We’ve been doing therapy since my son Nicholas was 6 months old. He was behind from the very beginning, and wasn’t hitting his milestones at all. He was oversensitive to everything, would arch his back a lot, and needed help with most things. It was recommended by his pediatrician that he start seeing an occupational therapist (OT).
Those were some hard therapy days. Nicholas was uncomfortable and cried a lot. We worked on tummy time, sitting, feeding, and fine motor skills with little success. Because of his sensitivity his OT diagnosed him with sensory processing disorder at 8 months old. He eventually started seeing a physical therapist (PT), speech and feeding therapist, and later down the road after his autism diagnosis at 3 years old, a behavior therapist (ABA).
My son Daniel was born with mostly physical disabilities, so we started PT for him right away at 3 months old. He had torticollis really bad in his neck to the point where his right ear touched his shoulder. With therapy Daniel’s head is more upright. He’s also doing OT and speech and feeding therapy as well.
I waited as long as possible to start my daughter Grace in therapy. I thought she would be different, but she needed help with her fine motor skills at first. We started OT for her when she was 6 months old, then PT and feeding therapy soon followed.
It may seem like I oppose therapy, because I celebrate when we decrease the number of days. Or I complain that it takes up too much time. I talk about how there’s always people in my house or it doesn’t give me enough time with my kids. However, I know my kids wouldn’t be where they are today if weren’t for their therapy. I truly am so grateful for their therapists. This Thanksgiving I want to say ‘thank you.’
Thank you to our PT who has taught Nicholas all his gross motor skills. How to sit, how to stand, how to cruise, how to walk. She knows how to push him but also gives him his space. Because of her, Daniel can ride a tricycle, walk up and down stairs, and jump. Grace can go up and down the stairs and was the first in our family to play on her tummy and crawl.
Thank you to our speech therapists who’ve taught Nicholas sign language. It took him 8 months to sign “more.” For helping him be even just a little interested in food. For working with Daniel’s food sensitivities and helping with his jaw weakness. For teaching him how to use a spoon and fork. For increasing his language from just a few words to full sentences. For getting Grace to use her tongue while eating and decreasing her sensitivity.
Thank you to our OTs for helping Nicholas hold two toys in both hands. I remember how long we practiced that and how amazing it was when he finally accomplished that skill. Daniel can draw on paper, cut with scissors, finish a puzzle, and string beads together. Grace can point and stack blocks.
Thank you to our ABA therapist for teaching Nicholas life skills and helping him to be more social. He can focus better, make eye contact, is more confident with walking, and is more independent in general. He even knows some of his body parts.
Thank you to our vision therapists for teaching our kids how to play in different ways when you have low vision. How to use our other senses when we’re playing. For making walking in a walker fun for Nicholas and for encouraging Grace to play with food despite not being able to eat it.
Thank you for coming to doctor appointments, IEP meetings, communicating with our team, and setting up appointments in our home with other professionals. We recently decreased therapy to one time a week for every specialty for every kid. We couldn’t have done that if it weren’t for you.
Our kids work so hard. It takes a long time to accomplish things sometimes. Thank you for making therapy fun. Thank you for your patience, your drive, your dedication, and your knowledge. But most importantly, thank you for never ever giving up on our kids.