Lots of Learning today at Learning Spot Guatemala!

We returned to Learning Spot today knowing we had a long, but fun day ahead of us!

Our day began with all of us meeting up with our sweet kiddos to continue working toward the goals we set at the beginning of the week, training staff, and supporting parents. Here are the highlights of our day:

Karla got to visit with the PT for the first time this week and she loved MOST of it! She wasn’t too interested in the strengthening, but she LOVED learning to jump, marching in place, and playing soccer. Her mom requested she learn to continuously kick a soccer ball and boy does she know her girl well! The smile as she ran after the ball was just precious! We are SO impressed by Karla’s mom and her willingness to step up to the plate and help her girl learn. Today, she ran Karla’s ST session with the assistance of Paige.  She has also started identifying letters in occupational therapy! 

Angel got a big dose of our behavior specialist, Mary Claire, as he learned to work hard to earn his reward! He learned to make choices and put away toys before he was able to get anything else. His mom will surely benefit from this skill!

Nicolle got some extra special one-on-one time with ST Alyson who took her lunch time to help Nicolle and her mom continue problem solving the safest and most efficient way for her to eat. This has been a work in progress, but we are getting close to finding the best solution we can; and, Nicolle’s mom has been so open to collaborating with us! We are so blessed by her willing spirit.

Sophie has been making big gains in occupational therapy with Katie! Today, she wrote her name on her Easter craft during our group activity with very little help AND tied a shoe all by herself! Additionally, she continues to work hard with ST Paige on production and articulation of her words.

Esteban had significant aversion to oral motor exercises on the first day during his evaluation, but today, he tolerated them calmly with his ST Alyson! Esteban continues to work hard in PT. He was fitted for new, wedged AFOs that will allow him a slight stretch, but fit easily for longer wear.

Each day before lunch we organize a group activity and today’s task was dying Easter eggs! This was easily our most successful group activity to date. Nicolle sat up tall in a corner chair while dying her Easter egg with Ms. Katie; Sophie stood on two balance discs and sequenced her way through dying her eggs; Karla sat sweetly and used dot markers to decorate her Easter picture; and, Angel actually participated today as he dropped the eggs into the dye and scooped them out with a spoon. Esteban enjoyed pushing stickers onto his artwork he had made with Mary Claire earlier in the morning.

Our late afternoon consisted of LOTS of education! Katie and Mary Claire educated the parents of our kiddos on sensory activities that can be done in the home and Kelly taught the staff the progression of balance attainment.  Tonight was a special night of education where all the parents of the children served at Learning Spot were invited to come hear us speak. Kelly opened with why it is important for therapists and parents to collaborate as a team to progress the skills and function of their children. Then, the group was split in two.  Mary Claire and Katie gave basics of sensory integration and behavior management, while Alyson and Paige spoke on early language development and speech production.

It was a VERY productive day and we are excited to see what our last day at Learning Spot has in store! These kiddos have made such great gains already and we are encouraged by the engagement and willingness of all involved to continue on once we leave Guatemala.

Fun Times at Learning Spot!

One loooong Update!

Hello all TEAMworks blog followers! So sorry for the late update! We have had a few issues with internet, but…WE MADE IT!
After a smooth check in and on time flights, we arrived in Guatemala late on Friday night. We were welcomed by two of our favorite people (Diana and Anita) who graciously picked us up at a late hour and whisked us of to our home for the week!

Before we begin, a history lesson…

On one of our first trips to Guatemala, we met a woman named Diana. She was a special education student at a university here in Guatemala. Upon graduation, she had a dream to start her own therapy clinic where she would serve kids who couldn’t afford therapy. She dreamt she would provide special education services and basic therapy services for a fraction of the price families would typically pay for outside services!  Learning Spot was born! Diana has been a great connection for us during our many years of serving in Guatemala and we occasionally helped out by seeing some of her kiddos on previous trips, but THIS time we wanted to collaborate to establish long term therapy care of the kids she serves at Learning Spot. 

So, lets meet our very own TEAMworks/Learning Spot Fab 5 and see what they have been up to for the past couple of days with our therapy team!

Nicolle
Nicole has been working hard in speech on feeding. She works really well with Alyson who has been working extra hard to help her and her mom get a more coordinated feeding routine down. In OT, Nicole has been enjoying her time with Mary Claire rolling and popping bubbles. Nicole LOVES bubbles! In PT, Nicole was fitted with some braces so she could stand upright in a stander. This is the first time she has been in a standing position!! Also, JUST LOOK AT THAT SWEET SMILE!!!

Angel
This spunky boy has had us all on our toes this week! He’s got AMAZING potential…if only one of us could get him to sit still. Just kidding (sort of…). With only two days of speech therapy with Paige, Angel has been using a communication device to request items he wants, as well as gain multiple sounds using tactile cues.  OT has been working on sitting to play at the table with different fine motor activities for up to 3-5 minutes, which is a significant fete for this little Tasmanian devil!  PT is working on controlled movement and strengthening. He really enjoyed popping bubbles with his toes!

Karla
This sassy, yet non-verbal, little lady is learning to use PECS (picture exchange) with Paige and Alyson and has rapidly gained the skills to request what she wants and it has made a HUGE difference.  OT has been working hard at actively engaging Karla in puzzles, learning her shapes, and arm exercises using weights and popping bubbles! PT is waiting to see Karla for the week, but it is sure to be a good time working on balance, coordination, and gaining strength for improved walking patterns.

Esteban
This handsome face is familiar to some veteran TEAMworks therapists and stole the hearts of our new therapists! He has been working on oral motor exercises and tolerance with Alyson and Paige; as well as eye gaze communication on an eye gaze  board.  PT had a successful day today with extra hard work in hands and knees, side sitting, and neck exercises for strengthening.  OT has been working on activating toys and playing with hands in midline by lying on his side with good success!

Sophie
Sophie is our jokester! If you’re not careful she will show up behind you with a sneaky tickle! Sophie has been working SO hard in OT with Katie and Mary Claire to write her name and today she wrote it for the first time by herself! In Speech therapy, Alyson and Paige have been working on breaking down syllables for word production and improving Sophie’s clarity when she talks. And PT….well PT is not Sophie’s favorite, but she worked hard today to strengthen her legs and improve coordination.

Every day we have given a staff training to those who work and intern at Learning Spot in hopes they will be able to use some of these more advanced techniques to further the therapy of the kiddos once we leave. We have been so encouraged by their engagement in each training and are POSITIVE they will do great things when we are gone. Additionally, we have given a parent training at the end of the day for simple ways to incorporate speech, OT, and PT into the home with their kiddos! They have been so responsive and have been asking really great questions! We are so blessed to be in such a collaborative environment with all of these professionals and families working to help each of these sweet children! We are excited to see what these last few days have in store!

Stay tuned!

Oh… and we hiked a volcano! 

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TEAMWorks Guatemala May 26, 27, & 28, 2017

Hello, sweet friends!  Here we are entering day 3 of our trip, and we haven't posted a single blog post... What?!  Yes.  After spending the day Friday travelling from Fayetteville to Guatemala City, we finally were able to get some rest around 1:30am.  However, those alarm clocks had us up early Saturday morning to prepare for the long drive ahead.  It took us about 8 hours to get to the remote village of Ruel Choc where we were greeted with tons of smiling faces. 

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Our team worked hard until about 9:00 that night.  Katie was able to provide a sling and some instruction to an elderly woman who had broken her arm 14 years prior.  She had not sought out medical care, and the sling was able to provide her some comfort and more appropriate positioning. Paige encountered many children with hearing loss, lack of speech and some oral motor concerns. Abby provided a sweet gentleman with a leg deformity with a new set of crutches and a knee brace. We were able to provide a wheelchair for a boy that had previously been bed ridden.   We were able to provide care and instruction to 18 people, and after a long day, we felt very blessed to get to rest our tired legs once again at the beautiful Finca Chapultepec.  ​

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On Sunday morning we woke to the beautiful coffee farm ready to go!  We spent half the day at Campur holding a community clinic for some residents.  Paige was able to help a set of deaf siblings make gains towards verbal communication and provided great instruction to a very determined momma.  Abby instructed them on exercise and blood flow for sister who also had a heart defect, and brother was fitted for an ankle brace and advised on knee pain.  Katie, Paige and Abby were all three able to come together to care for a sweet (but very rambunctious) little guy with speech and physical health concerns.  ​

We are up at at it this morning to head to Chimaltenango where we will revisit a boy involved in a bike wreck and drop by Mama Carmen's Farm!  This has been a great group so far, and we are blessed to be on this mission together.  

TEAMWORKS CHINA-OCTOBER 28, 2016

We started Day 3 in China with our breakfast soup and seeing kids at Dr. Lin’s clinic.  We knew we had a busy day ahead of us but jet lag started to set in by mid-morning.  But, this was nothing that a run to the nearest Kentucky Fried Chicken for coffee couldn’t cure.  Yes, that is KFC for coffee! It is as popular as Starbucks in China and did the trick to revive Amy.  Lori and Amy both spent the morning assisting with evaluations and treatment.  Lori also got the chance to educate on Torticollis assessment and treatment.

We were really excited during the morning when Dr. Lin suggested that they could contact a couple of the families that we saw yesterday at the apartment complex to come to into his clinic for a follow up visit and additional services.  We thought this was such a kind gesture to provide additional services, but knew the logistics of getting these families to see us were going to be difficult.  First, we had no idea how to contact these families or even what the names of the two sweet kids were.   In addition to these hurdles, the apartment complex was over an hour away and we knew having the resources to make that trip would be difficult.  But, within 2 hours the staff from Dr Lin’s clinic had managed to reach both families and the invitation to come see us was extended and accepted.  Dr Lin’s clinic arranged and took care of the transportation for them, and they arrived to the clinic by 3:00pm.  This was a huge answered prayer!

So, Lori got to spend the afternoon going over the treatment activities in more detail and demonstrating therapy while the translator took detailed notes to send home with the families as a reference.  The little boy scissored when he walked and Lori was able to provide straps and show mother how to facilitate much improved walking!  This was the highlight of the afternoon.  Amy got to spend a few minutes with each family as the day was wrapping up observing a quick snack time and making suggestions for improved oral motor and communication development.  Both of the mothers were very appreciative and one of them was very hands on and quick to try the suggestions that Lori made.

We appreciate the prayers as we wrap up our time here and start our journey home.  Our prayers are that each person we have been in contact with this week would be pointed to Him.
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace…” 1 Peter 4:10

TEAMworks China-October 25-27, 2016

Hello from China!  We are thankful for a smooth trip and warm welcome from our friends here.  We arrived with our four suitcases and got to ride to the clinic the first morning with the trunk open and backseat full because we had some difficulty getting all of our supplies to fit!

We’ve had a busy two days.  On Wednesday we evaluated new children at Dr. Lin’s clinic and got to see some familiar faces!  We are always excited to see the same children and families and continue to build these relationships.

Amy did a quick presentation on Thursday morning for the staff that provided some new information for assessments and treatment approaches for young children with Autism.  After this, we enjoyed spending the rest of the morning seeing the kids from the day before.

On Thursday afternoon we traveled across this little city of 11 million people and visited a housing complex designated for children with special needs.  Families who have a child with a disability are provided government assisted housing and live together in a community of apartments.  We were initially told we would see three children but word quickly spread and we had a crowd and were packed like sardines into a small common space on the 2nd floor of the complex.  It felt like true TEAMWorks style.  Lori was in high demand this afternoon with every child coming through the door having a physical need.  Dr. Lin was busy reading X-Rays in the afternoon window light, translating, and assessing children.  Amy was named a SPOT by Lori (Speech-Physical-Occupational Therapist) helping children with basic communication, oral motor techniques, reaching, sitting, and facilitating some standing and tummy time!  Lori was able to do her magic on some orthotics using a borrowed hair dryer and a decorative flower spoon for one little boy.  We made friends with many of the children quickly but some were very uneasy and needed more time.  One dad (who also had a significant physical disability) expressed concerns about his little boy’s oral motor skills.  The little boy would have absolutely no part in Amy getting any where near his mouth, so dad became the patient, and Amy demonstrated oral motor exercises on the dad.  We saw several older children with significant needs, and enjoyed just spending some time loving on them and encouraging their parents.  Our hearts were broken for the amount of needs yet full because we got the privilege of serving.  We were able to give all of the children a toy as we left and a paparzzi style photo shoot ensued! This gave us a nice laugh on the way out for the afternoon.

“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

PS Amy didn’t eat all 3 bowls of breakfast soup alone.