Client is a 9 year old girl.  Her parents sought help due to her not talking or interacting with people other than her mom, dad, and maternal grandma and grandpa.  Client’s parents noticed that she was developing abnormally and had extreme difficulty in day care at 6 months old.  At this time, he grandfather started to provide primary care during the day.  Client hit physical milestone with only minor delays, and had verbal delays as well.  What concerned the parents is that she would not talk to others, look at, or interact with others.  She would hide behind her mom and become easily overstimulated and overwhelmed in new and loud places.  For a period of time, they could not take her out to eat or to stores without her having “meltdowns.”  When it came time to register her for school, they decided to do an online home school program.  During this time she would not interact or talk to the teacher on live video feed, or on the phone.  The teacher was having difficulty assessing her overall progress as she would not read aloud, or answer questions.

 

During therapy, she was learned about emotions, and feelings.  As we have been able to play games and create a safe environment for her, she had been able to tell me about anxiety and fears she has, from a constant fear of being kidnapped or taken from her parents, to how she feels all boys are out to murder her.  Client can now verbalize triggers to emotions and has a number of tools she can use when emotions become high or overwhelming.  Currently, she is still enrolled in a home based school program, but will interact with her teachers verbally.  She also attends a specialized learning center and has been able to interact with new people.  At the park she is more likely to interact with other children, and has a plan if she does not feel safe.  Due to being able to more effectively manage her emotions and sensitivities, she is able to go out to stores, restaurants and has even been successful and navigating this at Disneyland.