Quiet room

We spend two hours in the waiting room of speech and occupational therapy every Tuesday morning. My eldest son usually slips into the quiet room while he waits for his turn as he doesn't like the ruckus all the younger kids make. For months now I've endured the constant buzz of numerous conversations mixed with the sounds of siblings playing, and I leave speech feeling very taxed. It was getting more and more obvious to me that part of my loathing for our time at speech was the noise we endured in the waiting room during the first hour. While the second hour is not as noisy, by that point we're so overstimulated, that we're still miserable and exhausted.

Yesterday, like an epiphany, I made up my mind that we would all join my eldest son in the quiet room, at least for the first hour. Instead of just sitting or trying to read stories to my younger kids through all the noise, I too would take advantage of the quiet space the center has provided for clients who become overwhelmed.

This tactic seemed to really help. My son was able to complete a vocabulary assignment while he waited (he needs to be prompted, which requires my constant attention, to continue his work or usually nothing will be accomplished). His sisters also exclaimed that they found it easier to complete their assignments as well. Hiding in the quiet room may well be an enduring practice from here on out.