Just wanted to write a quick post on the great report we got today from Britton's physical therapist (PT) and occupational therapist (OT). It has been over six weeks since we've had therapy with one of them and they couldn't believe all he is doing. He was barely crawling at the beginning of December when we last saw his PT, and she was bowled over that he is now crawling like a pro, pulling to a stand, getting into kneeling position, cruising and turning corners, controlled sitting from a stand, and transitioning from cruising the couch to cruising the coffee table. I mean, her mouth literally dropped open when she saw him doing all this. She said she thought she was coming for a PT session, but it turned out to be a "showoff session." That sure made this mama happy. She also said if she were to give him a standardized test of gross motor skills, he would score in the 11-month range, which is his current adjusted age. So, that means he is closing the gap between any motor skill delay and his birth age. Huge! She also said she has no concerns about him being able to do anything gross motor-wise down the road (i.e. walking).
OT-wise: It has actually been three months since we last saw our OT. We don't see her regularly anymore because his fine motor skills have been on par for awhile. She was very impressed today that he could put shapes in his shape sorter, give & take, imitate what she was doing, and isolate & use his pointer finger, among other things. She told us that he was perfectly on par with his birth age and even doing some 13-14 month skills.
They each gave us some things to focus on, and talked about what is next. We will see the PT again next month, and then might go to seeing her every other month. We'll see the OT again in April. We are also setting up an appointment with a speech therapist to get a baseline of his verbal/cognitive skills.
I'm not sure if I've ever explained about his therapists, but these ladies are Early Intervention (EI) therapists -- meaning they work with children primarily ages birth through 3 who have diagnoses like cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, birth histories like Britton's, or just significant developmental delays for whatever reason. We were referred to EI when we left the hospital last February. While they were here today, they said it is very rare for them to see a baby with Britton's birth history develop normally. And then they used the "m" word (miracle), which means a whole lot to us when a health care professional says it. That kind of talk, though amazingly wonderful to hear, led us to discussing how much longer Britton needs to be in Early Intervention. We
love EI, and don't want these experts to stop seeing Britton. The PT said she would like to keep monitoring his progress because of his traumatic birth, and that was music to our ears. We'll see, though, after his upcoming one-year evaluation whether he still qualifies to be in the program. I am hoping we can continue in the program until he is at least two, as that will give us a good read on his verbal, cognitive & gross motor skills. Hearing the words "Early Intervention" for the first time can strike fear in the heart of a new parent. But we quickly got over that and think it is the most fabulous thing around to have experts around who know what to do to get your child on track. On top of that, the program is free and they come to your house! The most helpful part for me has been that they tell me what I need to be doing to help Britton meet his next milestone, like giving me specific activities to do with him to strengthen muscles and teach him new movements. Their advice is far more in-depth than any baby book I have found, and I would never know how to do all these things without them telling me. They are a big reason why Britton is doing so well today -- a very important piece in the puzzle of Britton's miraculous healing.
Just wanted to share Britton's excellent report, and about the God-send of Early Intervention. We are overjoyed!
