First Therapy Session

Claire gives Carol a ride. While scooching. Of course.

We had our first physical therapy appointment on Monday. Unfortunately, we haven't accomplished a whole lot so far! Claire was still very shy with them, and I think she was convinced that Sarah and Shawna (the intern) were here to babysit, which meant I could be abandoning her at any moment. None of which was very conducive to making progress with the therapy. As a result, our first session consisted mostly of Sarah and Shawna (and me) just playing with Claire. Sarah said this happens a lot—kids this age often need to spend a few sessions playing, so that they can get to know the therapist and build a little trust. And I think once Claire realizes I'm not going anywhere during the sessions, she'll be more amenable to working on some skills.

One excellent icebreaker was Sarah's giant exercise ball. Claire loved it. By the end of the session, she was willing to let Sarah and Shawna hold her in a sitting position on the ball and bounce her up and down. Since they use the exercise ball in the therapy, that gives me hope we might even get something done in the next session! Sarah suggested I get one of these exercise balls myself to use with Claire, and I'm happy to do that, but I'm thinking it might be good to wait a few sessions. If Sarah shows up with that thing each week, and it's a special treat that is associated only with Sarah, Claire is sure to love Sarah by extension!

Sarah did also watch Claire walking with me a little, and said it didn't look like I was giving her much help at all. She asked me tons of questions like, "If you have her stand against a wall and let go of her hand, what does she do?" (Answer: She instantly sits down, often with great difficulty, since the wall is in her way.) "If you have her try to push a toy, what does she do?" (Answer: She used to like walking with the walker or the shopping cart, but lately, any time I bring it out, she gets mad, sits down, and refuses to have anything to do with it.) I think Sarah did get the sense that there's a fairly substantial psychological/stubborness aspect going on here. : ) She seemed like she'd seen it all before and was prepared to help me deal with it, just like the more physical aspects.

Sarah also suggested that Claire might have a small problem that has something to do with gravity and not understanding where exactly her body is in space. (Sarah had a name for this, but of course I can't remember it now.) This makes sense to me. Claire has actually always 100% hated swings. We hung our baby swing from our big tree this summer and never used it—every time I tried Claire in it, she screamed her head off. (And it's not just our swing—she does that at playgrounds too.) That would seem to indicate a problem along those lines, or at least a fear of heights/movement. All of which might mean she prefers having her rear parked on the ground.

But we can psychoanalyze her all we want—the fact remains that Claire is still toddling around the house holding one of my hands, and she still gets mad when I let go, despite the fact that I now feel at times like she's pulling me around. One of these days, little girl, you've got to get up the nerve to let go. Until then, I guess you and I will just keep at it. And keep at it. And keep at it.