Thursday, September 25, 2014

blessings of a great friend and wonderful therapist


Shelly and I first met at church about five years ago. We just happened to sit next to each other and she asked me about Maxwell. She commented that she was an occupational therapist and works with a lot of children. At the time, Max was on a long wait list at a local clinic and I was VERY eager to get him going with the hippotherapy and OT for his vestibular system and strength. Well, God apparently agreed and wanted Max to have a "connection" too. Because sure enough, this wonderful new friend and therapist got us seen very quickly. So I have always had a special fondness for Shelly. (Plus, she's incredibly caring and passionate about helping children!)

After a while in OT, some other issues took precedence in Max's life (he loves keeping me on my toes!) and we backed off of OT/PT for awhile. Recently I got in touch again with Shelly as we worked to find the appropriate adaptive stroller for Mr. Max. Their connection was instant again...and it was perfect timing...AGAIN.
 
Max has been struggling with some behavior management issues, and I knew at the very least we needed to add more sensory integration into his daily life. Having the combination of hearing and vision loss...and a dysfunctional vestibular system...can make it quite difficult for an individual to feel in control of their body and environment. (For more information on sensory processing issues for individuals with CHARGE, click here. It's quite fascinating.)
 
So Shelly got us in right away and today was our first session. It was perfect...90 minutes of play, movement, communication and LOTS of sensory input.
 
There were many wonderful moments (including him smiling as soon as he realized where we were going!) but here are two highlights:
 
1) He was sooo loving what he was doing today and kept checking to see if I was enjoying watching him too. He especially LOVES when he knows I am taking pictures of him...too funny!
 
2) After a good hour of movement, he settled into one of the swings and just relaxed. You could see that he was feeling "reset" and his body was feeling pretty darn good. It was awesome.
 
The moment we walked in, he enthusiastically walked right up to Shelly and was ready to jump, jump, jump!
 
"Mom! I am SO happy! And really...could I be ANY cuter???"

Another new favorite photo! "Momma, do you see me? See what I'm doing?"
 

"Shelly, I'm coming back again, right? Loving this!"
"Yep, that's right Mom. I'm on a tight rope!!!"
Shelly has create quite the perfect space for movement and play...amazing!
Max kept signing "fast, fast, fast."
Max spotted this toy immediately in her play closet. It was his VERY favorite toy as a toddler...and apparently the lights are still that enticing!

 
Thanks again Shelly for a great afternoon. We are very excited to have you on our team again. Thanks for your dedication, knowledge and passion!

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