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Anyone try Wilbarger Protocol (brushing program) for SPD?

post #1 of 15
Thread Starter 
Hi Mamas,

I have a 3 year old with Sensory Processing Disorder. Her OT recommended that we try the Wilbarger Protocol which involves "brushing" (more like massaging) and doing joint compressions every 2 hours for 2 weeks.

It's a big commitment so I'm just curious if anyone has tried this? I'd love to hear about your experiences.
post #2 of 15
We tried it very briefly, but our OT decided that it wasn't really for us after a few days - my little guy got a bit wound up, and she (and DH and I) wants to try some other self-regulation techniques first.

But, anectdotally, I've heard that people have really good luck with it. Our OT said that many of her kids come to really look forward to it :-)
post #3 of 15
Our OT recommended it for our son-he doesn't have SPD but she thought it was relax him a bit and help with certain issues he has. We haven't really gotten into it yet though as I don't know how I would fit it in every 2 hrs along with everything else we are doing.
post #4 of 15
Thread Starter 
I actually started it this morning. There's no way we'll be able to do it every 2 hours on school days, but my OT said we could just try to follow the protocol as closely as possible. She thought we might need to do it for longer than 2 weeks though if we don't do it every 2 hours.

My daughter loves it! She actually asks for more when I'm done. This is shocking to me because she hates having her hair touched, her diaper changed, her face washed...Usually she screams and protests every time we try to "do" something to her. But this must feel really good. I figure that's a good sign. I would give anything to not have her scream every time we wash her hair. And if she would tolerate a professional haircut, that would make my year!

I'll check back in and post once we're further into it in case anyone is interested.
post #5 of 15
I'm a teacher work mainly with kids with autism and many of them get a sensory diet from our OTs. Brushing can easily be part of the school day. (But not sure what kind of preschool your daughter is in, are they used to special needs?) Does she get any OT at school? Is there an adult you could train to do it (i.e. not the main teacher who probably couldn't step away)? It's pretty easy.

ETA: as far as success, it's one of those things that you just don't know until you try it. When you find the right sensory input for the right kids, it WORKS, and then dozens of attempts can just fall flat. Certainly harmless (and often enjoyable) to try.
post #6 of 15
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Altair View Post
I'm a teacher work mainly with kids with autism and many of them get a sensory diet from our OTs. Brushing can easily be part of the school day. (But not sure what kind of preschool your daughter is in, are they used to special needs?) Does she get any OT at school? Is there an adult you could train to do it (i.e. not the main teacher who probably couldn't step away)? It's pretty easy.

ETA: as far as success, it's one of those things that you just don't know until you try it. When you find the right sensory input for the right kids, it WORKS, and then dozens of attempts can just fall flat. Certainly harmless (and often enjoyable) to try.
My daughter goes to a regular university-run preschool 3 days a week. She is the only special needs child in the class. I thought about asking the teachers to do it but with 12 kids, they have their hands full. Since it's only 3 days a week and only for about 7-8 hours, I figured she'd only be missing about 2 brushings, 3 days a week. Maybe it's just my own mommy guilt because I feel like I'm constantly asking the teachers to do things my OT suggested. I suspect they'd be willing to do it. We don't have any OT services at school. We were going to OT once a week but now it's down to twice a month since my DD has made so much progress. I'd say her sensory issues are more on the mild side, with a few exceptions.
post #7 of 15
Ahh. I know some parents have luck with asking an aide or student teacher, someone who's interested in learning more about sensory needs but who doesn't have full on classroom management to contend with. IME sensory diets and brushing protocols work best when consistent, but it's probably not a huge deal. Just wanted to throw out there that asking for an adult at school to do do it is an ok thing to do, if you so wish!
post #8 of 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by gradstudentmommy View Post
Since it's only 3 days a week and only for about 7-8 hours, I figured she'd only be missing about 2 brushings, 3 days a week. .
if those are 7-8 hour full day sessions, that is probably when she would need the wilbarger sessions the most. in my experience, my ds really really needs OT to stay 'organized' in social/group situations.

if you're talking about 7-8 hours spread out over 3 days, then it would be entirely possible to do her wilbarger as you're dropping her off

honestly, if you show her caregivers how to do the wilbarger protocol, you're giving them a really useful tool to help your daughter stay organized, and they would probably really appreciate it. it's a lot easier to care for an 'organized' kid than one who's 'disorganized' if kwim.
post #9 of 15
I'm an Early Childhood Specialist and don't think it would be too much to ask the staff at her preschool. Especially since it's run by a University. And it would really help your DD be successful at school.
post #10 of 15
My son really needs it at school. They did it regularly at his preschool but elementary school hasn't been following the IEP. It's so frustrating.

I keep telling them that my son NEEDS the brushing in order to stay calm (and it's in the IEP) yet the OT hasn't done it at all.
post #11 of 15
We did the Willbarger Protocol for 6 weeks. My son was refusing to wear any jean type materials and wanting to wear clothes that were incredibly too small (0-3 months when he was 4.5 years). It helped his clothing issues. He started wearing appropriate clothing again. It did not help the rest of his sensory issues. It has been about 4 months since we quit and I'm starting to see clothing issues creep back in.
post #12 of 15
i'm sooo not trying to be the difficult one here, but fwiw, our OT said she heard a talk by the wilberger daughter some years back, and she (wilberger) doesn't even recommend it anymore. not that it's harmful in *any* way, and if it works even a smidge for your kid, i say DO IT. her point (OT), i think, was that it's not really a reliable go-to for most kids. the fact that it's so clinical, she says, just doesn't make sense. it doesn't matter if you do it x number of strokes, in x kind of a way. she said it's really more about the right kind of input for each kid. for some, that means scratching the skin with light pressure (with brush or your own fingernails). for others, that means deep pressure on certain parts. our best success has been trying to get my daughter to touch her in all different ways, then really watching to see what seems to help. also, asking her what feels good has been successful lately. for her, she will ask for "strokes" - me starting at the top of her head with both hands, then pushing down her head/face/neck/chest/belly/legs with pressure. also, taking each finger and toe individually, kind of pulling and shaking it, then strokes down the hand or foot. she also really likes "chops"- i put my hands vertical, and let them kind of fall down on her body in a symmetrical chopping motion. i do it on her back, legs, arms, etc.
good luck finding what works best!! for us, it certainly changes, so try to be flexible, too .
post #13 of 15
It has definitely helped my 5 year old son with his aversion to certain types of clothes (for example ALwAYS having to keep his sleeves rolled up, no matter what - this now seems to be taken care of)

It MAY have had other positive impacts in other areas, but nothing dramatic.

Overall, it has been a positive experience for us, and I was quite skeptical that anything would come of it (I'm an incurable skeptic and believe results when I see them)

The time investment is a bit much at first, but after 2 weeks, just one in the morning, one in the afternoon for us
post #14 of 15
We did it for several months with our ds and it helped tremendously. He's never gone back to his super sensitivity.
post #15 of 15
We've used it, but we haven't seen any big results from it. I have to admit we are not consistent as we should be. When we do the protocol (and we were shown how to do it by an OT), my DD doesn't seem to get much out of it compared to other sensory input activities like being wrapped in a tight gauzy cloth or sitting on a wedge that has tactile bumps or jumping on a trampoline. I agree with the the previous poster who said it's about the right input for that particular child. My child does better with other OT activities than the brushing protocol.
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