Camila has been in Pediatric Occupational Therapy (OT) for 7 months, receiving two hours of OT a week. These sessions tend to focus predominately on fine motor development, play skills, and sensory processing. We also complete about two to three hours of OT each day from home to ensure the continuance of skills addressed during therapy sessions. 

 

As you may recall, Camila has a rather complex expression of muscle tone that we also see impacts her fine motor development. Camila faces challenges weight bearing through her arms due to fluctuating tone as well as sensory processing challenges (we’ll get into this more in another post). Therefore, it further impacts gross motor development. 

 

In terms of fine motor development, her fluctuating tone can cause difficulties in making precise movements, maintain strength and endurance, carry out movements in sequence, and use both sides of her body in a coordinated way. She experiences difficulties with motor planning and body awareness. This also has contributed to delayed development of protective reflexes, those automatic actions your body takes to protect you from injury. For Camila, it impacts her ability to put an arm out as she is falling, posing a safety risk. 

 

The skills addressed in PT and OT go hand in hand. They both help Camila establish a foundation of stability, develop coordination and control, strength and endurance, and planning out movements. Since OT largely focuses on those fine motor skills and often feels more like play, we tend to notice more progress and tolerance in this therapeutic approach. 

 

Camila is such a hard worker and great communicator. If a skill is challenging in any of her therapies or her resources feel depleted, she communicates her needs. We always meet those needs and adapt. Therapy sessions then feel safe, supportive and collaborative. It is why she always seems to smile when she greets her therapists, which makes this journey a little easier on all of us. 

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Re: Meals/Gift Cards - Thank you to everyone for your support and already volunteering to provide meals and/or gift cards. We are so very appreciative for your kindness and generosity. Since we have received an outpouring of support in this way, please check the calendar on our page to view remaining dates we are welcoming meals or gift cards. For reference, there are days available between October 3rd and October 30th. Thank you so much again!