, it sets up a finish. Anybody can tolerate anything for 5 seconds, even if I do it 50 times for 5 seconds they know I’ll be stopping.”
- Staff at the clinic have integrated techniques acquired from many training courses, including deep pressure, orofacial massage, errorless learning, music therapy and counting.
“It’s like we have a big tool belt and we’re going to decide which tool we’re going to use that day.”
- Heather provided 3 videos that illustrate her approach to care: (1) Treating a little boy using counting to 5, singing, orofacial message, and continual positive reinforcement, (2) Treating a 12-year-old girl with Down syndrome and autism, as evidence of the difference this program can make in terms of patient’s willingness to accept treatment, and (3) A video of a young man who sings and counts as part of his treatment.