Work and Play

It seems we are always looking for new ways to help Liam increase mobility in his muscles and joints. Well, it turns out, that over the course of the last few weeks, Liam has shown us a thing or two in what works best for him. When his physical therapist introduced him to a toy that he can activate by sitting and pressing a button, he was thrilled and shrieked in excitement.

Overnight, he seemed to be sitting up so much better on his own. Keep in mind, that though he is 10 months old, he is still struggling even with prop sitting. This is due to the awkward positioning of many months worth of castings on both of his legs. He has not been able to work to this milestone without a major obstacle. In the meantime, we have worked on other milestones, such as rolling front to back and back to front which he has mastered.

Most recently, we have been trying to find a way for Liam to effectively play with his toy laptop computer. It has these wonderful buttons that he loves to press. However, the restrictions in his elbows, wrists and shoulders prevent him from controlling the toy. Then I remembered we have a little stool that converts to a little chair. We use it as a makeshift desk for his little computer. Now, for the first time, he is motivated to press the buttons with his individual fingers rather than the flat side of his hand.

Can't you see I'm working here, Mom?

This little guy is going to be a computer whiz like his Dad!

We are also seeing a lot of increased range and mobility in his shoulders. We can lift his arms pretty high and open them up pretty wide. But the distance he can stretch himself is a different story as he is challenged by the shortened tendons in his joints. But as he continues to explore his environment and play with his toys, the tendons stretch and loosen and create less of a challenge each day. Also, of course, aggressive therapy plays a major role in his continued success.