Thursday, March 9, 2017

All About Therapy - Part 1

This world I now live in with a special needs child includes hours and hours of therapy appointments.  Zachary's first therapy session began when he was 4 months old. He was teeny tiny and the muscles in Zachary's body were so limp and that he could not even hold up his head.

We started weekly therapy sessions a couple of years before we even knew if or what syndrome Zachary may have had. What we did know was that things just weren't right.


Zachary is now 2 months away from turning 6 years old. Together, he and I have attended over 68 months of therapy. That's 292 weeks of therapy sessions and we're talking at least 3 appointments a week so that's a guaranteed 876 appointments. But wait! There were 2 rounds of intensive therapy where he was attending 7 sessions a week plus the other 2 a week so 9 sessions PER WEEK. Then there's the in-home therapy we did for a while. After doing a little math, our little man and I have together attended around 1,000 hours of therapy appointments in his almost 6 years. The crazy thing is, we're just getting started! I'm sure there's thousands of appointments to come in the next 6+ years.

I do that math not to make you sound impressed, but to let those of you who walk this same path know that you're not alone! If you're on a similar journey, you know that as a parent we'll do whatever it takes to help our kids grow and progress - even if it is sitting in an uncomfortable chair for several hours every single week. It's SO worth it!


Therapy appointments are fun, stressful, amazing, eye-opening, bring smiles, and bring tears. Zachary is stubborn, wants to do everything his way, would prefer not to be told to work hard or be pushed or stretched to learn new things, has a scream that can fill the entire therapy clinic, and a giggle that when it creeps into a therapy session will make tears of joy well up in my eyes.


Therapists are amazing people. They've become our friends, support system, biggest cheerleaders, and advocates for our children. Our therapists may make our little ones cry at times but it's all for pushing them to be better, stronger, comprehend more, speak better, eat more, and react to situations better. The list is long.

If you are a therapist of any kind, you are a super hero. If you have been one of Zachary's therapists you are a ROCKSTAR and have more patience than I can begin to describe!


Therapists see the best in our kiddos, seeing the potential when a tired mom has no faith left that even more progress can be made. 



During our Special Needs Life Hacks Webinar this week, Melissa and I talked therapy. There's so much to cover when it comes to therapy that we divided this topic into 3 parts. In our first episode we shared our therapy stories and about the different types of services our kids get. You can watch below or check out the Special Needs Life Hacks YouTube channel for the therapy video and previous episodes.




In the next 2 episodes, we'll share a glimpse into what exactly therapy has looked like for each of our different cases and try to cover many of the little details that are involved. Finally, in the 3rd session we'll chat about some of the heart level things that come up as a mom who is constantly taking her child to and from appointments. We'll even throw in our sanity savers to maybe help you too survive the therapy mayhem!

After spending 1,000 hours in a therapy clinic, I have a few "life hacks" I'd like to present to the hospital board. I think recliners for the parents and a coffee bar sound glorious! Can I get an Amen?!

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