Today we say adiós to new and old friends, to therapy partners, to spectacular parents, and to sweet kiddos! It is bittersweet to leave all of these people behind as we return to Arkansas, but we are so encouraged by everyone's determination, willingness, collaboration and the love that was poured out for each child this week. We feel so fortunate to have a partnership with Learning Spot because we know we are all working toward the same purpose of serving these kids.
Some say "all good things must come to an end", but we would like to say that "the good things are just beginning". This entire week we have seen so much progress and we KNOW it is only the beginning thanks to all the dedicated individuals we worked along side at Learning Spot this week.
By the end of the week, Mary (OT) was so excited because Abi was sitting on her own and even showing bravery to reach during sitting to grab toys! Also, she FINALLY allowed Kara to do her oral motor exercises without fussing and even ate a mashed up banana. This was so encouraging to mom and Kara was able to educate her on how to further develop feeding skills.
Juan Pablo progressed in so many areas this week! Not only is he making so many more sounds than the beginning of the week, but he was able to stand by himself for 4 seconds when working with Sherrie. He is a determined little man because he continued to try multiple times after that independent trial.
Angel, a familiar face, has really matured since last year and showed increased understanding and attention to tasks using a token chart. Kara, Katie, and Paige were able to get so much more engagement from him when using a token chart during therapy. BUT! Do. Not. Be. Fooled! He still tries to use his mischievous smile and sweet personality to get out of hard things! He'd much rather be on the move and playing on the trampoline!
Isaac has worked so hard all week and he was very much done with us today. He was so worn out, but it gave Sherrie an excellent opportunity to show the Learning Spot interns how to motivate and work with a child who is struggling. Isaac rallied a bit and was able to work with Sherrie and Mary today on strengthening.
Karla continued to nail each new PECS challenge. We are really so proud of her and just knew when we met her last year that she had a desire to communicate. It is truly such a blessing to see her blossom in this area! We would also be remiss if we didn't mention her fun relationship with our PT Eric! He is basically the biggest kid at heart and Karla must have known she found a kindred spirit in him! They had too much fun together!
Emma really opened up over the week! She easily gets the "Hardest Worker" Award! She worked through challenges like a pro and persevered through things that were tough in order to gain strength, independence, and joy this week! We can only imagine how difficult it might be as a teenager with hemiplegia who is around others daily who don't fully understand the ABILITY in disability. We only hope we were able to help her build her confidence to be the strong, courageous, bright, shining young lady we saw daily during our time at Learning Spot.
At the end of the day, an old friend stopped by Learning Spot! Juanito is a young man we met several years ago when we were asked by Diana to help find braces to aide with better walking. Juanito has significant tightness in one of his legs that causes him to walk high on his toe. Because of the discrepancy between his leg position, no ordinary brace would fit him the way he needed for good positioning. So, several years ago, our PT Charity casted and delivered a custom set of braces, and this year Sherrie and Eric were able to cast him for some new ones! Juanito has a smile and personality that is unforgettable and we were so glad to see him again and serve him in this way!
Our time here always ends with a time of appreciation for those we work with throughout the week. We speak with the parents, interns, and staff to thank them for their willingness to collaborate and work along side us all week. Without them our partnership and collaboration would not have nearly the impact it does on the sweet kiddos they serve daily. It was amazing to share fun times with the staff and interns, and to see them open up, ask questions, get curious and creative, and really engage in the therapeutic process for each child. However, nothing hits home for us like hearing the stories from families we worked with all week and learning what this week has meant to them and their child. We were all very grateful for the time we got to spend together and learn from one another!
We would also like to say a HUGE thank you to our dearest friend Anita for her amazing hospitality!
Until next time Guatemala!