Abhi started swimming lessons!

Every academic year, I get the same feeling, tension, anxiety etc. What the new teachers may tell... Whether they will accept abhi's difficulties. The start of this year, the new reason for my anxiety was that the school have made sports activity compulsory for every child from class VI onwards. The students will be taken to YMCA grounds, as the school do not have enough ground space for different sports like cricket, football etc.

With a heavy heart, I went to talk to the Principal. She said, Abhi can join swimming and try it out. May be it will do good for him.She said she has watched him for the past years and definitely he will enjoy with the other kids. He would not want to be left alone. Infact, her confidence on Abhi, was the real confidence booster for me. Also she said I can accompany to the pool if I feel so. I came out of the room, thanking God, that there are people around us who understand, support and care.
I talked with Abhi and he was excited about swimming. The first day, he was very much scared. Though the water level was upto the chest only, he was not having the grip of the feet. I talked with the coaches also. Let him learn in his own pace.

Water therapy is a very good for improving the muscle strength, coordination etc. It works on almost all the muscles i think. As the Prinicipal has told, it may be really good for Abhi.

Wet clothes and sponges.

Wet clothes and sponges give a good exercise and massaging to the fingers. Keep aside one or two new table wipes, big sponges or cotton clothes in different colours for the children to use. Make sure that the cloth or sponge is bigger than their palm.!

How to :

• Request them to help you in wiping the table, wash the car, wipe the mirrors etc.
• After each wipe ask them to dip the sponge in the water and squeeze the water out.
• For the car wash, add little soap and I am sure they will enjoy!
• Ask them to help you in washing their socks, handkerchiefs etc while you are washing their uniform.
• Tip them with small gifts, story books or coins for their piggy banks, once they are done with helping and squeezing the sponge.

Other ideas

• Give them water colours, sponge and charts. Show them how to dip and use sponge to make pictures on the chart, like leaves of trees, water, sea, sky etc
• Ask them to imagine and do pictures of their own. Do not tell rules that you have to paint like this, let them use their own imagination.

Note: Many times children's imagintion is very wild. It may not match ours, as we think more towards reality. They may paint the leaves red, flowers blue. But try not to restrict their imagination.

Occupational Therapy

Physio therapy is generally like doing rigorous exercises, which will improve the muscles, flexibility of the body etc, catering to the overall structure of the body.
Occupational Therapy is more specialized therapy designed to enable/improve the individual to work with their arms and hands and achieve to function as independently as possible in their daily living activities. Generally it focuses on developing functional skills related to sensory-motor integration; coordination of movement; fine motor skills; self-help skills (dressing, self-feeding, etc.); learning alternative methods like using computers. The trained occupational therapist will be able to guide depending on the person’s abilities.

I have noticed with pain, it is so difficult for Abhi to do many activities which most of us do quite naturally. And the most difficult part for the other members of the family is the test of patience. We need to give more time for them to do by themselves. Also restrict ourselves from doing it for them, when we see them struggle to do.

Working out with a OT therapist is required. Many of the activities can be things we do with out much awareness or effort. So initially it did not even cross my mind that I will have to train Abhi or make him to practice doing these activities separately. In this aspect, the therapist will have many ideas and suggestions to guide. Going to V-Excel for OT has been very helpful.

Coming blogs, I will write some of the activities which we do and which I believe has improved Abhi’s motor skills and his daily activities.

How much should I do ?

Many times I have wondered how much should I work out with Abhi, so that I can make him better and reduce his difficulties. I have shared similar feelings with other mothers who have children with special needs. We want to give our children the best possible to make them near normal child. But in the run, the child should not be get stressed out or exhausted.

When I take my son out to park, social functions, gatherings etc, advises pour in abundance.
"I did that to my son, he got cured completely, now he is..."
"Do oil massage every day for 1 hour..."
"Send him for this and there will be difference in 15 days " and so on.

When I hear all these initially I used to get perplexed or feel guilty. Am I not doing enough for abhi. If I do that also, will it be beneficial.? But I found that I cannot do (or make him do) all these apart from his daily routines, reading/writing, school work etc etc. Worrying will only make me down and I feel dejected and irritated.

I slowly started to look in a different perspective. We are the best judge. I began to see from abhi's angle also. If he is comfortable or if he enjoys, we do that more - like cycling, paper cutting, working with clay and beads etc. Somethings I have to remind him often that it is good for him - like Physio therapy, Yoga etc.

More about Yoga, exercises and other activities in later posts...