PT update

Talia had her initial visit with our new PT, Aimee, today. After evaluating Talia more specifically on different aspects of her gross motor development, she had some very interesting observations. More than ever, I am so glad we decided to take this next step and get Talia some assistance in this area.

For starters, Talia apparently has developed some issues with the positioning of her feet when she stands. She is leaning too much on her instep, therefore her ankle is out of alignment and her toes grip uncomfortably. Aimee is planning to start the paperwork to get Talia some custom-made orthotic inserts for her shoes, which will help correct this problem. Fortunately the "accessorizer" in our little girl loves to wear shoes!

Secondly, she observed that Talia's overall muscle tone is fairly low. She explained that muscle tone doesn't necessarily have to do with strength, but is an indication of the muscles' readiness to take on activity. Talia compensates for her low muscle tone through activities that are no longer age-appropriate, such as walking straight legged and "flopping" down to the floor rather than squatting or lowering herself gracefully. Part of our focus during our therapy sessions will be on building muscle tone.

I was impressed with Aimee's approach to Talia's delays in several ways. She is interested not only in getting Talia walking (the obvious goal), but also in solidifying her balance, strengthening her for future development, and bringing her skill level "up to speed." She expects Talia to begin walking fairly quickly, but talked of work she plans to do (with balance and support) once she achieves that milestone to make sure she is able to sustain her skill in real-life situations. One long-term goal she identified was bringing Talia to age-appropriate gross motor development (such as being able to throw a ball at a target within a 3-foot range) by age 2. I feel that she shares our goal of seeing Talia be able to interact with her peers on all levels. (One of our concerns, for example, has been that at present Talia is in a Sunday School class with babies half her age because she would get trampled in a classroom with toddlers her own age. Meanwhile, she is missing out on the intellectual stimulation, not to mention the social aspects, of the slightly more structured toddler environment, which she is clearly capable of functioning within.)

We look forward to seeing Talia finally be able to physically keep up with her inquisitive little mind and happy, curious nature. We will keep you posted!