June 6: Back to PT

Isla had her physical therapy evaluation this morning.  She did really well.  She used to cry all the time during physical therapy, but she didn't cry at all today.  She was actually laughing during most of the exercises (and games) Shannon was doing with her!  We did some of the same things at home tonight, and she liked it again.  So that's good news.

The bad news is that Shannon does want to continue seeing her for a while to help her improve in the areas of crawling and pulling up.  Isla actually pulled herself up three times today during our session, which is the first I have ever seen her do it.  So, that was very encouraging!

She thought that Isla was doing fairly well  and her muscle tone seemed fairly good (despite the delays).  She thought Isla would probably get the hang of crawling and pulling up in the next few weeks if we worked with her more (both at home and in PT).  I have been slacking a little bit in working with her crawling at home, as I kind of just settled on the fact that she was going to scoot.   Plus, after a year of trying to get her to do things she doesn't want to do, I'm just tired of listening to her cry and struggle! Shannon did give me some good ideas on how to help her get comfortable in a crawling position and how to encourage her to pull up. It was helpful to get some tips...let's hope that Isla will be cooperative!

So many people tell me about the development delays their kids had with crawling and walking.  Then they all grew up to be just fine.  I've tried not to worry too much about the fact that Isla is behind in some ways, as it does seem fairly common.  On the other hand, it is possible that something could be wrong, or that she just needs a little help from us.  It seems better to try to work through these issues now than to wait until it causes more problems later.  Shannon did say that kids with torticollis and range of motion issues (like what Isla had as a baby) are more prone to developmental delays as they get older as well.

While she is a bit behind with her gross motor skills, I feel like she is right on track in all other areas.  That does encourage me!  And have I mentioned how sweet she is??  She really is the sweetest little girl ever!!