Two kids with special needs in one family means we have a lot of therapists in our lives. Speech. Physio. Behaviour. The list goes on because we have at least two of each therapist, sometimes one for each kid, at school and an external agency.
Except for OTs – Occupational Therapists. We have at least six of those. Some agency, some school, some private. All amazing.
Mr. Sensitive has worked with OTs for sensory integration, visual integration and fine motor development. In our world all of these ‘little’ issues magnify to catastrophic problems. Imagine a child unable to learn in a noisy classroom or read or write. Imagine the emotional problems and behavior that result from chronic failure. Imagine an OT helping. They can and they do.
Little Miss Adorable is on to her third OT. Little Miss Adorable ‘graduated’ from the hospital OT at three weeks of age, a woman who spent hours propping a floppy infant up, stimulating muscles and trying to get her to consume enough formula to sustain life. Little Miss Adorable would not have lived without her.
Little Miss Adorable then spent three years working with an OT to meet her developmental milestones. As an infant with severe hypotonia Little Miss Adorable struggled to sit, creep across the floor and is now, at the age of three, working on standing. We believed better late, than never. Through the OT I learned all sorts of clever ways to prop Little Miss Adorable so she can be successful. This OT advocated for Little Miss Adorable and taught daycare staff how to support her.
Now Little Miss Adorable is involved with an OT for fine motor activities. Little Miss Adorable adores her. But the OTs in our world really shine in our Dance program. Through Dance Ability, a program run by an OT and volunteers, Little MissAdorable has made amazing gains. Add on a therapeutic riding program to further stimulate her muscles, and Little Miss Adorable grown by leaps and bounds (figurative, of course).
Check out this video of Little Miss Adorable dancing and standing!
after her riding and dance lesson things just come together for Little Miss Adorable. Her muscles are activated and she tries to do more physically.
And a big thank you to EVERYONE who helped Little Miss A along the way!
