Early Intervention + Starting Hospital Therapy

Sophia had Physical Therapy once every 2 weeks through the Early Intervention Services in our state, Birth to Three. B23 comes to your house for the therapy, the idea being that the child will be more comfortable in their home environment.

Home therapy consists a lot of going up and down the stairs, using pillows to challenge balance, swinging her side to side in a blanket, and having her sit in her little armchair and standing up in a forward motion. (Jump to the future a bit: now that it's warm out, we are outside- swinging, walking with a tool called a walk-a-long {more on that later} and playing with things like a parachute).

After a couple months of Physical Therapy (and OT) Sophia wasn't making much, if any progress. A friend mentioned that her son enjoyed his therapy at our local children's hospital. I've mentioned before that we were willing to try anything and everything, so we made an appointment for evaluation there.

At the hospital, they have a large gym devoted to Occupational and Physical Therapy. Sophia was evaluated in the open gym part and demonstrated her scoot. She went up and down standard stairs and little bitty stairs. She had to use a bench to pull up to stand, and reach for crayons out of her reach. She was just about to turn 19 months, and she qualified for therapy solely based on her gross motor delay. They write out a "prescription"- she was prescribed 12 hour long sessions (once a week for 12 weeks) and given a diagnosis of low muscle tone. The intake nurse video taped our session because of the "novelty of movement Sophia presented".

Starting PT at the children's hospital was a whole different experience. For one, they have all the equipment anyone who "walks" in there could ever need, and more of a multidimensional approach.  I can only assume our PT watched the video of Sophia and came to the conclusion that she was a little jumpy, a little cautious, a little leery.... so she talked to me for awhile while Sophia explored the room. Then, Sophia sat in a bucket of (uncooked) kidney beans for 45 minutes, I kid you not. That was her therapy for the day. Digging in beans! And she loooooooved it. Now, as you read this you can already tell my bias. I obviously like one therapy hour over the other.

At both, we talk a lot about "mid-line" and how Sophia is asymmetrical. She has to think about crossing her arm or hand over her body. We play to the left a lot, since she always gravitates to the right. Things like that to help her correct her stance. She always tucks in her right leg, and we have to say "straighten your leg" or even move it for her. She is allowed to sit legs straight out or criss-cross-applesauce (aka Indian style). The first two or three hospital sessions Sophia sat in the bucket and practiced pouring beans to the left with her right hand, and vice versa, and we put beans in her toes, and on her head, and all sorts of silly things.

We then moved on to something called the Theratog suit, a kind of weighted suit that makes you think about the muscles you are using (and think about them again, in a different way, when taken off).

We've personally had more success with the Spio suit, which is best described as a wet suit like a scuba diver would wear. It's just clingy (clinically called compression) and makes her feel secure (I guess).

The PT at the children's hospital believes that Sophia has Sensory Processing Disorder. The next post will be all about SPD!