Tag: occupational therapy
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Needs To Stay
This is not a post designed for artistic eloquence, but rather one where I am speaking as a mother directly from my heart to the Arizona State Division of Developmental Disabilities, Governor Ducey, and all those responsible for funding disabilities services in this state. Whatever else we choose to leave behind from the emergency phase…
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Checking In With OT
Over a year has passed since our last occupational therapy (OT) update. Shortly after our last post about what we were working on with her, Amara went on maternity leave and another therapist was covering as our little man’s OT provider for a few short months. We are grateful Amara was able to resume working…
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“You Would Cry Too”
For years, I have lived in a state of hypervigilance. So many seemingly simple moments for other families are packed with opportunities for my son to be seriously harmed. Some things Tony does because he either lacks a more complete understanding or currently can’t hold onto what will happen to him if he succeeds in…
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The Snail
During my elementary school years here in the great state of Arizona, there was a certain snail that made frequent appearances as the star of a seemingly endless string of word problems. His progress and his challenges were ever mutating, but the crux of the situation was that he was desperately trying to get out…
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December Gratitude & Some Reading
To Miss Rachel, for Patience and Kindness to Our Son Rachel’s period working with our family as Tony’s occupational therapist was brief. However, she recognized something that is easy to miss when a kiddo looks a lot like everyone else on the outside but functions very differently on the inside- that our little man was…
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OT Update & Backstory
As I mentioned in last week’s post, Tony doesn’t react to all losses in his life the same. Nearly a year and a half ago, we moved some of Tony’s therapy services to our side of town. At the time, we were able to find clinics that could provide both occupational therapy and speech therapy…
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Sometimes, I’m Feeling the “Ouch”
Some days, my body feels like a cup of herbal exhaustion tea over-steeped, having been forgotten in a steady steam of distractions to become saturated with fatigue and aches. There can be no denying that frequently Tony’s therapy sessions and outings end up looking like extra workouts for me. Sometimes when people witness or see…
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Rocking A World Of Constant Motion
When people meet Tony in an environment he’s less threatened by, I am often asked: “Is he always this active?” I can only go with the truth here, and that would be…Yes. Now go ahead and close your eyes, imagining that word as a flashing neon sign. While Tony certainly struggles to do certain movements,…
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I Survived March 20th, March 21st, March…
Tony feeds off of the emotions of those around him, especially people he deeply loves. So if a member of the family of his heart is having a bad day or rough moment, he can rapidly careen out of his own emotional equilibrium. Sometimes these situations can cause deviations to the schedule he’s used to.…
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Photo Field Trip Into Therapy Territory
This week we’re journeying a bit into Tony’s current therapy territory so that each of you can see some of what we spend so much time doing. There are going to be lots of photos with brief explanations about what we are doing in them to provide all of the support we possibly can for…