Constraint Induced Therapy – Round Two, Day One

PM got her new cast put on this afternoon. She wasn’t too interested in getting a new “pink” when we talked about it, but like the trooper she is, she sat quietly and watched as they wrapped up her left arm. She picked out red this time, but we still call it her “pink”. If you’re not familiar with CIT, constraint induced therapy, you can read the definitions HERE. Basically, we are constraining the “good” arm to force her to use the weaker one. This should help the brain remember that the other side is available and help build stronger neuropathways. We saw pretty good results with the last session in October, so we wanted to get another one in before she gets to old for this type of therapy isn’t as effective. I have videos of her last session on YouTube. Having a cast that can’t be removed makes all of her daily activities become therapy. When you have a cast that can be removed, they know it. PM has already asked twice for me to take it off, when I tell her its “stuck” she accepts that answer and goes back to what she was doing. I can imagine her throwing more of a fit if she knew the cast came off and I just wasn’t removing it for her.

I’ve already noticed a few issues we didn’t have last time. 1.) PM no longer drinks from sippy cups and her little fingers just don’t wrap around a regular kid cup well enough to drink from it. 2.) PM wasn’t potty trained last time, so I will have to accompany her to every bathroom visit since she probably won’t be able to do it all alone. You can read about our last adventures with CIT in October HERE (start from the bottom). I’ll also be posting more on her Caringbridge site.

Today’s Tally:

# drinks spilled: 1.5

# times asked for “pink off”: 2

# of people who thought she broke her arm: 1

# times MD got clubbed with a cast: 4 - yes on purpose.