This post is part of a mini blog series documenting four weeks of Constraint-induced Movement Therapy (CIMT).
The Constraint-induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) team has been working diligently on helping my daughter increase strength in her left arm so she can bear more weight on it. They have been arranging foam blocks and holding her in such a way that she can do a four-point kneel more easily and improve proprioception. We’ve worked through many tears and much crying but the persistence is paying off. She’s lasting longer and pushing through her arm more frequently, rather than pulling her arm in towards her body as she normally does. It’s incredible to see! Ben gets creative and has my daughter do tummy time on his chest which she prefers to floor time.
We are seeing so many changes in her development. She’s babbling a lot more and is making so many new sounds with her mouth. I suspect it’s due to the extensive amount of singing taking place in her therapy sessions. Many times I’ve heard and read that the brain reorganizes itself and I don’t think it’s farfetched to think that the intensive month-long CIMT therapy is influencing improvement in all sorts of spectacular ways.
Today we do many activities, including the one in the photo below. We place water-activated light-up cubes in a bin, dim the lights and immerse my daughter’s arm in the water to play with the cubes.
Cindy has a deep interest in Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) and is currently studying Early Childhood Education. She focuses most of her time on her energetic daughter: playing, cuddling and helping to make her world visually accessible. Cindy holds a degree in Marketing and has worked in the not-for-profit sector for many years.