dental torture

Today was not so good. Except that Nick had a dental appointment today, and it went better than any of those ever have before. Admittedly, I had exceedingly low expectations, because the dentist seems to set off all of the boy's sensory-overload issues. So by "it went well" I mean that there was no hysterical screaming, and I didn't have to physically force him to lie on the chair and open his mouth. After six years, I've finally figured out how to prepare Nick for stressful situations (mostly). I told him where we were going a few hours beforehand, not to far ahead and not last minute; I tried to talk about his fears and ways to alleviate them, and didn't take it personally when he seemed to blow me off; I reminded him that his feelings are okay, whatever they are, but we have expectations for behavior; I reviewed what I would consider appropriate behavior in this situation; and finally, I promised him a reward if his behavior was acceptable. And it was; he refused the x-ray (as usual) but reluctantly allowed toothbrushing, flouride rinse and examination to proceed.

Actually, writing all that makes me feel a little better about Nick's academic problems, believe it or not. Nick's sensory integration issues used to cause massive, unpredictable chaos in our lives. But we gradually figured out how to help him cope, and he coped better all by himself as he got older, and now it's only a few times a year that we go through these elaborate rituals and/or meltdowns. I have to think that we can help him learn to read in much the same way - figure out what works with his quirks, and guide him through, slower than the average kid but getting there in the end.