Leah's mobility has been growing and growing lately. She's getting more independent and wants to move around on her own much more than we've seen in a while. The other night she finally got herself up into her little foam chair. It sits about 4 inches off the floor and she's always struggled with being able to get up into it and turned around to sit forward. When she finally did it, she was so proud! She also figured out how to get herself into her zip-zac, which was pretty amazing as well. It's just too bad that she's not been too interested in zippa lately. I think the days of zippa are over, and it might be time for us to pass it along to another family. Tonight she got onto her skateboard and wheeled around the kitchen while I did dishes. We are so proud and excited to watch her get more comfortable with her body and figure out her way to move herself around.
We also had another wheelchair evaluation. Last fall at this time we had her chair evaluated. Because she'd only had it for less than 18 months, we didn't qualify with insurance to get her a new one. They made a few modifications to it, like removing the chest strap, moving the back rest farther back, and lowering the foot rest. The changes have been just fine for the last year, but now we really need to get her into something more appropriate. Ty met with a wheelchair vendor today and we'll be submitting paperwork to insurance to get Leah a bigger, lighter, and faster chair. She's tried out a version of this chair from some friends before, and it's a big difference in how she's able to move around. We're optimistic that this time we will get approval from insurance to get her into something more her size.
She is still doing quite well with walking. She is getting about an hour a day at school, usually after nap/rest time. We're going to ask them to get her doing some walking in the morning as well, so she can walk around the room with her friends. Right now her walking is usually done in the hallway while the rest of the class naps. While Ty was getting her wheelchair evaluation, he asked about walking sticks. Hopefully we'll get her with those pretty soon too. Lots of news on her mobility! Our almost-4-year old continues to explore and find ways to move her little body as best as she can.
Oh I will be praying that you get approval for her new wheelchair. Mobility is so important and I love that she has just thrived in all forms of it. I'm anxious to see about the walking sticks!! But... I will miss zippa.
ReplyDeleteKeep it up Leah!! We can't wait to see you!
Love, Aunt Boo
Mobility is very vital. This is why I literally have forced, harassed and begged the spina bifida clinic team we work with to not pretend that it does not matter. My child is only four months old now and this week I decided to get a head start on ordering her first wheelchair from the county. I also did a lot of research online to make sure that we know exactly what we are doing when it comes to getting a wheelchair. There are a lot of studies that have been published already on this topic. The more I learned about her diagnosis the more I understood why early mobility was good.
ReplyDeleteAll the articles which I have read in the past state why mobility is important for our kiddos. Limited mobility can ultimately be very detrimental to overall development so it is important to get a mobility aid as soon as possible no matter what. Since we live in Britain, I have already emailed the wheelchair services team for my area yesterday and also will post online for some more helpful recommendations and tips. Here we have a national car adaptation scheme as well covering all areas of the country. I plan on making some brief notes when we have our first ever evaluation appointment later on this week and asking them a few questions too.
We have a appointment on Thursday afternoon to discuss wheelchairs.