Generally Clark takes physical therapy once a week, for 30 minutes. Unfortunately his therapist broke her knee while skiing. Clark’s therapy is on hold, but will hopefully be back to class by late spring. At that time, we are planning to double up on some sessions to help Clark catch up.
Physical therapy is one-on-one with his teacher. They go to a “gym” with mats, swings, steps, balance beams etc.. This is play based therapy, so Clark has a great time. It’s even more fun than going to the park!
Clark is very strong, and has great muscle mass. The reason for his therapy is due to his balance and coordination. Even though Clark started climbing at a very young age, he was delayed with sitting up, walking, and jumping. Clark has an occasional shake (tremors). We don’t know what the cause is, but occasionally his legs and hands will start to shake for no reason. The tremors, plus his lack of depth perception due to his limited eyesight seem to be leading causes for his physical delays.
While we wait for PT to start up again, I have enrolled Clark in gymnastics. Clark loves practicing his somersaults, balancing, and jumping. And I love the fact that it is a structured class, and he has to follow directions. :) I don’t usually compare Clark’s activity to other kids since we are already doing what we can to help out, but watching him participate with other kids of the same age, really makes his delays stand out.
Since starting, Clark can jump farther, and can safely climb the stairs. This is huge, especially since we moved to a house with stairs in July. When we first moved in, I had to hold his hand every time he needed upstairs. That quickly changed to watching him, and now he can independently walk up or down on his own. We still encourage him to hold the railing, because accidents can happen at any time.