The perfect distraction for all that feels problematic and unresolved is Noah. He loves hippotherapy. He loves really any therapy that feels recreational to him. He's been doing a combination of multiple therapies daily. We recently started a new therapy with him back in October called MNRI (Masgutova Neuorsensorimotor Reflex Intergration). He's been responding tremendously well to it. We have noticed a big difference in his range of motion skills, hand coordination, and trunk and core strength. He seems to find his sessions very soothing and is content and relaxed. Shortly, thereafter we do hippotherapy on the same day. Maybe it's the combination of the two, I'm not really sure, but Noah has been doing things he was never capable of doing before. Each week little improvements, but this past session was nothing short of a Miracle.
Noah's head, neck and trunk control was perfect. Not one head dip, looking side to side, sitting tall. It was amazing. He's never been capable of anything close to that before, and he really maintained it for the entire half hour. But that wasn't the only thing. Noah spoke. Words that were crystal clear. And I wasn't the only one who heard it; three volunteers, the therapist and myself all heard it. Indisputable we all weren't imagining it. The words "Walk-On." Something every child is encouraged to tell their horse to get it to go. I don't know if I'll ever hear it again. I hope I do. I keep thinking if he did it once so clearly that he'll do it again. We all were in awe. One of those pinch me moments, I must be dreaming. It wasn't even mumbled or slurred. It was how I always imagined his voice and words would sound if he was verbal. I wish I would have had that moment in time on video. I keep replaying it my mind over and over, with a bit of disbelief but it really happened. It was real, we all heard it, we all recognized it.
Noah's skills at home are also soaring. He's always been able to roll, but now is moving faster by the day. He can get from the living room down the hallway and to any bedroom or closet within ten minutes or less all while closing doors behind him using his feet and arms. He's even learned how to get under beds and hide. And he's so incredibly pleased with himself, often getting agitated if he suspects I plan on moving him after all his hard work.
Perhaps he knows that I am simply in desperate need of some beautiful distractions to keep my mind from dwelling on the complications that come along with special needs parenting.
Love,
Noah's Miracle by Stacy Warden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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