Therapy, therapy, therapy

Long story about therapy.

Randy was let go by the company that did OT and PT in our home. This all happened about six weeks ago. They were having staffing issues. The original OT quit in November and was replaced with an OTA, and the original PT retired in February and was replaced with a PTA. The OTA quit, and they were unable to find anyone to take our case. I think we were low priority because Randy is not home bound, and I expected them to come on time or call.

Anyhoo, I was very upset. I called Children's hospital for an evaluation and services. I made this call on March 31st. They could not get him in for an evaluation until May 13th and told me there was a ONE YEAR waiting list for afternoon or evening appointments; but that I they could schedule me sooner if I wanted a 9a or 10a appointment. That sounds great for the SAHM or the moms that work second or third shift; but a large number of working moms work first shift.

So....I asked them about some other places and they gave me a couple of referrals. I took him to this place that is near my home. They are a center for children and adults with needs. They have a hearing center, therapy, respite care, and child care. They scheduled his evaluation within 3 weeks. The last evaluation was today. The scheduler will be calling me tomorrow to set up his appointments.

Speech: The speech pathologist asked me a lot of questions about his expressive and receptive language. His receptive language is higher than his expressive language. She was pleased with his babbling. I was surprised that his lack of mobility affects his speech. For example, she asked if he responded when we told him "no". We don't have to tell him no because he is not mobile. So we need to make sure we are using words with him all the time. She also looked at the way he took his bottle and ate (puffs). She noted his weak suck and the fact that he worked hard to eat. She liked his chew and said that he "laterilizes his tongue". She said that he could definitely qualify for speech, but gave me the option (almost suggested) that we wait 6 months and let the OT work on feeding. She felt that we were doing all the right things at home: talking to him, reading, giving words to his actions, etc...

OT: The occupational therapist was fabulous! She introduced herself and told me she has a masters degree in her field and specializes in patients with neurological issues and babies. YAY!!! She played with him and asked lots of questions. She had already spoken with the speech therapist and watched him eat too. She asked me to take off his shirt so that she could see the way his body moved. Now in all the months of home therapy he's had, they have never done this. She noted that his left side was higher than his right. She put his fine motor skills at 5-6 months, and his cognitive motor skills at 6-7 months. She suggested therapy 2x per week.

PT: The physical therapist had already talked to the OT, and we reviewed some of the things they had talked about. She took off all his clothes and examined his movements very thoroughly. She rotated his ankles, legs, hips, and torso. She noted that he definitely prefers his right side. She says he is definitely weak in his trunk, hips and ankles. Good news.....both the OT and PT said he has good range of motion and that they feel that his weakness is muscular skeletal and NOT neurological! That felt good to hear. I am praying that this means no CP in his future. She recommends therapy 1-2x per week.

So we will be busier soon. I'll keep you posted.