Blog #7


 "It takes a village." This saying is something you often hear parents say when raising a child, especially in the early phases. I had never truly understood this saying, but these past 3 weeks have really put it into perspective for me. When it comes to kids, they are already very high-maintenance and energetic, but when you add special needs on top, they can become even more high-maintenance and time-consuming. I have seen many families come through the clinic with multiple children, some with multiple children there for therapy, and some who just don't have someone to stay with the siblings, so they have to bring them along. Sometimes my job has just been to keep the other siblings occupied so the patient and therapist can focus and work. I have seen parents come in very overwhelmed for a multitude of reasons, but it often comes down to frustration and the whirlwind of emotions that come with seeing your child in therapy. In therapy, the smallest achievements are huge, but to parents and the naked eye, it may seem like no progress is happening. The last thing parents need to worry about is their other kids while they are at therapy, so if I need to step away from the actual session and help the family out, I am more than happy to. 

There have been a few specific instances where this has happened, and they not only made a big impact on the families but also on myself. One specific family left a long-lasting impact on me. I was working in PT and our patient was a 10-month-old twin. Both of the parents wanted to come to the appointment, so they brought the twin brother along as well. The twin receiving treatment was very developmentally behind, while the other twin was developmentally advanced and very inquisitive about everything going on. Understandably, the patient was screaming and crying and just wanted her parents, but they still had to worry about her twin brother. I could see the parents were getting overwhelmed and flustered with everything, so I took the brother into a different room to pick out some toys and distract him while his parents dealt with the sister. While to me this didn't seem like a big deal, the parents were so appreciative of my actions. They explained how hard it is at home, and that being able to just focus on the one twin and her therapy was life-changing. This experience made me realize how far the little things go and how many people it takes to help a family. 

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