Update #59

Group was cancelled this morning, so Ryan had a break this morning before PT. In PT, the therapist worked with Ryan on transferring himself to the mat. She had him lay on the mat and did some exercises with his left arm. After that, Ryan worked on standing and finding his balance in front of a mirror. The therapist had him get on the Nustep for about 10 minutes. Normally, the therapist wraps Ryan’s feet to the peddles, but today he didn’t need it. 

In OT/KT, they worked with Ryan on sitting as well as weight-bearing from right to left. (So, while seated, they had him lean and put his weight on his right and left arms.) They had him lay back on the mat and do some jumping jack motions with him arms and legs. 

The therapists also had him do about five or six sit ups. They also did some arm exercises. While lying on his back, he had to punch his arm up in the air. He did great with his left arm. He had to lift weight on his right side. They used a five-pound squishy weight ball that he had to grip in his hand. 

In speech therapy, Ryan had to answer some questions that required him to think of the right word for something. So, the therapist would ask “what do you do with a watch.” And, Ryan would have give an answer like “tell time.” He was also asked to list as many items as he could in a specific category (like body parts, vegetables, or things you find in a kitchen).

At the beginning of the session he was show three items (keys, a calculator and scissors). He was asked to remember the three items. By the end of the session he remembered the scissors clearly. But, he said “phone” instead of calculator. After a little prompting, he was able to remember the other two items. 

I thought I’d keep the game going. After lunch I asked him to recall the three items, and he did. After dinner, I asked him if he remembered the three items, and he did! 

This afternoon, Ryan had a vision appointment. I brought him down to the clinic where he received a thorough eye exam. After some testing, they discovered that Ryan’s double vision might be due to his left eye being turned slightly (not enough to see, but enough to affect vision). They are going to speak with a specialist to have a look at Ryan and determine if surgery is necessary. 

After, his vision appointment, Ryan and I enjoyed the beautiful day. It was perfectly gorgeous outside.