Update #45

Today was a busy day! :)

For PT, Ryan worked on strengthening his hip muscles. The therapist had him kneel with both knees on the mat. This way, he is using his hips to stabilize himself versus his legs. The therapist also had him sit up on his own. He held a sitting position with no assistance for over a minute.

Ryan also did some exercises using his left leg to isolate his left hip muscles. His left leg is getting stronger every day.

OT had Ryan working on shaving his face with an electric shaver. He did a decent job. It was a little spotty, but he's getting there. They also had him take off his shirt and put it back on. (It sounds a little funny for them to want him to undress during therapy. But, the goal of OT is to improve his functional skills.) While he was trying to take the t-shirt off his left arm, he actually pulled his left arm back on his own (no stimulus or prompting needed).

KT did some chest press exercises with Ryan. His left arm is also getting stronger every day. The therapist is so pleased with Ryan's strength and progress he wants to add an additional therapy session in the afternoon with Ryan to strengthen his muscles.

Speech therapy met a big goal today. They do a daily assessment of Ryan's skills. He needed to score a 25 on the assessment to meet their goal. Yesterday he scored a 24, but today, he scored a 28. The assessment includes Ryan's ability to answer basic questions about where he is, what day it is, where he's at, why he is there, etc.

The therapist did more swallow tests using ice chips. Ryan did great as usual. If everything goes well tomorrow, I might be able to give Ryan ice chips over the weekend to help him practice chewing and swallowing.

Ryan is talking more and more every day. It's getting easier to understand him, though it is still difficult for Ryan to try and clearly enunciate each word.

Ryan had some more visitors today. He really enjoyed the visit from his buddies.

KT came back in the afternoon for his additional therapy session. They had him use a exercise bike. He peddled steadily for about 15 minutes. The therapist and I were really impressed.

After KT, we went outside and sat in the sun for a while. It was a beautiful day and I think Ryan really enjoyed the fresh air.