Step by Step

So, Linda picked me up Friday morning and we made our way to the Step by Step school for the handicapped. There, I met about 9 kids in need of physical therapy! Charlie slept in his car seat for the first hour and then woke up and played with all the fun toys they had for the kids while I got oriented. I am racking my brain a bit since I haven't formally done any pediatric therapy since learning it in school but as I brainstorm more and solicit advice from my pediatric friends (thanks, Eva....others, I need more ideas please!), I am becoming more confident that I will be able to put together a program for these kids. I haven't yet had the opportunity to do a formal evaluation of each of the kids but I was able to observe some of their behaviors on Friday to give me enough information on how I want to structure the program at least. They have a time called "physical" that is about 1 hour on Tuesdays and Fridays which sounds like a good place to intruct in a group activity that incorporates gross motor, coordination, balance and functional needs (ie. obstacle course, simon says, songs like "if your happy and you know it..."). Then, on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays they have "Individual Learning Focus" which I plan on instructing caregivers on a simple home program for a few of the kids. I am planning on committing 2 mornings a week to work with the kids but we will see how it works out with Charlie being there and if I need more days.

I want to keep at least one day open to hopefully work at the "plaster house." It was set up by an OT that works here for kids to stay after having an orthopedic surgery. There they get 3 meals/day to properly heal and are better able to keep their casts clean.

Well, my brain is going a mile a minute. The work at step by step is consuming me this morning and I look forward to more ideas from my pediatric friends! :)