I'm a lifelong Angels fan, but I have to admit that I haven't been following the team much this season because I've been so preoccupied with my son's IEP process, starting special Ed and OT, running my household, and working. I know that Albert Pujols' performance is disappointing to some and I know that the team has a terrible record. So I was pleasantly surprised to learn this morning that Albert Pujols has a daughter with Down syndrome and he started a foundation in her honor.
The Pujols Family Foundation's vision statement is "To promote awareness, provide hope and meet tangible needs for families and children who live with Down syndrome. To provide extraordinary experiences for children with disabilities and/or life threatening illnesses. To improve the standard of living and quality of life for impoverished children in the Dominican Republic through education, medical relief and tangible goods." The foundation has recently gone nationwide, so I expect to hear more about it in the future.
I'm not just a PT, I'm also a parent!
Monday, April 30, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Products I Love -- Pedipeds
Whether or not to have your infant wear shoes can be a controversial subject. On one hand, it is easier for infants and toddlers to learn to stand and walk in bare feet so that they can maximize sensory and proprioceptive input and use the small muscles in their feet to make adjustments in balance. On the other hand, shoes serve both a protective and an aesthetic purpose and can provide stability in children with weak muscles, abnormal muscle tone, or poor balance. The American Academy of Pediatrics issued the following article regarding this matter: Shoes for Children: A Review.
A wonderful compromise can be found in Pedipeds! These adorable shoes have thin leather soles which help protect feet, but allow for children to feel terrain beneath their feet and are flexible enough to be similar to walking barefoot. My two younger sons both learned to walk in Pedipeds!
Pros:
Cons:
A wonderful compromise can be found in Pedipeds! These adorable shoes have thin leather soles which help protect feet, but allow for children to feel terrain beneath their feet and are flexible enough to be similar to walking barefoot. My two younger sons both learned to walk in Pedipeds!
 |
| Pedipeds in action on an 11-month-old |
Pros:
- Pedipeds come in many cute styles for both boys and girls
- Pedipeds offer flexible rubber-soled shoes for toddlers and preschoolers
- They are light and comfortable
- They are surprisingly durable! (below is a photo of the sole of one of my son's shoes, which he has worn as his sole pair of shoes for nearly 6 months)
Cons:
- They are a bit pricey
- The smooth leather soles can be a bit slippery on certain surfaces, notably sandy pavement and some carpets
- The sizing is by age, not traditional shoe sizes, which may be confusing for some
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Easter Egg Hunts as therapy
If your child struggles with gross motor skills, you can tailor your Easter egg hunt to provide gross motor challenges:
- Put eggs up high to help your child raise up onto his/her toes
- Put eggs in low places to encourage squatting
- Make your hunt area large and on varying terrain (grass, cement, hills, etc.) to provide challenges while walking
- Carrying a basket will alter your child's center of mass, providing a balance challenge.
Have fun and happy hunting!
Need a workout with your kids? Just Dance Kung Fu!
Here is one of the Imagination Movers' new videos from their Rock-O-Matic
album. (more on them later!) You'll get a great cardio workout and learn some funky new dance moves, too. My boys (even the 13-month-old) love rocking out to this song!
album. (more on them later!) You'll get a great cardio workout and learn some funky new dance moves, too. My boys (even the 13-month-old) love rocking out to this song!Dancing helps children develop a sense of rhythm as they move their bodies to the beat. The dance moves in this song also help with gross motor skills -- "I've got gum on my shoe" and "Hot sidewalk" help with single-leg stance, "Pick a penny up" helps build lower extremity strength through squat to stand, and "Duck a water balloon" helps with lunging and dynamic balance. Everything else is just plain fun!
So go ahead and Dance Kung Fu -- it's good for you!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Get outside and play!
Spring is finally here and though the weather has been a bit erratic here in Southern California, this week is supposed to have beautiful weather! Take advantage of it and take your kids outside to play because apparently, many little kids lack outdoor time with their parents.
So this week, make it a point to go on a family walk, take the kids to the park, or just kick a soccer ball around. Your heart and your children will thank you!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Trust me, I know.
I know that my blog has been rather quiet since the new year began and I want to share why. In early January, we finally received a "Permission to Assess" form from the school district after 10 months of fighting to have my son assessed by a school psychologist. It has been such a long journey this last 5 1/2 years and we feel like a major weight has been lifted off our shoulders!
Before I had children, I thought I knew what parents of those kids with whom I worked were going through. I had a younger brother and several younger cousins. I babysat. Heck, I even have a cousin with Down syndrome, so of course my personal life experience and limited work experience would be enough, right? I knew that kids had to nap. I knew that young children do not always cooperate. I knew that nonverbal kids got frustrated. I knew that parents love their kids so much that they will sacrifice their own health and sanity to get the best for their children.
HOWEVER, after having a child with special needs of my own, I realize exactly how much of a physical and emotional toll it takes to raise him. I now understood why parents came to IEP meetings either in fear, or ready for a fight. I now know why their schedules were so tight that I had difficulty scheduling my own assessments for the school district -- doctor visits, PT, OT, Speech Therapy, ABA, recreation, and that very carefully choreographed nap. I know what it feels like to live in fear for my child's life.
Now, I know you're thinking that the 3 little boys in the photo above look perfectly happy and healthy, and they are. My oldest son is nearly 2 years older than my middle son and they are virtually the same size. My oldest son (HIPAA be darned!) has battled Failure to Thrive since he was 5 days old. We supplemented with formula at 1 week, started solids at 5 months, and fed him a high-fat and high-calorie diet when he just would not gain weight. Then the vomiting began. Massive amounts of vomit that contained every single thing he had consumed that day. Tremendous amounts of vomit coming from a little boy who was not sick. Daily vomiting for 2-3 straight weeks that finally got the attention of our Pediatrics group after we continued to bring him in for the same thing 3 times. Was it as simple as his being constipated, or was it as tragic as a brain tumor?
We immediately nixed the idea of a CT scan on an 17-month-old. We took him in for abdominal x-rays to rule out fecal impaction and the poor boy could not have his mommy with him because she was 5 months pregnant. Daddy tried his best, but I could hear my son screaming from the waiting room. And, no, he was not constipated.
Then we had to rule out Diabetes. Have you ever tried to collect urine from a toddler? After a week of trying to apply a half condom/half plastic baggie to his male parts, we finally collected enough of a dribble to be tested. Not Diabetes.
Next, to rule out an obstruction. If you thought the x-ray experience was terrible, taking that kid for an Upper GI Series was an absolute nightmare. The techs nicknamed him The Incredible Hulk because they could not keep him still, even on a papoose board. He refused to drink the barium. He screamed. My, he screamed! And then they decided that the test wasn't going to happen, so it was a bunch of suffering for nothing.
All this time, I was doing my homework and was convinced that my son was having problems with malabsorption. We finally got an appointment to see a Gastroenterologist and she agreed that malabsorption may be a possibility. While I was giving blood at the local lab for my pregnancy workup, my poor little 18-pound 19-month-old gave 5 vials of blood himself. I wanted to cry right along with him. We collected 14 stool samples to rule out H. pylori, Celiac Disease, etcetera, etcetera. I have never been that intimate with anybody's poop in my life, but I collected that poop like my life depended on it, because my son's life depended on it. And I will forever be thankful for those 14 stool samples because they finally gave us an answer. MY SON HAD MALABSORPTION.
But why?
The vast majority of children with Malabsorption also have Cystic Fibrosis. The next largest group of children have Schwachman-Diamond Syndrome. So it was off for more testing. It took 3 screaming, crying tries to get a successful sweat test for CF, only to find that he was negative (which we figured, since we are not carriers). Then we were off to the geneticist. And more blood draws. And more tears from the both of us. Negative for SDS. Negative for dwarfism. Negative for Noonan Syndrome.
The verdict: Pancreatic Insufficiency. We could stop blaming ourselves. We were feeding him enough and he was eating plenty. His body just wasn't absorbing it.
He began taking enzymes to help his body absorb food, along with Polycose, to increase the calories in his food. He started gaining weight. After 2 years of this regimen, he finally hit the 10th percentile for his weight and no longer fit the clinical criteria for Failure to Thrive.
Then the behavioral problems began. That has been our biggest battle since before he was 3. Nobody knows if the ADHD, ODD, tics, and night terrors are related to his pancreatic insufficiency. Could the lack of nutrition have inhibited his neurological development? Nobody knows. It's his own private mystery that will probably never be solved.
So I get it. I've driven around the county, searching for answers. I've taken my son to an appointment a day for a full week. I've had to hold him down, screaming, while some strange woman poked him with needles. I've cried as I tried to feed him, begging him to eat so that he could gain any weight, any weight at all. I've been kicked, punched, spat on, and told that I'm stupid. I've chased him as he ran out of the house, into the street, dropped his pants and peed because I wouldn't let him do something he wanted to do. I've dragged him out of countless stores, museums, parks, and birthday parties, kicking and screaming. I have fought with the school district, desperate to have him assessed. We have paid thousands of dollars out of pocket to take him to the best local pediatric neurologist. I have been up all night, comforting him through his night terrors. I have cried for him as the invitations to play dates dried up. My husband and I sat through 10 weeks of a parenting class for children with attentional problems only to have nothing work in practice. I have held my sobbing little boy, who because of his fine motor difficulties, thinks that the authors of his school books hate him and think he's stupid.
I get it.
And I also wouldn't change my little boy for anything. That is the greatest gift he has given us -- the full-contact education in unconditional love.
Before I had children, I thought I knew what parents of those kids with whom I worked were going through. I had a younger brother and several younger cousins. I babysat. Heck, I even have a cousin with Down syndrome, so of course my personal life experience and limited work experience would be enough, right? I knew that kids had to nap. I knew that young children do not always cooperate. I knew that nonverbal kids got frustrated. I knew that parents love their kids so much that they will sacrifice their own health and sanity to get the best for their children.
HOWEVER, after having a child with special needs of my own, I realize exactly how much of a physical and emotional toll it takes to raise him. I now understood why parents came to IEP meetings either in fear, or ready for a fight. I now know why their schedules were so tight that I had difficulty scheduling my own assessments for the school district -- doctor visits, PT, OT, Speech Therapy, ABA, recreation, and that very carefully choreographed nap. I know what it feels like to live in fear for my child's life.
Now, I know you're thinking that the 3 little boys in the photo above look perfectly happy and healthy, and they are. My oldest son is nearly 2 years older than my middle son and they are virtually the same size. My oldest son (HIPAA be darned!) has battled Failure to Thrive since he was 5 days old. We supplemented with formula at 1 week, started solids at 5 months, and fed him a high-fat and high-calorie diet when he just would not gain weight. Then the vomiting began. Massive amounts of vomit that contained every single thing he had consumed that day. Tremendous amounts of vomit coming from a little boy who was not sick. Daily vomiting for 2-3 straight weeks that finally got the attention of our Pediatrics group after we continued to bring him in for the same thing 3 times. Was it as simple as his being constipated, or was it as tragic as a brain tumor?
We immediately nixed the idea of a CT scan on an 17-month-old. We took him in for abdominal x-rays to rule out fecal impaction and the poor boy could not have his mommy with him because she was 5 months pregnant. Daddy tried his best, but I could hear my son screaming from the waiting room. And, no, he was not constipated.
Then we had to rule out Diabetes. Have you ever tried to collect urine from a toddler? After a week of trying to apply a half condom/half plastic baggie to his male parts, we finally collected enough of a dribble to be tested. Not Diabetes.
Next, to rule out an obstruction. If you thought the x-ray experience was terrible, taking that kid for an Upper GI Series was an absolute nightmare. The techs nicknamed him The Incredible Hulk because they could not keep him still, even on a papoose board. He refused to drink the barium. He screamed. My, he screamed! And then they decided that the test wasn't going to happen, so it was a bunch of suffering for nothing.
All this time, I was doing my homework and was convinced that my son was having problems with malabsorption. We finally got an appointment to see a Gastroenterologist and she agreed that malabsorption may be a possibility. While I was giving blood at the local lab for my pregnancy workup, my poor little 18-pound 19-month-old gave 5 vials of blood himself. I wanted to cry right along with him. We collected 14 stool samples to rule out H. pylori, Celiac Disease, etcetera, etcetera. I have never been that intimate with anybody's poop in my life, but I collected that poop like my life depended on it, because my son's life depended on it. And I will forever be thankful for those 14 stool samples because they finally gave us an answer. MY SON HAD MALABSORPTION.
But why?
The vast majority of children with Malabsorption also have Cystic Fibrosis. The next largest group of children have Schwachman-Diamond Syndrome. So it was off for more testing. It took 3 screaming, crying tries to get a successful sweat test for CF, only to find that he was negative (which we figured, since we are not carriers). Then we were off to the geneticist. And more blood draws. And more tears from the both of us. Negative for SDS. Negative for dwarfism. Negative for Noonan Syndrome.
The verdict: Pancreatic Insufficiency. We could stop blaming ourselves. We were feeding him enough and he was eating plenty. His body just wasn't absorbing it.
He began taking enzymes to help his body absorb food, along with Polycose, to increase the calories in his food. He started gaining weight. After 2 years of this regimen, he finally hit the 10th percentile for his weight and no longer fit the clinical criteria for Failure to Thrive.
Then the behavioral problems began. That has been our biggest battle since before he was 3. Nobody knows if the ADHD, ODD, tics, and night terrors are related to his pancreatic insufficiency. Could the lack of nutrition have inhibited his neurological development? Nobody knows. It's his own private mystery that will probably never be solved.
So I get it. I've driven around the county, searching for answers. I've taken my son to an appointment a day for a full week. I've had to hold him down, screaming, while some strange woman poked him with needles. I've cried as I tried to feed him, begging him to eat so that he could gain any weight, any weight at all. I've been kicked, punched, spat on, and told that I'm stupid. I've chased him as he ran out of the house, into the street, dropped his pants and peed because I wouldn't let him do something he wanted to do. I've dragged him out of countless stores, museums, parks, and birthday parties, kicking and screaming. I have fought with the school district, desperate to have him assessed. We have paid thousands of dollars out of pocket to take him to the best local pediatric neurologist. I have been up all night, comforting him through his night terrors. I have cried for him as the invitations to play dates dried up. My husband and I sat through 10 weeks of a parenting class for children with attentional problems only to have nothing work in practice. I have held my sobbing little boy, who because of his fine motor difficulties, thinks that the authors of his school books hate him and think he's stupid.
I get it.
And I also wouldn't change my little boy for anything. That is the greatest gift he has given us -- the full-contact education in unconditional love.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)