We’ve officially started the process of getting Maddox two new pieces of equipment: hand splints and a supportive seating chair. 

 

Maddox tends to clench his hands closed (though this has improved!), and these hand splints will allow his OT and PT to work even more intentionally with him during sessions. 

 

Maddox loves to sit up, but right now he doesn’t have the head and trunk control to do so safely on his own. This chair will give him the support he needs while still allowing him to be upright. He actually had pretty decent head control before starting a new medication, so that’s something we’re navigating as well—but that’s a deeper conversation for another day. We’re hopeful this support will help him interact a bit more with the girls and make vision therapy more effective, because trying to manage body positioning and vision at the same time is no small task 😅 

 

These are both really positive things, and we’re so excited about them. But wow… the process. We started everything back at the beginning of December and are just now finishing the paperwork needed to submit to insurance. Once approved, the equipment still has to be ordered—and most items take 8–10 weeks (or longer) to arrive. 

 

If anyone has been through the DME process and has tips for staying organized or advocating along the way, I’d love to hear them. There’s so much happening behind the scenes, and I want to be sure we’re doing everything we can on our end.