Valet Service for Brain Waves

Music therapy.

 

It's amazing.  

 

I'm still in complete awe that we've come so far with brain development and technology.  

How can listening to music possibly help with potty training?!

I don't know but it does!!

 

Our Occupational Therapist explained that it's a technique called gating.  

They take the high-highs and the low-lows of a 20,000 hertz sound wave and use those to send signals to the brain. 

 

Right now, Maddie's brain is like a traffic jam and signals are not getting through.  

These high intensity sound waves are breaking up the traffic jam and re-routing traffic to their designated parking spots. 

It's our valet service for brain waves!  

 

Maddie initiated going to the potty and went all by herself this morning.  

This has never happened.  

She's pottied in the potty before, but she has never realized she's needed to go, gone to the potty, and used it before today. 

 

Not every day is a success story though.

I think any time you encounter "therapy" there will be push and pull.

Her body has already adapted to the status quo and has been coping for 5 years.  

Now, we are messing with the status quo and sometimes we have to give in to the resistance of changing that status quo.

 

Our goal is 30 minutes of music therapy daily.

Some days we do 40 minutes, some days we are lucky to get 10 minutes.  

On the rough days, Maddie will rip her head phones off.

It's imperative that she doesn't dictate when the therapy session is over.  

I have to force them back on her, hold her arms down and struggle through the next couple of minutes so I can be the one to declare the music session is over. 

Forcing your child to endure something you know is uncomfortable (and at your hands) is the worst feeling in the world.

I hate every second of the bad days, and so does Maddie.

 

But the good days are really good.

It's a nice, uninterrupted play time for at least 30 minutes.  

It's a chance to turn off all electronic devices and get back to the basics of just playing.   

Phones are put away, T.V. is turned off, Ipad is out of sight and we get to reconnect.

 

So much to be grateful for!!