Katie is in the summer program again for CE, and is doing very well! She goes for 3 hours a day and they work on a lot of different things, but mainly her walking. One thing they are focusing on is teaching her to walk a few steps, then stop. That way she won't be building up her speed and ultimately falling. Here is Bea, the conductor, working with Katie. I can already see Katie's wonderful improvement! Thank you Bea!
Here is a video: Conductive Education
Friday, July 8, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Conductive Education
We have Conductive Education (CE) here in Phoenix for the month of June. This is such a great program for kids with motor disabilities! Katie enjoys it, and I think it will help her so much in reaching many of her goals. Each child has their own aide/caregiver who works one on one with them. The Conductor also works very closely with each child, and instructs each aide in what to do according to each child's needs and capabilities. With Katie, they focus mainly on her walking goal, and with 3 hours a day - Whoa! Is she ever tired by the time we go home!
One recent observation about Katie:
Last week, Katie was sitting and playing with her blocks (at home) which have a round hole through the middle, and a cylindrical block that fits in the hole - and she consistently fit the cylidrical block into the hole. Her hand / eye coordination is obviously improving, which was a big surprise to me. I didn't think this type of progress would happen for quite a while. Whether this is related to CE or not, I don't know. But I do know that all of the different therapies (and there are a lot!) we take Katie to are making a difference in her life. And Conductive Education, although more of a program than a "therapy," makes a HUGE difference in her walking ability, as well as other goals we have set, like feeding, focus, etc...
I am excited to see what else CE brings to Katie. I think this program helps her in more ways than I know. For more information, see the following websites:
http://www.swgaitway.org/
http://www.cerebralpalsy.org/news/conductive-education/
One recent observation about Katie:
Last week, Katie was sitting and playing with her blocks (at home) which have a round hole through the middle, and a cylindrical block that fits in the hole - and she consistently fit the cylidrical block into the hole. Her hand / eye coordination is obviously improving, which was a big surprise to me. I didn't think this type of progress would happen for quite a while. Whether this is related to CE or not, I don't know. But I do know that all of the different therapies (and there are a lot!) we take Katie to are making a difference in her life. And Conductive Education, although more of a program than a "therapy," makes a HUGE difference in her walking ability, as well as other goals we have set, like feeding, focus, etc...
I am excited to see what else CE brings to Katie. I think this program helps her in more ways than I know. For more information, see the following websites:
http://www.swgaitway.org/
http://www.cerebralpalsy.org/news/conductive-education/
Monday, May 23, 2011
Barbara
Katie doesn't say a whole lot - a few words here and there but nothing consistent except "Mama" (when she's mad, or scared, or we have a babysitter). Katie has a therapist named Barbara, and she has said her name pretty consistently when she sees her, and prompted. The "b's" are easy for her to say. The other night my friend Barbara came over, and Katie would not stop saying her name. So here it is:
After I stopped filming this video, she actually said Barbara with one "r" in it. "Ba-bra". But of course she waited until the camera was not rolling anymore...
Monday, May 16, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Easter
Happy Easter a few days late! Katie enjoyed "helping" color easter eggs and then did a great job finding them in the yard. She put them all into the basket, which is a goal we have been working on - putting things "in". (and leaving them in!)Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Chiari Malformation
"Chiari malformations (CMs) are structural defects in the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls balance. When the indented bony space at the lower rear of the skull is smaller than normal, the cerebellum and brainstem can be pushed downward. The resulting pressure on the cerebellum can block the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (the liquid that surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord) and can cause a range of symptoms including dizziness, muscle weakness, numbness, vision problems, headache, and problems with balance and coordination."
Thank you for that info National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/chiari/chiari.htm
Katie does not have this, but for about 3 months, I thought for sure, she did. So many of the symptoms matched up: (lack of) balance, coordination and speech, hypotonia, developmental delay, and who knows if she has headaches or dizziness since she can't tell me! The more websites I looked up, the more symptoms I found, I think over 20 total! The girl who told me initally over the phone that Katie does not have this (reading from a report) must have thought I was nuts when I sounded all disappointed. She said to me, "This is a good thing that she does not have it!" I just figured it might solve all of Katie's problems if she could have surgery - maybe she'd come out talking - I have heard this has happened. But after thinking all about it, I am glad she doesn't have it, and we are moving along at a really good pace, with her walking progression in- particular!
Pam, someone whom I have never met, was the person who saw Katie's tv debut and got in touch with me. She suggested I look into this because when she saw Katie walking, she said it was like watching her daughter walk.. Katie had the MRI in January and of course I was stunned when I found out she did not have it. So I had a second opinion, and a third - and, well, they all say no. Thank God for people like Pam! Even though it is not what Katie has, I have something to mark off the list, and that is important to me
I hope this info might help someone else. It is an easy thing to diagnose in an MRI and then have a neurosurgeon look at it - that's what we did anyway - 3 times! I am posting this because it is not a well known diagnosis, and the only way to diagnose it is through an MRI (cervical spine, I believe). There is hope if you have it - usually they can do surgery. I met a mom like me who takes her son to SWAN Rehab where Katie does her treadmill therapy, she had the surgery done a year ago (by Dr. Ruth Bristol here in Phoenix) and her symptoms, which came on suddenly - are gone.
I hope this information helps someone! http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/chiari/chiari.htm
Thank you for that info National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/chiari/chiari.htm
Katie does not have this, but for about 3 months, I thought for sure, she did. So many of the symptoms matched up: (lack of) balance, coordination and speech, hypotonia, developmental delay, and who knows if she has headaches or dizziness since she can't tell me! The more websites I looked up, the more symptoms I found, I think over 20 total! The girl who told me initally over the phone that Katie does not have this (reading from a report) must have thought I was nuts when I sounded all disappointed. She said to me, "This is a good thing that she does not have it!" I just figured it might solve all of Katie's problems if she could have surgery - maybe she'd come out talking - I have heard this has happened. But after thinking all about it, I am glad she doesn't have it, and we are moving along at a really good pace, with her walking progression in- particular!
Pam, someone whom I have never met, was the person who saw Katie's tv debut and got in touch with me. She suggested I look into this because when she saw Katie walking, she said it was like watching her daughter walk.. Katie had the MRI in January and of course I was stunned when I found out she did not have it. So I had a second opinion, and a third - and, well, they all say no. Thank God for people like Pam! Even though it is not what Katie has, I have something to mark off the list, and that is important to me
I hope this info might help someone else. It is an easy thing to diagnose in an MRI and then have a neurosurgeon look at it - that's what we did anyway - 3 times! I am posting this because it is not a well known diagnosis, and the only way to diagnose it is through an MRI (cervical spine, I believe). There is hope if you have it - usually they can do surgery. I met a mom like me who takes her son to SWAN Rehab where Katie does her treadmill therapy, she had the surgery done a year ago (by Dr. Ruth Bristol here in Phoenix) and her symptoms, which came on suddenly - are gone.
I hope this information helps someone! http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/chiari/chiari.htm
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Conductive Education in Phoenix
Five of us local moms have raised just about enough money ($15,000) to have the Conductive Education summer program in Phoenix! We are still short $5,000 of the 20k needed - but we think we can raise the rest in order to have the summer camp here!
Click here to find out more about the program that is based in Tucson. If donating, please specify it is for the Phoenix location/Amy: http://www.swgaitway.org/default.asp
Thanks to all of you who have supported this cause!
Amy
Click here to find out more about the program that is based in Tucson. If donating, please specify it is for the Phoenix location/Amy: http://www.swgaitway.org/default.asp
Thanks to all of you who have supported this cause!
Amy
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Big Girl Bed
I'm sure many of you can relate to the horror of putting your child in the crib, hearing a ruckus a few minutes later, and then finding her standing (OUTSIDE OF THE CRIB!) at her toy box playing with the cd player. Oh yes, the closet door was wide open, the lamp and side table knocked over... bring back any memories for anyone? This was our night recently, and although we knew it would happen someday, it wasn't supposed to happen the night before Paul and I left for Vegas! Which just happened to be our first outing together, without Katie in tow, in several years.
Katie is now in the "toddler bed" version of her crib which basically means the front of the crib is taken off. We were excited that we finally had some baby-proofing to do for our 5-year-old, Woo Hoo! About time! (Yes, Katie just had a birthday) We had to take everything out of her room, duct tape the light switches (because the first night she kept turning them on), put those things on the door handles, put up some high shelves, etc... So here we are a few weeks later and it is going pretty good, this whole "big girl bed" thing.
Katie is now in the "toddler bed" version of her crib which basically means the front of the crib is taken off. We were excited that we finally had some baby-proofing to do for our 5-year-old, Woo Hoo! About time! (Yes, Katie just had a birthday) We had to take everything out of her room, duct tape the light switches (because the first night she kept turning them on), put those things on the door handles, put up some high shelves, etc... So here we are a few weeks later and it is going pretty good, this whole "big girl bed" thing.
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