November 5, 2008

After PT today (scroll to the bottom of this entry for a progress update).

A fun time playing in the leaves.
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Here's the therapist's report from today:

Grace is doing extremely well. She is much more comfortable with her body, comfortable moving her body and trying new things. Balance, coordination, and the ability to move all 4 extremities have all improved. These improvements have led to her gains in functional activities.

Today, as I mentioned, I checked her progress according to the Peabody Gross Motor Developmental Scale. This scale lists specific activities, the age at which they should be tested, and how to rate the ability to perform the activity. Here's a summary of what I checked:

1. Running: Grace is able to run easily, without falling. And she has good form for her age. Very good! She is not quite as fast as the Peabody suggests, but this to me is minor. The Peabody suggests 45' in 6 seconds; Grace was about 25' in 4-5 seconds.

2. Jumping forward with two feet together: For full credit, Peabody says 26"; Grace did a respectable 16"

3. Walking on tiptoes: Grace did not manage this today, but take this with a grain of salt. Sometimes it's just hard to get a child interested in trying something. See if you can get her to walk on her toes at home.

4. Jump over 2" hurdle, two foot take-off and landing: Grace able to jump over 1" with proper form, good start!

5. Jump down from 18" object, two foot take-off and landing: Grace could correctly jump down from 8". At 14", she stepped down one foot at a time. Again, a respectable effort!

6. Stairs: walk up 4 steps with no handrail, one foot on each step: Grace has made great strides in stair climbing overall, though she still uses the handrail.

Again, overall, I am very pleased with Grace's gains! I feel she will continue to steadily improve and I have no concerns about her progress. Let me know if you have any questions.

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I am so proud of my little sweet pea.