Miss Motivated

We had the coolest physical therapy session (PT) today! (We actually have two PTs....one is paid for by our insurance at Children's Hospital, and the other is through our school district.) Today was our weekly session with our school district PT. Since we have our annual IEP next Monday, she wanted to re-assess A to see which goals she has met and set some new ones.

First, she read off her notes from her initial assessment with A, which was done in mid-October...only about 6 months ago. She had jotted down that at that time, the longest A had walked independently was 10 steps; that she cruised all the time holding onto furniture; that she used her gait trainer (walker) to get around her classroom; and that she could not stand at all independently. In only 6 months, A has blown that assessment to bits. Today she walks 100% of the time independently, has walked at least 75 yards that I know of, can stand perfectly still in one spot for a while before losing her balance, and her gait trainer is collecting dust in the garage, ready to be donated to someone who needs it. Heck, last month she did her first race, a 50 yard Toddler Trot!

The PT kept expressing that she couldn't be more amazed at A's rapid progress. She did not do an official inventory (she had done the Peabody in October, but you can only do it once a year to be valid so she couldn't not repeat it today). She said that A had scored in the less that 1% bracket in mobility for her age. Of course, we don't know her percentile today, since she did not do the test, but without a doubt A is catching up. She said that not only is A gaining ground, but she cannot believe how QUICKLY she is doing so!

The best part of the session, however, was the PT talking about A's personality. She said that A is very motivated, and that motivation is something that cannot be taught. You either have it or you don't. According to her, it is very difficult, as a therapist, to work with a child who is not motivated; it's like pulling teeth to get anything done. But A IS motivated. She is very social, and wants to be like her older brother and her peers at school. She works hard every session, and this has paid off in spades.

Above all else, hearing how motivated my daughter is put a huge smile on my face. With motivation and hard work, there is NOTHING A can't accomplish, whether it is with her gross motor, language, or cognitive skills. I am so proud!