The first week

A note: we have actually already been on the therapy program for slightly over two weeks.  But I am going to write this first entry from the prespective that I had at the end of the first week.
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We have finished the first week.  It has gone much better than I expected.  We saw the therapist for an initial four hour session.  During that time she discovered that H. has a problem with her balance, she does not crawl normally (I never would have noticed either of these until she pointed them out), her short term memory is not functioning at as high of a level as a normal 8 yr old, and she does not stay focused (that I could have told her).  I had previously determined that 1 hr of exercises per day were all that I thought I could do and still give H. some free unstructured play time each day (since she also has school and homework).  So the therapist gave us a bunch of exercises to do, most lasting only 5 minutes. Listening to a book on tape for 15 min in her right ear only and listening to Mozart for 15 minutes are the two longer lasting exercises we have to do.  Another exercise is giving H. a deep pressure massage every day-my hands have begun to ache from the unaccustomed exercise.  Probably her least favorite exercise is the 5 minutes of crawling; she finds it boring.  However she has been doing them with at least reasonable good will.  There have been several days that we did not get to one or another of the exercises.  I have decided not to stress over it and to just do the best I can.

What has surprised me is that I can see a change in H. already.  She is doing better at copying down words  correctly at school and is doing better at focusing on her homework.  Normally I have to sit right beside her and practically keep my finger on whatever math problem she is doing in order to keep her even semi on track.  But the last few days she has been sitting down and doing them with little help from me.  Now I know this therapy is not supposed to show any affects for months at best.  So I doubt this change in behavior is due to the therapy directly.  Being a scientist, I am inclined to call it a placebo effect.  Being an engineer, my husband calls it the change in management effect (make any change and production will go up simply because the employees know you are watching).  Whatever the cause, it is a welcome change!  I hope it lasts.

-Chelle