As soon as we accepted that Ate had Cerebral Palsy (the day that the neurologist-pediatrician diagnosed her with global developmental delay), we immediately looked for a physical therapist. She was only 5 months old.
After some phone calls and visit to the nearest therapy center, we decided that home visits were more appropriate for Ate. She would be one of the youngest in the nearest therapy center and since the neurologist postponed any vaccinations, she would be prone to getting all kinds of sicknesses. Therapy centers are just filled with kids that carry all sorts of viruses so we thought it was best for home visits - even if it was more expensive.
Luckily we found one - young female and determined to get her CP kids to walk. Even Ate's Developmental Pediatrician said that she is one of the best. We're so glad she has a time slot for Ate once a week.
We are very happy with her and for a time I was doing all the therapy at home. Often it can get tiring and sometimes I wish I could do more.
Ever since Ate's seizures (infantile spasms) miraculously disappeared, we saw that development was much faster. After several people suggested the Bobath Approach, we requested for a time slot to meet with Pablo Beelen who comes to Manila 2x a year. We contacted the right people and got 3 sessions with him. It would have been more if Ate had not gotten sick from pneumonia. We had to let her recover first before bringing her out again. She still has no vaccines.
Pablo was very kind and encouraging in our 1st session. He confidently says that Ate will walk and run one day. That was very good news. This man has had many experiences with CP kids and even if no one can predict the future of any child, his assessment bears a lot of weight. It gives us a clearer kind of HOPE.
But he was a bit wary on the cognitive side. She doesn't know how to play and play is necessary for learning. So we have to guide her to play. Wow, how we take play for granted. It's the first step we all need. Ate does not seem to have a sense of body awareness and she can't seem to get her arms to push. She pulls them toward herself. Hmmm... how to overcome this.
Pablo taught us the we have to create the environment and opportunity for Ate to develop. So I have a lot of research to do! Now we know what to address and some of the how... but we need more input, more stimulation for her. For one, I know she needs a lot of tactile input. So textured toys will be needed. But so far I can't find any that would really really help. Will have to improvise!
We also got to see Dra. Alexis Reyes who has a 1 year waitlist. The session was about 1.5 hours with Pablo around the whole time. Wowo came with us too. It was a good session. Very positive and well... we have our work cut out for us!
The Bobath Approach seems very promising and helpful. I would suggest it to parents with special children. And for those who can, to see Pablo Beelen. To know more about the Bobath Approach, check out www.bobath.org.uk
We videotaped all our session and Ate's physical therapist has to break it down for us. What Pablo taught us in those 1.5 hour sessions are priceless. Of course, Ate cried a lot but he had to show us everything he could in a limited time. After 3 sessions in 2 weeks, Pablo's assessment of Ate's cognitive development changed - he says it might be better than what he initially thought. We just have to help her every way we can!
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