“Small, Small – but GREAT Steps” – Helping My Neuro-Diverse Child with Physical Therapy

Physical therapy – it’s that thing you do when you injure yourself, right? You go to rehab, and you do physical therapy for a few weeks to help rehab your body. It helps your body relearn how to do things and gain strength in certain areas. 

Never once did I imagine my little baby would need physical therapy at 5 months. I didn’t realize things like sitting up would be so hard for her. Yet, here they are – and yet again, God has humbled me.

“Small, Small, but GREAT steps!”

Our sweet physical therapist said this to Paigey the other day as she was working on being on all fours. We have a wedge we use that she leans on, then puts her arms to the floor so she is bearing weight but she has help. Just keeping her hand flat and her head midline is huge for Paige. Keeping her hips straight and not falling back – those are great steps. 

For Paige, it’s the little things that make a big difference. But isn’t it that way for everybody? Doing something for 5 minutes adds up over time. The discipline of simply doing it, it’ll add up. No matter how small your steps are, they can be great. If not to you, maybe for your mom. 

Physical therapy isn’t about fixing a problem for Paigey. She will always have the problem. Paige can’t go to an intensive and all the sudden be fine. She can’t have five sessions in a week and not struggle. For her, it’s using the skills she already has. I want to help her know what to do to help herself, no matter how weak she is, because her little steps can be great. 

Being the Parent

As a mom, I am on the outside. I watch my daughter struggling to balance – trying not to fall. I see her crying as she’s just trying to bear weight on her hands. I watch other children as they run and talk at one year old, and my heart aches for that to be Paige. I dreamed the other day that she crawled – imagine that, crawling being a dream. 

Accepting that Paige has a neurological disorder is a big thing for me. She can’t walk, not because I didn’t do enough therapy, but because her neuro channels don’t work properly. No amount of effort will take that away. In order for me to help her the best, I have to accept that. 

The desire to keep holding my girl, to let her sit however she wants – it is very strong. It’s like cleaning your child’s room instead of asking them to do it. It takes double the time and they’re struggling to obey. For Paige, sometimes it physically hurts her to do something. Her body doesn’t have the strength. It’s easier for me to stop, to grab her up and tell her it’s ok. Yet then I think -I think of when I’m 55 and she’s 30. Who will hold her then? What about when she’s ten and I can’t carry her up the stairs then? If she’s not paralyzed, she has to learn what to do – I have to allow my child to have independence.

Learning the Lesson of Humility 

Because of Paige’s therapy, I am now working on “side sitting”. You know how doctors and chiropractors say “make sure you sit up correctly to protect your low back” and then constantly during the day we bend it and lift it without another thought? Well, here is my toddler, with a low tone, doing it the right way – without any complaints. So, she’s motivating me! If she can do it with a neuro disorder, I can do it with a “normal” brain!! 

Walking, putting a fork to my mouth, taking a shower without help, and even getting in and out of bed. This takes a lot of strength. It takes a lot of flexibility and coordination. I do it all day, without saying one thank you. 

Perhaps today, in your gratitude journal, say thank you for the ability to step. I don’t care how small – just say thank you, and think of little children like Paige.