tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527208639978294426Sat, 25 Jul 2026 08:05:02 +0000BenSelective Dorsal RhizotomyDanielCerebral PalsyShriner's HospitalbloggingtwinswalkerConductive Educationfamilyvacationmewalking with canesbotoxfeelingsserial castingsleepI Heart FacesbikesWalkingWeight WatcherskindergartenswimmingwheelchairOTPTPainting for HaileySpeech TherapyStan Cassidybeachfriendsindependenceindependent walkingprogresssittingspasticitywalking with walkerChristmasInspirationNICUacceptancecrawlinghippotherapyprematuritystanding upBermudaMultiples Clubdiagnosisguest postindependent standingjealousyspasticity managementAFO'sDaddyDorsal RhizotomyFather's DayGMFCSMother's DayMultiples...and MoreWelcome to Hollandaccessibilitybasketballdisabilityforearm crutchesfunglasseshome alonehopemilestonesnannypediatric treadmillpotty trainingpregnancypreschoolschoolspecial needsstairssupportworking2009BayleyCP AwarenessCP sucksCanada DayDeterminationExceptional TVGotcha DayHalloweenOlympicsPT at homePT at schoolRefluxRenovationsShriner'sSpringWish List Wednesdayabilitiesadviceallergiesalphabetbaclofen pumpbirthdaybreak from bloggingcampingclimbingcompassioncopingcruisingdreamsfeargoalsgratitudegriefjoylaughterlearninglife is goodmaking phsyio funmusic therapynormaloutdoor funpaediatricianpercentilesperspectivephotosplaygroundsquad canesquestionsrandomschedulessiblingssillinesssongspeechstandersstanding with canesstretchingsummertelling the worldthings I've learnedtime changetransfersupdatesvaccinationswalking at schoolweekendsweightsAbout the Small StuffAn inside look into my life...as a mom to twin boys, one with Cerebral Palsy.noreply@blogger.com (Cary)Blogger255125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527208639978294426.post-8290302663959027184Thu, 10 Apr 2014 22:52:00 +00002014-04-10T19:52:00.313-03:00Boys' New Bedroom - A Win-WinI've been wanting to move the boys' out of their bedroom into two separate bedrooms for years. We have four bedrooms upstairs. We're in the master, the boys were in the next biggest room and that left the two little rooms as spare rooms.<br />
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Even though they're twins, I've always wanted to them to have separate identities, their own things, and their own space.<br />
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But they were not at all interested. They wanted to stay together. Here's a pic of their old room:<br />
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Well, in December, a brilliant idea just seemed to jump into my brain. Since the 2 little rooms are basically mirror-image rooms that share a wall, why not open up that wall in between them and put in double pocket doors. Then, they each get their own space but also get to share a room!?! It's a win-win.<br />
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It turned out fantastic and tonight they finally get to sleep in their new room(s)!<br />
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Here's Ben's side:<br />
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And here's Daniel's side:<br />
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And here's a photo that shows the dividing wall between their rooms:</div>
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So right now, they are all tucked in to their new room(s) and loving it! Here's Ben:</div>
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And here's Daniel:</div>
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It makes me a little sad. They were in the other room for almost 6 whole years. Feels like we're leaving baby-hood behind us.</div>
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Now let's just keep our fingers and toes crossed that they don't fall out of bed or get lost in the middle of the night!</div>
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2014/04/boys-new-bedroom-win-win.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cary)18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527208639978294426.post-1270662484651587732Tue, 08 Apr 2014 21:45:00 +00002014-04-08T18:45:45.692-03:00Dorsal Rhizotomyforearm crutchesindependent walkingAnyone out there?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello there strangers! Anyone out there? Anyone still reading?</div>
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I can't believe that I haven't blogged in a year and a half. 18 whole months. I'm not sure what happened. I got busy I guess. I still read my favourite blogs and I *think* about blogging. But I just never do it.</div>
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I'm not even sure where to begin. Ben and Daniel are both doing fantastically. They are now over half through Grade 1. School has been amazing for them both. They are both excelling academically, have lots of friends and love their teachers.</div>
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Ben's progress has been slow but steady. I will have to dedicate a full post to that soon. Actually, I have a ton of blog post ideas swirling around in my head right now. So hopefully I can commit to blogging once or twice a week and get to all those blog posts.</div>
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We recently went on our first cruise. It was a family cruise over March Break and we enjoyed 5 lovely and magical days on the Disney Wonder. Here are a few pics of us:</div>
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First, Ben and Daniel loved to wrestle in the Mickey Pool. We kept to an early-to-bed-early-to-rise schedule and often got to enjoy the pool all on our own for at least a half hour. And even then, it wouldn't get actually busy for an hour or two. </div>
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And here's a family pic from our balcony. I just love this pic so
much. We hardly ever manage to get one of all four of us (let's face
it, I'm hardly ever in any pictures) and this one turned out so great. <br />
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Back to Ben for a quick moment before I officially hit "publish". When I left you 18 months ago, Ben was doing well - learning to walk with crutches and doing well with his walker. He now walks tremendously with his crutches and uses them inside school. He still uses his walker but that is limited to outdoors and gym class only. He can now take independent steps but we are working on that being a functional way for him to get around. I am confident we'll get there.<br />
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I just posted this video to Facebook this afternoon of him walking around our kitchen:<br />
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This is a huge deal! My "dream" for Ben since he had SDR over 2 years ago was to get him to the point where he could walk independently indoors and used crutches for outdoors and uneven ground. And we are close. Oh so close. Realistically, it could be 2 years before we're REALLY there. But I KNOW we'll get there. <br />
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Well. There. I did it. Wrote an actual blog post. Sorry it took so long!<br />
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(Please, please, please leave me a comment so I know that someone is still out there wanting to know how we're doing. Oh...and if there is anything you'd particularly like to know about, then leave that in the comments too!)2014/04/anyone-out-there.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cary)12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527208639978294426.post-4737813166084327161Tue, 09 Oct 2012 21:07:00 +00002012-10-09T18:07:22.206-03:00Selective Dorsal RhizotomySDR - Guest Post 1 - Sarah Kate<span class="ecxApple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">A year ago, when we were considering a <a href="; target="_blank">selective dorsal rhizotomy</a> for Ben, I scoured the internet for information. And while there was lots of technical, medical-type information out there, what I was really looking for was the stories from the families. I wanted to know how old their child was, where they had it, what type of SDR was done, and much, much more. And while I was somewhat successful, it frustrated me that it was so difficult to find. </span><br />
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<span class="ecxApple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">To hopefully help other families that are considering this surgery for their child, I put together a list of questions and emailed them out to some families I know whose child has had SDR. I plan to post their stories here on my blog over the next few weeks or months.</span><br />
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<span class="ecxApple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">To start, I bring you Sarah Kate. Sarah Kate's, mom, Andi of<a href="; target="_blank"> Bringing the Sunshine</a> took my questions and answered them via a blog post. I have followed Sarah Kate, and Andi's blog for about a year as hers was one of the families I "found" on my quest for more information on SDR. I continue to follow this blog and love seeing and reading all about Sarah Kate's athletic endeavours as I try to see what the future may hold for Ben. </span><br />
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<span class="ecxApple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">Thank you so much Andi for contributing to my little project!</span><br />
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<span class="ecxApple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span><br />
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<span class="ecxApple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">In December
of 2002, my daughter, Sarah Kate, was born ten weeks early due to a
placental abruption. Although she sailed through the NICU with few
problems, she was small for her gestational age at birth and before she
was discharged the neonatal physical therapist suggested some exercises
for the tightness in her legs. No one indicated that the tightness was
cerebral palsy - no one even suggested that it might be permanent - so
we went on our merry way, confident we had dodged a bullet. Like many
parents of children with CP, though, we were referred to early
intervention, a neurologist, and an orthopedist when she wasn't hitting
gross motor milestones by the age of nine months.</span><br />
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I
have an analytical nature, so I began researching to determine what was
going on. Doctors and therapists were still reluctant to say "cerebral
palsy," opting instead for "hypertonia," but I figured out pretty
quickly that was code for spastic CP. The neurologist referred us to
spasticity clinic at Children's Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, where
she was evaluated separately by a physiatrist, orthopedic surgeon,
neurosurgeon, and pediatric physical therapist, who then met together to
recommend a course of treatment for Sarah Kate. After all of the
reading and research I had done, I was almost certain they would
recommend selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR), and they did. She was
scheduled for surgery one week after her third birthday.</div>
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Before
SDR, Sarah Kate used a stripped-down gait trainer (essentially a
walker) to get around. She was good with it, and speedy :) but she
couldn't walk independently at all because her balance was so poor. She
took oral baclofen for about a year during that time, which helped a
little, and was weaned off of it in preparation for the SDR. The
physical therapist who oversaw her post-operative therapy told us to put
the walker in the attic the night before the surgery, because she never
wanted her to use it again (she didn't).</div>
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We
weren't certain what to expect, and I was careful not to get my hopes
up too much. The specialists and therapists told us that a one-degree
improvement (walker to canes) would be considered a success, though she
could improve even more than that. I searched for before and after
videos of other children who'd had the procedure and tried to compared
their "befores" to Sarah Kate. Of course, every child with CP is
different, so there were no perfect, or really even any strong, matches.</div>
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Sarah
Kate's surgery was performed the first week of January 2006 by Dr.
Oakes in Birmingham, Alabama. We briefly considered going to St. Louis
to have Dr. Park do the procedure, but Dr. Oakes had been doing the
procedure for almost two decades (almost as long as Dr. Park) at that
time, so we were confident in his ability. Birmingham was also only
about 75 miles from our home, and we felt that it was important to stick
with the same team for rehab. Post-operative physical therapy is such a
crucial piece of the SDR puzzle, and we wanted to work with therapists
who had a great deal of experience with it. Sarah Kate was one of the
last children (perhaps THE last) to receive the traditional procedure by
Dr. Oakes, so she has the longer scar, but it was worth it to go ahead
and have it done and get moving!</div>
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Sarah
Kate's recovery went well, though she was forced to remain lying on her
back for an extra couple of days. The procedure was performed on a
Wednesday, she was discharged on Saturday, and she was first allowed to
sit up on Monday morning; another little girl the same age had her
surgery the same day, was released on Friday, an sat on Saturday (we
just happened to know the family). After leaving the hospital, her pain
was managed by simply stacking children's Motrin and children's Tylenol
(OTC) for several days. We were required to stay nearby, as traveling
more than twenty minutes or so by car was not recommended, so we found a
small apartment near the hospital.</div>
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After
being checked out at "home" on Sunday by the physical therapist, Sarah
Kate began rehab on Monday morning. She went once in the morning and
once in the afternoon, Monday-Friday, for three weeks, and each session
lasted about two hours (four hours total per day). The first day blew us
away, because within just a few minutes of beginning the session, Sarah
Kate was sitting "criss-cross applesauce" on the therapy mat -
something she'd never been able to do before that day.</div>
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In
the beginning, Sarah Kate didn't seem to mind the therapy. She was
allowed to watch movies during heat and massage time, and she enjoyed
the undivided attention from her team of therapists. Sometimes her
therapy included using a stander, which meant she was able to play with
toys on the tray. On the first day of the second week, however, things
went south. The therapist was trying to get her to walk with canes and
she Did. Not. Want. To. I was encouraged to leave the gym, so I
retreated to the waiting area which was out of sight but not out of
earshot. My sweet little girl didn't cry - she GROWLED. I've never heard
that sound from her before or since. It was a battle of the wills
between the therapist and my preschooler. Eventually, the therapist won,
and after that Sarah Kate's progress was amazing. </div>
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Once
the initial three weeks were up, she continued daily therapy with her
regular therapist at home, returning to Birmingham once or twice a week,
until May, when she returned to Birmingham for another three week long
intensive session. She continued to receive therapy almost daily for
several months.</div>
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January
2013 will mark seven years since the SDR, and although progress comes
more slowly now than it did in the beginning, it does still come.
Independent walking began about three months after the SDR (spring of
2006), standing from the floor without assistance about a year later
(summer of 2007), and being able to stand still (a surprisingly
difficult skill) a little over a year after that (summer of 2008). It
took almost three more years for her to master stepping up and down a
curb without holding onto anything, but she did in the early summer of
2011.</div>
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The
only intervention Sarah Kate has received since her SDR (other than PT
and a series of AFOs) is a few rounds of Botox and one round of serial
casting - most were within the first 18 months following the surgery.
The last round of Botox was less effective than the prior ones, so we
feel we've reached the end of the line on Botox. We make the trek to
Birmingham to see the orthopedist (now a four-hour drive, as we moved in
2008) about once a year, and though he hasn't ruled out orthopedic
procedures in the future, he wants to wait a little bit longer before we
decide.</div>
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We
have no doubt that SDR was the right choice for Sarah Kate. Although
she still has a distinctive gait, if you see her in a crowd of kids she
won't stand out right away. She still can't jump, and although she runs,
it's in the loosest form of the word, and she is very slow. When she
tries to run or walk fast, her right arm shoots out to the side like a
"chicken wing" because the brain just isn't able to process all of the
motion her body requires. </div>
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We
never dreamed Sarah Kate would be able to play sports, but she just
completed her third summer on swim team and opted to play softball this
past spring - not Miracle League or special needs softball, either -
regular rec league. She loved it so much that she is playing again this
fall. Her hand-eye coordination is surprisingly good, enabling her to
hit the ball consistently, so although she doesn't score (or for that
matter, make it to first base) often, she has a lot of RBIs to her
credit. It's a dream come true for me.</div>
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Videos of Sarah Kate:</div>
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Progression from pre-SDR up to August 2010. <a href="; target="_blank">;
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Spring softball 2012 (1 of 2). <a href="; target="_blank">;
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Spring softball 2012 (2 of 2). <a href="; target="_blank">;
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2012/10/sdr-guest-post-1-sarah-kate.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cary)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527208639978294426.post-3053584467521525891Mon, 17 Sep 2012 21:16:00 +00002012-09-17T18:16:00.980-03:00BenbikesBen's bike - an updateBack in May, I told you all about Ben's new bike. You can check that post out <a href="; target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Ben's bike is a <a href="; target="_blank">Mini Tike from Trailmate</a>. Below is the picture from the website. Unfortunately, it doesn't come in red anymore...just yellow. <br />
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As I said in my previous post, we made a few adjustments by adding a back rest and straps on the pedals, but that was it. Total cost came to around $500. Yes, more expensive than a bike with training wheels but WAY less expensive than the typical adaptive bike.<br />
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In the end, we had to make one more adjustment. The trike was really tippy. Scary tippy. Ben actually tipped it for real once, but luckily, my dad was standing right there when it happened and was actually able to catch him.<br />
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I wasn't happy with the tippyness factor so we asked my cousin's husband (a welder) to help us out. He widened the back wheel base by about 6 inches as you can see in the picture below.<br />
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It really made all the difference and we haven't had any tipping issues since.</div>
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Ben absolutely LOVES his bike. And has even decided that he's OK with it being yellow.</div>
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2012/09/bens-bike-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Cary)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527208639978294426.post-745281826815609299Thu, 13 Sep 2012 22:33:00 +00002012-09-13T19:33:15.471-03:00kindergartenBen and school - Part 3(It's looking like this is going to be four-part series. And just in case, here are <a href="; target="_blank">Part 1</a> and <a href="; target="_blank">Part 2</a>.)<br />
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The week before school started I contacted the school to set up a meeting so we could meet Ben's aide and discuss in full detail how we expect school to work for Ben. Before the meeting, I drafted up the following document and sent it to the resource teacher to share with whoever will be dealing with Ben this year in any capacity. This is what I sent:<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Background on Ben</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Diagnosis</span></b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Ben has cerebral palsy, CP for
short. CP is an umbrella term used to describe conditions that relate to
brain injury that cause problems with movement and posture. CP can affect
a person's ability to walk, talk, sit, eat and think. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most important thing to remember about CP
is that it affects every single person who has it differently. For some
with CP, the condition is barely noticeable. For others, it can be so severe
that the person relies entirely on others for help with mobility, eating and
self-care. Ben is somewhere in the middle. In some ways, I would
say that Ben's CP is mild as he can talk, eat, and use his hands. He is
also smart as a whip. However, when it comes to walking, Ben's CP is more
in the moderate range as he is not completely dependent on a wheelchair to get
around but yet is unable to walk without help.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Specifically, Ben has</span></strong><strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">
spastic diplegia CP</span></strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">. “Spastic” means that the muscles
affected have increased tone or tension. “Diplegia” means that both legs
are affected.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Medical History</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">In January 2012, Ben went to
the <st1:placename w:st="on">Shriners</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Hospital</st1:placetype>
in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Montreal</st1:place></st1:city> for
a Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
surgery was performed on his spine and over 40% of the nerve rootlets that send
signals to his legs were cut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was
done to “stop” the incorrect signals that his brain was sending to his
legs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the surgery, Ben’s gross
motor skills were basically back to ground zero as he couldn’t walk, crawl or
sit anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He spent an additional 6
weeks there for an intensive rehabilitation program.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Our hope is that this surgery
will allow Ben to eventually be able to walk without any aids indoors and use
forearm crutches when walking outdoors and on uneven ground.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Gross Motor Skills</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">This is the area where Ben is
primarily affected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ben can crawl, sit
up, stand with assistance and walk with assistance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is also able to transfer himself between
these positions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ben can walk very well
with his walker as well as with quad canes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He is currently learning how to walk with forearm crutches.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">At school, there will be 3
options available for Ben:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Walker</span></st1:place></st1:city><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> –
This is to be used when outdoors or for walking longer distances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His walker allows him to walk at a reasonable
pace and keep up with his classmates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, one of our goals is for Ben to transition from using his walker
to using forearm crutches and we want to limit its use to the instances noted
above.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Quad canes – Ben is very functional with his quad canes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, he is much slower with these
canes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, if there are lots of kids
around and he gets knocked over, he would definitely fall and could perhaps get
hurt (unlike his walker where if he holds on, he won’t fall all the way to the
ground).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, these canes force Ben
to walk with a better gait as well as to use his own momentum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also help strengthen his core and
improve his balance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be great
if these canes could be used whenever possible such as when going back and
forth to the bathroom and when walking other short distances.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Wheelchair – Ben’s wheelchair will be at school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I expect that it will be used to transport
Ben back and forth to school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also
there for fire drills or the occasional field trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, we would prefer if his wheelchair is
not used on a day-to-day basis at school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The overall goal is to allow
Ben to keep up with his classmates and get around the school and playground on
his own while also pushing Ben to improve on his gross motor skills at the same
time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">In the Classroom</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Once seated in the classroom,
Ben should not be treated any differently than any other child.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His fine motor, speech and cognitive skills
are all at or above his age level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
said, in order for Ben to use his hands optimally, he needs to be
well-seated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His chair needs to be at
the right height for the table and his feet need to be touching the floor (or a
footstool).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">For floor time, Ben will be
able to sit on the floor with his classmates.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because Ben wears AFO’s (ankle-foot orthotics, we just call them
braces), it is difficult for him to get into “criss-cross” sitting on the floor
and therefore he will “w-sit”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
not an optimal position for any child to sit in as it can cause strain on the
hip sockets but as long as the time spent on the floor in this position is less
than a half-hour at a time, Ben’s physiotherapist has said that it is OK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do not want Ben sitting in a chair at
floor time as we want him to be on the same level as his classmates as much as
possible.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Self-Care</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">This is an area where Ben
struggles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While he is completely
potty-trained, he needs help with his clothing when going to the bathroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He can stand up to pee with support (i.e.
with his canes or walker to hold on to, or even an adult’s hands).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also needs help to get onto the toilet for
bowel movements.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He can sit on the
toilet unsupported as long as he has a ring reducer to sit on (which we will
provide).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">It should also be noted that
like other children, Ben tends to wait until the very last minute to go to the
bathroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, unlike other
children, he can’t run there quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
home, we tend to watch for signs that he has to go (like lots of squirming) and
encourage him to go before it’s too late!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Ben also needs help to get
dressed and take his shoes on and off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That said, when possible, Ben should be encouraged to help with these
tasks as long as it’s not cutting into time on the playground or the classroom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Extra-Mural</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Ben has been referred to
extra-mural for both physiotherapy and occupational therapy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ben and I met with the extra-mural PT in July
and agreed that she would see Ben at school once every two weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">I would like for the
extra-mural OT to review Ben’s seating in the classroom and provide
recommendations, if necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
I really do not want Ben seated in his wheelchair in the classroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this time, I don’t expect that Ben will
need regular OT for his fine motor skills, however, the OT may be able to
assist with Ben’s self-care skills.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Other</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Allergies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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