I probably don’t have much time to write, but I want to share the great opportunity I had today in the clinic! A little girl with Cerebral Palsy came in, as she does each year when the Xavier team visits. She is hypotonic and nonverbal, and the sweetest little girl. Many of us piled into the room as Dr. Lauri examined her and found that she was in good health. I have worked with adults with CP back home, but haven’t had the chance to see how abnormal muscle tone affects a child’s development. Lauri was talking to the mother about some services and therapy that Luisa is able to have, which was also really neat to hear. The mother mentioned that Luisa has a walker at home, and I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to go to the home and look at the walker. It wasn’t a medical walker as I imagined, but a baby walker that you sit a child in. The mother had adapted it so that Luisa could fit into it. We had Luisa walk towards her mother and saw that she only used her right foot to move. She went in circles at first then adapted what she was doing so she could move sideways to her mother. I measured Luisa for a walker height so that we can hopefully bring one back next year that will fit her. We also walked into the house to see where she sleeps and eats. We found that she would be able to use a walker anywhere in the house and that a high chair would be useful for her to sit in to eat. It was almost as if I was doing a real home visit and evaluation as an occupational therapist! When we were finished we thanked her family and walked down the hill back to the clinic. We were greeted by the smiles of many Guatemalans headed up the hill with a baby on their back. We stopped to admire the beautiful scenery down to the lake and Rabbi pointed out banana plants and other things we saw.
Just last night my roommate asked me if and how I have seen things related to occupational therapy in the clinic. I almost forgot about the fact that Luisa comes into the clinic each year when we are here, but I am so glad that she did!
March 7, 2014
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