PT Outside and Star Gazing

Monday funday!!! Especially at Manos Unidas. :) Today we split up again and swapped rooms to work with different kids. Liz and I were working with the younger group, while Jessica, Abby, and Corrin worked with the older group.

Our time with the younger children was very hands on; we looked at positioning, feeding, counting, tracking, identifying colors, counting, and playing while another teacher performed a cognitive evaluation. The weather was gorgeous today so we were able to go outside and play at the park across the street, continuing the skills over there. Reaching for things at midline and extending your legs can be much more exciting with new scenery and new toys! (P.s. Liz is a total natural with the kids and it was fun being able to pick up some pediatric skills from her. Lots to look forward to this coming year of classes!)

This afternoon was special because Corrin, Jessica and I were able to go visit one of the student's homes. Her house was much more than I would have imagined. The accessibility was impressive with a spacious first floor, and the child has her own room! Her mom showed us her resourcefulness in creating bolsters to use for exercises and expressed a huge interest in what she could be doing for her daughter. We talked about positioning, sleeping, and demonstrated some new techniques to increase the little girl's interactions with the environment and people around her. In my mind, the most important conversation that we had was mostly between Jessica and the student's mother (something about being fluent in Spanish really helps with this). It was a tough conversation about maintenance therapy versus improvement from therapy. The mom was having a hard time understanding the difference between the two when her daughter was predicted to live 2-6 months by a doctor and was also predicted to walk again. These are very conflicting prognoses and understandably confusing. She recognizes that her daughter will not walk again, but also that therapy is progressing her and providing the little victories. The two extra seconds of holding her head up and smiling at a loved one. The ability to grasp a favorite toy or point to something that she wants. Oh, the things that therapy can do!

The evening was capped off with a trip to the artisan market, wandering around the Plaza de Armas, venturing up a hill to do some serious star gazing, and finding a bunch of new constellations. :) So many awe inspiring things in one day.

Report back again soon,
Catey Lynne