THE STORY OF COOPER
THEIR STORY
Before we met Cooper, was taking part in clinician-directed physiotherapy with a different provider. Unfortunately, he was losing interest in his sessions, becoming disengaged and was soiling himself. After speaking with his mother it became apparent that the previous program did not place the focus of Cooper’s treatment program around Cooper, the person.
Like so many kids, Cooper wanted to spend more time in the pool and riding his scooter. His challenge was that a lack of confidence in his physical ability was stopping him from doing what he loved.
CONDITION/s
Mild intellectual disability, global developmental delay, 22 chromosome deletion syndrome, low muscle tone, issues with soiling.
He presented with underdeveloped hand-eye coordination and balance for his age, and had difficulty performing fine and gross motor skills. This increased his risk of injury and impacted his confidence and ability to participate in activities of interest like skating, swimming and other sports.
THE MiM DIFFERENCE
At MiM, we are client-focused, and create personalised treatment plans for each person. During our initial assessment we spent time chatting with Cooper and his Mum about Cooper’s areas of interest. We wanted to know his goals and dreams.
We tailored his therapy to support his participation in those activities. Cooper wanted to be in the water and on his scooter. We needed to keep these goals in mind – time to hit the pool!
During the first few months of sessions, the weather was warm so we spent time in the pool playing animal-related games. These sessions were fun for a kid, but also highly effective in strengthening his pelvic floor and core strength.
As the weather cooled down, we started to use his scooter as a piece of exercise equipment. This got him comfortable on the scooter, while further engaging and developing his pelvic floor and core strength.
THE RESULT
Within 2 months of therapy with us, Cooper’s core stability strength and control had improved. The soiling stopped.
Cooper could then focus on improving his motor control and balance. He learnt to ride his scooter one-handed, performed his first jump (ollie) and can ride down a flat ramp.
We are now working on strategies to overcome the obstacles impacting Cooper’s ability to attend the skate park with his friends. We recently walked with him around the local skate park and chatted about these obstacles. We’ve developed a plan to get him scootering with his friends on the weekend.
It has been such a joy seeing Cooper progress both physically and mentally. He now knows that developing skills is possible. He’s confident enough to chat about other activities and skills he would like to do and learn, including kicking and catching a ball.
***Names have been changed to protect patient confidentiality.
