Celebrating the “Inch-Stones” Henry’s Making Small Steps Toward Big Progress at TPP
Written By: Amy Wolcott M.S., CCC-SLP
Meet Henry!
Henry is a little guy with a big personality. “Henry is a little ‘extra’ in every way,” said his mom, Annisa. “He thrives on receiving praise and loves making other people smile and laugh. Any time he is at The Pediatric Place, you can just see the joy he brings on everyone’s faces, whether it be the other parents or patients in the waiting room, or the therapists and staff there too.”
Henry’s feeding therapist, Lauren O’Hare, agrees that Henry’s joyfulness and silliness can light up a room. She also describes him as “determined and persistent.”
In his almost three years of life, Henry has faced some big challenges. Diagnoses of Down Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder resulted in developmental delays in multiple areas—from motor skills like crawling, walking, and grasping, to speech, feeding, and play skills.
Henry has found a home away from home—and a lot of friends and admirers—at The Pediatric Place. “Henry loves the care he receives at the Pediatric Place,” Annisa said. “The attention he gets in therapy is like no other. One-to-one therapy allows Henry to really be pushed to achieve his newest goals. It is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders when I can walk Henry into therapy knowing I am ‘off the clock’ for just a little bit, while also knowing he is receiving the therapies he needs to thrive, with the best therapists around!”
Here’s a look at the progress Henry is making in therapy!
Physical Therapy
“We started seeing Henry at the clinic at one year old, and he was only able to sit at that time,” said physical therapist Grace Schibi. “We then helped him to master all transitions, crawling, pulling to stand, cruising, independent stance, and walking with his walker.”
Henry puts in a lot of work in PT, and that work pays off not only in the gym but also in his home and community. “His physical therapists have always encouraged me to bring his walker around town when we go to the grocery store, the playground, or the library, and I know that bringing the walker into those settings has allowed him to transfer skills from the therapy setting to everyday living,” Annisa reports.
All the hard work has paid off–Henry is now taking independent steps!
Occupational Therapy
Play isn’t just fun, it’s how kids learn about the world around them! In occupational therapy, Henry has been building fine motor skills that expand his ability to play and complete daily tasks independently.
“Henry can now purposefully push buttons on cause-and-effect toys,” Annisa reported. “The reward of lights, music, and movement have really helped Henry repeat these actions to eventually master them. He can now place coins in a slot on a toy and even place puzzle pieces in their designated spots by holding onto the pegs on the pieces.
Recently, Henry used his new skills to try placing Halloween candy in his bucket all by himself!
Speech Therapy
Henry’s ability to communicate through sign and gesture has increased significantly over the past few weeks–he is now able to communicate “more,” “play,” “all done,” “yay,” and “again.”
Henry’s speech therapist, Kelsie Stark, capitalizes on Henry’s love of music to develop joint attention and play routines—Henry particularly loves when the wheels on the bus go “up and down!” Annisa reports that they sing songs together at home too. Henry has even begun imitating animal sounds and engine noises!
Feeding Therapy
Annisa describes Henry’s progress in feeding therapy as “anything but linear.” Early in the therapy process, Henry was making great strides bringing food to his mouth and even sucking through a straw. The onset of seizures, medication side effects, and developmental regression sometimes seen in autism slowed that progress, and feeding therapist Lauren O’Hare had to adjust his treatment plan to match his needs.
Lauren and Annisa have worked together to ensure that feeding is an overall enjoyable experience for Henry, both in therapy and at home—and their teamwork is paying off! Henry currently relies on purees and milk to meet his nutritional needs, but he is beginning to show more interest in food around him and has begun exploring new textures and taking bites of new foods. Henry has a lot of work ahead of him in feeding therapy, but he has a strong team in his corner.
Celebrating the “Inch-Stones”
Annisa feels it’s important to find joy in the little things—like when Henry purposely places coins in a slot on a toy or tries to put Halloween candy in his bucket. “We call it ‘celebrating the INCH-stones’ as milestones are sometimes too much to ask of him at any given time,” she explained. “Success is success, no matter how small!”
“He makes progress in leaps and bounds, yet there are still things that a parent thinks their child will be doing at their age,” she continued. “Nevertheless, Henry is exactly the way he should be, and he is developmentally on track with his own timeline. My job is just to support him and encourage growth so he can reach his full potential!”
All of us at The Pediatric Place are cheering Henry on as he takes little (and big!) steps toward that potential!
Are you a pediatric therapist? Our team makes a difference in the lives of kids like Henry and their families every day! We’d love to talk to you about being a part of our multidisciplinary team!
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