Amy and Trevor reached out for parent coaching to help them create smoother routines at home and school for their 4 year old, Lucas. Amy and Trevor were both very involved parents, and had already started to put things into place, but they were seeking just a bit more guidance on understanding his sensory triggers and supporting his regulation.
Here’s the information they gave me on the intake form:
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Melts down due to things like: a shirt getting wet, a splash to the face, and wet hair, even though he loves swim lessons and bath time
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Hates changing out of PJs, sometimes just goes to school in them
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Struggles with transitions, but two areas they seem the worst are Monday mornings and school pickup or arriving back home
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Food list is narrow: mostly starches, dairy, pouches, and a few crunchy snacks
Amy said everything gets harder when he's sick or hungry (the latter of which happened often since he had a limited diet that didn’t always keep him full). They were already working with a nutritionist feeding therapist to help him expand his meals, and have already seen a decrease in biting when they changed his school environment, but meltdowns during transitions and hygiene were still hard. They both also seemed to have a neuroaffirming mindset strongly in place– they were more than willing to accommodate any part of his day to make it easier on his nervous system, but felt like they didn’t have a good game plan going forward.
In order of priority, Amy and Trevor listed the following to cover in our work together:
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Understanding Lucas’s dysregulated behavior and how to regulate him
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Any extra tips on increasing his feeding repertoire
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How to better manage transitions
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When to think about de-sensitization vs accommodations when it comes to his water sensitivities and clothing
My initial thoughts
What first caught my eye is the detail that Lucas melts down over an unexpected splash but is completely fine in the bath and at swim lessons. This makes me think tactile sensitivity may not be the only issue; perhaps he feels safer when he’s more in control of the stimulus too.
Then I looked into his challenges around transitions. I loved that his parents had already narrowed it down to a specific pattern: Mondays and after school. This would give us a nice concrete example to talk through and come up with suggestions.
Coming Up:
Next week, we’ll dive into how I helped Amy and Trevor think about Lucas’ sensory needs in a way that made accommodations vs. skill building feel more attainable and structured.
In Part 3, we’ll talk about transitions, particularly the Monday problem, and how to reframe some of the "fun" strategies that might be working against him.
In the final part, we’ll talk about food exploration, using a bridging method that can expand his list without turning meals into a battle.
Disclaimer: These case studies are inspired by real-life clients I have worked with, with permission from their parents to share. Some aspects of the case are authentic, and other details are added to include more variability for our discussions. None of the strategies and advice here substitutes medical advice, diagnosis or intervention with an Occupational Therapist.
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