Consultation Form for Children

[rasiquins]

Hi everyone

I may be treating a child with Asperger's syndrome, and I am just wondering what to do about the consultation aspect of the treatment. Usually I would conduct quite an in depth, consultation - medical history, diet lifestyle etc etc....but with a child (10yrs) I presume I would speak with the parent? But how do I do this without leaving the child bored and restless??

Just wondering how others would deal with this sort of situation.

Thanks in advance, Katy.

 

[Simply-Yours]

Ask the parent to answer the questions over the phone - this then eliminates any delays for the session with the child. Also, what treatment time are you going to allow? When I treat children, I tend to start with really short sessions - 15 minutes max, building the time as you get to know him/her.

 

[rpeuuuxbiyyizfefz]

I think the parent should be present with the child during the treatment possibly the child could be relaxing in the chair whilst you go over the questionnaire and get the medical history. The child could have his feet soaking in a warm bowl of water to help him relax prior to the treatment.

Love Binah
x

 

[jceejujvitpinzerd]

Sorry - should have said the parent must be present during treatment (!). However, if this is the first time you are meeting him/her, and she/he has Aspergers, I would still try and keep 'chat' down to a minimum. My cousin has Aspergers and she doesn't sit around much, and needs to be occupied constantly - she also hates being ignored!

 

[gbcuwsmw]

With my Asperger's syndrome clients (and other autism spectrum disorders), I allow for some "play" time before the session starts. In my office I have coloring books, stickers, crayons, toys and such. When I have a first time pediatric client we sit on the floor and color or draw while the parent fills me in and we include the child in the conversation when possible. I give 30 minute sessions but sometimes only have 15-20 minutes of reflex work while the rest is demonstrating points for the parent to do homework.

When I was at the ICR conference in Amsterdam a few years ago one of the presenters talked about his clinic for children with learning disabilities. In his video presentation he showed Reflexologists tracing out the alphabet, numbers and shapes on the feet to retain the child's attention. I took this information and include the child when working so that it isn't boring for them.

Good luck and let us know how it goes for you!