my gut vs. the professionals

When I had Caleb evaluated at the school district for speech therapy services last summer, they also found that he had some sensory and fine motor skills issues that qualified him for occupational therapy as well. Seeing how much OT has helped Garrett, and noticing a few similarities between the two boys, we went ahead and accepted the additional services because at the time it felt right. And even though it's a pain to get him to his twice weekly OT sessions and make it home in time for his speech therapy, he's enjoyed himself and it's clear to me that he's benefited.

However, as I've watched him progress over the last several months, I've debated about whether or not I'd like him to continue receiving OT during his kindergarten year. He's come a long way; his fine motor skills have improved enough, in my view, to help him stay caught up at school, and we've learned how to manage his sensory issues. While he may not be "cured" (if such a thing is even possible), I think he's reached, or will reach, the point that it won't be helpful to pull him out unnecessarily from his kindergarten class. His speech therapy services, on the other hand, I fully plan to continue with. His speech is still very unclear, and correcting that is something I am not trained to do.

Recently Caleb's OT therapist noticed some additional quirks (walking on his toes rather than his heels, not alternating his feet on stairs, and an overall sense of imbalance) that would potentially require physical therapy and, with my permission, had a colleague do a basic screening. Her findings suggested that, in addition to a possible vision problem, he did indeed need PT.

The emphasis on need, however, was hers, not mine. My initial thought was, "How many therapists does one normal, if a little quirky, child need?!" followed closely by, "Is this a New York thing?" I'm totally fine with getting his vision checked out (after all, he is genetically doomed in that department), and that, in all honesty, might solve some of his balance issues. But therapy? Really? He's an adaptable boy who seems to be living a full and very happy life without it, but would I be inhibiting his potential by dismissing her advice?

So I followed up, and asked more questions, making sure to acknowledge her position as a professional. How necessary is therapy, truly? Isn't walking on his heels and alternating his feet on stairs something we can easily teach him at home? I also raised my concern that, given Caleb's personality, I thought that his being constantly pulled out of his classroom for services would be more detrimental than helpful. (And, knowing full well my own limits, I don't have the time or energy to pursue services outside of school hours.) She told me that, sure, there were things we could "fix" at home, but it was the underlying issues she was mainly concerned about. Issues, my gut feels the need to chime in, that were never a "problem" before now.

Ultimately the ball is my court. They say that they have enough evidence to easily qualify him for these additional services; I just need to call the special education coordinator at the district to get things moving. On the one hand, I don't want to dismiss this if there really is a need (and there may indeed be a real need if he'd so easily qualify) -- but on the other hand, her opinion, though professional, is also slightly biased; whoever provides the services gets paid to do so. Even the "free" services offered through the schools are given funding from the state to provide them, and, I'm told, every head counts.

It's all making my own head spin. It's hard to make big decisions so far in advance without being able to fully understand the long-term implications.

My gut, which I usually trust, since it's also usually backed by prayer, tells me to refuse the services, and ultimately that's probably what we'll choose to do. After all, downsizing services for our "normal" (all things considered) -- and thriving! -- child so he can continue to move forward in a more mainstream environment seems like a good way to go, especially for a personality like Caleb.

But still I hesitate. Is it the right choice?