He's at the point where he craves mobility but his body won't cooperate, yet. He can sit unassisted although he is still having issues with trunk support and endurance. He can roll around on the floor like it's nobody's business. But he's not crawling and he's only just begun to show interest in weight-bearing so standing/walking are a long ways off. However, cognitively he wants to be up and running which frustrates him greatly.
Linda observed how Jackson played and got a run-down of his current abilities from us and his therapists and discussed some of the options that might be available to him. It was decided that she would find a stander with wheels and a wheelchair for Jackson to try out.
The stander discussed, I believe, would be something similar to the Rifton Dynamic Stander (pictured below). The stander would strap Jackson into a standing position which would help to strengthen his legs and his core strength. It would also put him in a new position that he enjoys to be in but can't accomplish on his own. The stander would also have large wheels on the sides that he could propel himself. He's got great arm strength and loves to spin things so I think he would really enjoy this option, especially if it helps him get across the room. His Spec Ed therapist Phyllis also requested that the stander have a tray on it so that it would be easier for her to work (play) with him during sessions while also working his little leg muscles.
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| For more info on the stander go check out: Rifton Dynamic Stander |
The wheelchair is just that - a wheelchair. It would give him amazing mobility and independence. Not only would he be able to push the chair on his own, but there would be longer handles on it so that we can push it as well. It would most likely look something like this, I'm guessing:
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| Image from: 1-800-Wheelchair.com |
It was stressed that by no means does this mean Jackson isn't going to walk. This is just something to help him get around better and improve his quality of life. His therapists will still focus on getting him to crawl, stand and walk.
Some other things that we are going to try out are a bath system/seat and an adaptive stroller. Just as he does not sit assisted for long periods of time on hard surfaces, he doesn't in the bath tub either. But he loves to play and splash. We had been using the infant tub we had and that was working out okay until he grew out of it (fat man in a little tub...hahahahaha). I found a bigger infant tub at Weepeats back in September and that has been working great, but still not as fun for Jackson as he would like. The bath seat should, again, provide more independence and let him do what he loves a little easier....play! Some of the options I've seen can be found here. The stroller would provide better positioning and support for Jackson and most of them look like traditional strollers. Go here to see some of the options provided by 1-800-Wheelchairs.com.
Linda was going to find some models for Jackson to try and then we are going to meet again and see what he does with them and figure out which device would be the best fit. We're so excited to see how he reacts and what he'll do in them. I actually just got a call from Shelley today that Linda had found everything and wanted to meet up next week. So, more details to come soon!
yay! sounds great! it's amazing how much they have for kids/people these days. i can't imagine even 30 yrs ago, how little there was! i'm sure he'll enjoy all his "work" even more ;)