Little Bee in Physio

Back in October, when we were first told that Beckett was at a high risk of developing cerebral palsy, we were told that because he wasn't "medically complex", AHS could only offer physio through the Pediatric Rehabilitation Centre (PCR). We were also told that the referral itself would take at least 6 weeks, and the sessions would be every 2 weeks (optimistically) and many of them would be through Zoom. To be quite frank: this was, and is, total crap. 

I read a book when Beckett was in the NICU called "The Boy Who Could Run But Not Walk" - I won't summarize the book here, but it's written by a neonatologist/pediatric neurologist. The book emphasizes, and the author's lifetime work reinforced, that early intervention with therapies (such as physio) is critical in maximizing the outlook for kiddos who are neurodivergent. 

We were very disappointed that this was all that was able to be offered through our public healthcare to Beckett at such a critical point in his development. Keith and I started asking around and Googling for private clinics that offered services that would benefit Beckett's development at this key stage in his life. We found the Canadian Center for Development (CCD).

From the first appointment at CCD, we could tell that these professionals would be able to help Beckett find and reach his potential. Not only that, but where previous doctors had offered negativity and dread, they offered optimism and positivity. They instantly became part of our team, cheering Beckett on. 

We've been taking him for weekly appointments, where the focus has been on independent sitting, weight bearing in his arms, and head and trunk control. While he is still working on all of these things, we've seen huge progress. They use lots of cool tools, equipment, and modern techniques with the intent of building new neural pathways to improve motor function. It's a really special place, and I highly highly recommend it to anyone in a similar place with their little one.

At the end of February, we had Beckett in for his first "therapy intensive". This involved 1 physio therapist (PT) and 1 occupational therapist (OT) appointment every day for a week. He also had 3 pediatric massages, which he totally loved. The exercises in PT were mostly the same as we had been doing for the previous months, but the continuous practice every day made a big difference. The OT appointments focussed on reaching and grabbing items - something that Beckett had not been doing until early in February. He advanced his reaching, his aim, and his grabbing in these appointments and continues with that progress with similar play activities at home with me.

Obviously I wish I could say that physio is a magical cure, and Beckett is back "on track". That's not the case, and he is still very much behind in his gross and fine motor skills for his age. However, with the hard work of the awesome PTs, OTs, and of course Beckett himself, we've seen and continue to see and celebrate his progress. I suppose it's possible that the progress would have happened anyway without the therapy, but I truly doubt it. I won't ever look back and regret spending the time and money on all of his physio... even if he can't ever walk, I'll know that we've done everything we can for him to reach his full potential. I don't think I would feel the same if we had stuck with only what AHS was able to offer - if he ended up not being able to walk, I'd wonder if more intensive and early intervention would have made a difference.  

We have another intensive booked for the start of June - this time it will be two whole weeks! I’m sure we’ll continue to see him progress in his skills between then and now - we’ll continue to celebrate the inch-stones.