Physical and Occupational Therapy

Sandra Dodd

17 Jun 2015, at 9:12am

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Physical and Occupational Therapy

This is probably my biggest issue. One of my daughters has cerebral palsy. As I learn about unschooling I'm seeing therapy in a different light. This is something we have forced her to do from infancy because that what we were told to do, this is what was going to make her normal, like the rest of the kids. It doesn't sound like unschooling to me. We are currently taking a break from PT for the summer because we were all burnt out from it. I was tired of taking her and she was tired of going. With unschooling the child is trusted to learn what they need to learn when they need it. Is it the same for learning to walk, ride a bike, or use pencils and scissors effectively? I feel like I could help her do these things at home where she is more comfortable and feel less pressured by the standard of where she should be at this time in her life. (Her twin is typical I already have a constant reminder of where she should be.) But I also feel she should be followed by a professional because I am not. Therapy seems very structured and schoolish to me. Our lives revolved around her therapy sessions much like it revolves around school schedules, which is why we stopped. Are there other families here who can relate? Is stopping therapy to unschool completely and trust my child to do what she needs to do a wise move?
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-=-With unschooling the child is trusted to learn what they need to learn when they need it. -=-

Please avoid telling us what unschool is, or requires. It will keep you from learning, if you spend your energy telling us what you already "know."

Unschooling is about you and your family, living a rich life together. Trust might eventually be a big part of that, but don't act out trust, or think there's a rule about trust. Let trust develop naturally and gradually.

I don't like "... trusted to learn what they need to learn when they need it." as much as I like the idea of creating and maintaining an environment in which learning happens all the time.
Maybe subscribe here: http://justaddlightandstir.blogspot.com

Some of the past week's posts have been about how learning works. It's worth a look.

-=-With unschooling the child is trusted to learn what they need to learn when they need it. Is it the same for learning to walk, ride a bike, or use pencils and scissors effectively?-=-

First you set up a premise yourself and then you asked us a question based on that premise.

School has lists of expected times to know things like "to use pencils and scissors effectively." "Effectively" would be defined by those standards, so it could be measured and reported. Your question is very schoolish. DOES your child need to ride a bike? Is bike riding safe for a child with cerebral palsy? If she can safely, and wants to, learn to ride, then help her. If you can't, for some reason, or she needs a special bike.... these questions are all particular to your family. If you learn more about how learning works, and you change your point of view, the answers will come to you.

-=- Is it the same for learning to walk-=-

Learning to walk is not an unschooling question, is it?
If a child isn't physically able to walk (or see, or hear) then that will require special knowledge and effort and assistance.
If a child can learn to walk, she probably will, because people do that.
It's the same with reading and counting—if they're around people who are doing those things, they will figure it out, too.

Sandra

tallulahjoy@...

17 Jun 2015, at 10:27am

One of my daughters has cerebral palsy. She is (mostly) non-verbal, has complicated respiratory disease, and is unsteady on her feet. She had years of both physical therapy and occupational therapy with occasional short breaks when she and I both needed them. Therapy provides needed support in being as independently mobile and able to provide self-care (self-feeding, personal hygiene, etc) as much as is possible. My daughter would not have pushed herself to learn these skills on her own, although other individuals may be sufficiently self-motivated to learn and adapt without outside assistance. A neurologist predicted at age 2 that my daughter would never walk, but today she walks independently.

What I did to support her learning within the therapeutic environment was important:

(1) I was pro-active in seeking a therapist who related well with my daughter, who actively sought to discover her interests, and who then used those interests to engage my daughter's willing participation in therapy (i.e. made it fun and rewarding).

(2) I believed in the value of therapy, was intrigued by the fun ways a good therapist accomplished necessary goals, and I naturally projected a positive sense of joy and anticipation for therapy sessions. My daughter is very social and easily motivated by joy and positive interactions with others. I recommend scheduling therapy when both child and mother are at their best, rested, and fed. For us, mornings at around 9 or 10 were best, but each family will find the time that works best for them. (I also projected a positive attitude of calm to all of my children when they were young and needed a doctor visit. All of my children were calm during doctor visits throughout their early years.)

3) When we occasionally were "burnt-out" by therapy, we would take a short break. I didn't set a time for the break but simply resumed appointments as soon as we were rested, keeping the break fairly short. My daughter is now in her 20's and we only took a few much-needed breaks between the beginning of physical therapy at 3 months and it's conclusion at 18 years.

My daughter began to walk with a walker at 4 1/2 years and walked independently at 7 years. She spent some time using a wheelchair when she was 2-4 years, but left the wheelchair behind when she learned to use the walker. Learning to be independently mobile through whatever means works best for our children is key to their ability to explore the world and to discover who they are. You're right that much of the actual practice and work of therapy occurs at home with parental support. My daughter's therapeutic needs changed and evolved over the years and I am grateful we had the therapist to guide us both. The photos we have of my daughter's face glowing with pride and joy over her milestones at 4 1/2 and 7 are treasures.

K Pennell

18 Jun 2015, at 7:15am

During your break from PT, maybe think about her sessions. Were they helpful? I'm sure that you were told she needed them to "function" well. Do you see that she is functioning better, physically, from going to OT and PT? If so, but she hates going, think about ways to incorporate fun movement activities at home. Maybe ask them for fun ways to help her at home. Or look for therapists who are more fun. :-)

From: "Sandra Dodd Sandra@... [AlwaysLearning]" <[email protected]>
To: Always Learning <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2015 12:12 PM
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] Physical and Occupational Therapy