Bubble Bath

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree

Everything Tastes Better Outside

 

Sure Steps FUBAR

We went to pick up Anthony's Sure Steps yesterday.  He was measured for them 2 weeks ago.  When we got to the orthotist's (very creepy, windowless) office, he told us that the Sure Steps were too small-- the person who did the measuring apparently did it wrong.  According to the orthotist, "We do our best, but we're not perfect."  So he had to measure Anthony's feet and ankles again.  They have very high-tech equipment for this (a tape measure).  Anthony cried the whole time this was going on, while the orthotist assured us he has been working with children for 8 years and "I'm not doing anything to hurt him."  His method of establishing rapport with kids seemed to consist entirely of saying "What's wrong Buddy?" over and over with no inflection in his voice, while not making eye contact.  His response to any questions or concerns we had was to say in a very soft voice, "What would you like me to do?"  It was obvious that he had learned this technique in a workshop on How to Deal with Difficult Clients.

This whole experience was so frustrating.  We feel like we've lost what little confidence we had that the people recommending these orthotics know what they're doing.  They are recommended when kids pronate their ankles, but the guy yesterday said Anthony didn't pronate.  His physical therapist says he does pronate, even though in April she said his pronation wasn't too bad.  It all seems so subjective. 

Anthony's going to walk eventually.  It's not surprising that he's not walking yet- he has low muscle tone.  All of his gross motor skills have taken longer than usual (sitting, crawling, kneeling, etc) but eventually he gets there.  The whole idea of all this therapy, Early Intervention, and now these orthotics is unsettling to me.  Aren't we medicalizing something that's completely normal (for him) but just different?

Paul and I were joking the other day that if we lived in a world where everyone had Down syndrome, we'd be considered very stiff and inflexible:  "You can't put your legs behind your head without bending your knees?!  What's wrong with you?"  Maybe we'd have to go to physical therapy to work on being able to do a full split while bending forward from the waist.  Anthony can do that, no problem- can you?

I think this video makes the point better than I could:

Table Manners

So Many Women, So Little Time

Here's Anthony with his harem therapists.

Betsy is his physical therapist and Sara is his speech therapist. Both are with the Multnomah County Early Intervention Program.

They visit him at home and at daycare.

And here he is with Juli, his Speech Therapist at the Artz Center.

I want to start writing down what we do in therapy so I remember what we're supposed to be working on. 

Physical therapy: Anthony is spending more and more time on his feet.  He'll walk a little bit holding onto our hands or pushing a wagon or chair.  That's good progress!  Today, Betsy worked with Anthony on cruising- walking along while holding onto furniture.  He's reluctant to move from one piece of furniture to another (e.g., from the coffee table to the couch) because he doesn't want to let go, so we'll practice that until he feels more confident.  We're also supposed to have him practice moving all around the coffee table- he has trouble with the corners.  He's getting Sure Steps orthotics this week- we're hoping they will help him feel more stable and get him walking with less support.

Speech Therapy: Juli continues to work on encouraging Anthony to make more sounds, and to pair gestures with sounds.  She gave examples of how to do this when we're playing-- by creating opportunities for him to have to ask for help with working a toy, and waiting for him to ask before jumping in, and so on.  She's also going to create a picture board to help Anthony communicate.  We're supposed to take pictures of things around the house, like his favorite foods, Mommy and Daddy, the bathtub, the backyard, etc.  Then Julie will laminate them and we'll work on having Anthony use the board to tell us what he wants until he can say the words.  I think that's a great idea and look forward to trying it out. 

Of course the best therapy is playtime and fun, so we work on that the most!

A Nice Place for a Nap

Pooped at Elise's party.