Does anyone here have a baby that got physical therapy?

amother

Seashell

Thu, Aug 06 2020, 9:35 am

amother [ Violet ] wrote:

I guess I just can’t imagine any reason for a parent not to get their child the help they desperately need.

This. So sad. Children at 14 months should be standing cruising and then walking, and you have 4 kids that couldnt even roll over and you arent getting help? I cannot imagine a valid reason for this. I feel so sad for your kids.

Your title is comparable to asking,
Anyone here ever got surgery? I am pretty sure I need surgery and thinking of doing it myself but cant find info online how to do it. Hope this is a wakeup call.

Just One

Thu, Aug 06 2020, 9:46 am

A child learns and discovered the world through physical exploration. What you are describing are severe delays which might have a cognitive impact. It's possible that your child will catch up in time, but there's no way of knowing that right now.
I honestly can't think of any advice. It's impossible to give you exercises to do without knowing the cause of the delay. Obviously give your child plenty of tummy time and make sure she isn't sitting in a prone position (baby swing, bouncer etc) for large chunks of time.
Hatzlacha! I really hope you somehow manage to get your child the help they need

Mommyg8

Thu, Aug 06 2020, 9:58 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I have a few questions
If a baby is in need of physical therapy (low muscle tone or floppy, cant roll over at 8 months or not walking by age 18 months etc..)
and they do NOT get any physical therapy- does it have some sort of ramification on their health? If a baby is very delayed physically, but otherwise healthy, and it takes them a lot longer to reach milestones then the traditional ages, and they dont get any therapy for it, does it have some sort of bad ramification?eventually they will reach those milestones just many months later. (No diseases or underlying reasons for the delay)

and what kind of therapy exercises have physical therapists done with your babies if they received PT? can anyone please describe some simple gentle exercises
that a PT did with your infants?

My baby is already 14 months and looks like she is 7 months. Shes tiny and only now learned to roll over. She can only sit up with support. She is nowhere near crawling let alone walking. She hates tummy time.
The thing is I have 3 older kids who were the EXACT same way. they were all delayed. none received therapy. Eventually they caught up. they are all solid healthy running around kids now.
They did not get therapy for reasons I cannot disclose.
The thing is my instinct says that this baby is even more delayed than her siblings . and my mothers heart wishes she could get therapy. Its not an option and please dont ask why.

so my question is will it have some sort of lasting effect and can anyone please describe some gentle therapy I can do with her myself?

I'm sorry, OP. There is no advice anyone here can give you that you cannot give yourself.

Hatzlacha and I hope things can change about getting the help...

amother

Burgundy

Thu, Aug 06 2020, 10:00 am

My imagination is taking me to dark places. If it were only up to you, you would get your child therapy. But someone is holding you back from doing that for your children? It's a big delay. Your instincts tell you it's necessary. Do your instincts the you anything else about the situation your in? Is there any other kind of support we can help you find? Shalom task force now has WhatsApp. You can call, email, text or even WhatsApp them. 888-883-2323

amother

Royalblue

Thu, Aug 06 2020, 10:04 am

OP I am just going to answer your question straight even though there is a lot more I want to say but I think it will fall on deaf ears.

Yes there can be ramifications for children later on. The whole reason there is an EI program which is funded by government in many areas is because the problems are easier to fix the younger the child is. As the grow up the gap becomes wider and more intervention is necessary. No one here can tell you whether or not your child will be fine as we have no idea what her issue is but to be honest it sounds pretty severe if she can't sit up by 14 months.

Hatzlacha

amother

Violet

Thu, Aug 06 2020, 10:35 am

amother [ Cobalt ] wrote:

I’m being d’lkz that she’s a shlucha in a remote country with no services. Can’t imagine any other valid reason.

That’s very kind of you. If I knew who op was I would 100% report this to child protective services.

Many many people move from not such remote places to NY to be able to get services for their children. As I said, I can’t imagine one valid excuse for this.

Sunny Days

Thu, Aug 06 2020, 10:42 am

amother [ Bronze ] wrote:

My son is getting PT through telehealth. So there are options for doing this completely remotely.
Maybe pay for a consultation over telehealth so someone can teach you what to do.

Telehealth is better than nothing, but still you can’t feel how floppy/tight a child’s muscles are to better guide...

amother

Puce

Thu, Aug 06 2020, 11:03 am

I have a cousin who was a premie. Was slightly delayed but nothing major and his parents never bothered giving him therapy as he never seemed to need it. Fast forward 7 years and he can't write. They went for an assessment and found he's really weak and needs strengthening exercises etc. But it's like playing a game of catch-up because he needs those skills already. Whilst if he'd had the therapy when he was younger, he wouldn't be struggling now.
You really need that initial therapy assessment to see where the issue lies, it doesn't help for us to offer exercises because we don't know the underlying issues that are causing it. Different issues need different help.

amother

Seashell

Thu, Aug 06 2020, 11:41 am

My daughter got PT virtually for months.
Absolutely YES there can be MAJOR ramifications later on if you don't deal with now. the first 12 months are crucial developmental windows that if not accessed may never be the same later on. I feel like crying for these poor poor kids! WHY would you not get them help?!?!?

amother

Amber

Thu, Aug 06 2020, 12:18 pm

I have a child who was showing signs of various issues but the pediatrician and others kept saying he is fine just immature.
I actually paid for my own evaluation & pt but the therapist was unreliable and barely ever showed up.
Well guess what? Said child is a lot older now and now needs lots of pt and ot. Has no core strength, low muscle tone etc.
All of this impacts his daily life & abilities.

Teomima

Thu, Aug 06 2020, 12:31 pm

One of my twins was in the NICU after she was born due to IUGR. There she was dismissed with PVL (in simplified terms, cysts in her brain) and required physical therapy her first year. In her case it was to help assess the extent of her brain damage due to her PVL, which can limit motor skills. What we found was though her motor skills were a bit delayed, they still progressed normally, just at a much slower pace. Ultimately I don't know how much the PT really did for her but the help was invaluable in knowing when she hit the milestones she needed to.

amother

Thu, Aug 06 2020, 1:03 pm

Im going to try to push for PT again and hope for the best. Thanks to those who are supportive and not yelling at me for things that are not in my control.

telehealth appointments might be an option. even if virtual may be better than nothing. I will look into that.

I wish someone would have given even one idea, just one thing I can do with her. I know that tummy time is super important even though she hates it. How do I strengthen her arms and legs though? How do you teach a child to push themselves up to a sitting position if shes simply not strong enough?
I looked up all the conditions people here listed and she doesnt have any of those. Her neck is not tilted, her back is straight. She knows how to wave at people.
Ive been searching youtube for therapists that work on babies who cannot crawl but cant find anything.

21young

Thu, Aug 06 2020, 1:23 pm

OP, you can’t find anything online because PTs go to school for many years in order to diagnose and treat. There’s no exercise you can find online without an eval. A good therapist will give you a home exercise plan that is tailored to your child so even an eval and one session will give you what you’re looking for. I second the recommendation to reach out to Shalom Task Force if that is holding you back. Now with coronavirus there is a lot more telehealth options, please look into it.

amother

Tan

Thu, Aug 06 2020, 1:30 pm

I did have a baby who is similar to how you describe yours. He was referred for PT at 9 month well check when he wasn’t crawling yet and hardly rolling over, very small. He started EI at a year for about a year. Some exercises I remember is putting him on his knees/crawling position and gently rocking to encourage crawling. also rolling a little thin blanket and holding under him to keep belly off the ground (hard to describe) but most of all lots of yummy time. During that year of EI, he learned to crawl, walk, and even go up/down stairs etc. He may have slowly caught up on his own but I’m thankful he had the services. He is now 5 and still gets physical therapy since he is low muscle tone and overall weak. In general, the more physical activity you encourage the better.

That being said, I agree with the other posters who pointed out that it seems like there you have a much bigger problem here than a child in need of PT services. I hope you can somehow address that bigger issue and hopefully the rest will fall into place. Best of luck with everything!