Conductive Education Camp

Nick has been going to conductive education camp for the last week and a half.

He races up this ramp and has been very excited to go!

 

We made goals for the camp. I said that I wanted Nick to work on standing and balance and try out the forearm crutches, and continue to use his canes. The camp has group activities and some of the same activities focusing on letting the kids learn about their bodies and have fun and always challenging them.

 

For mobility Nick came in with his walker, and then the walker went into the hall and when he moved around, it was with his canes. When it was time to go home, the walker came back  out.

 

I was hoping that they would get Nick interested in the crutches. I had talked with some of the conductors and they had mentioned that the crutches forces the body to lean forward, and they want more of a straight back, which is why they focus on canes. Which makes sense to me.

They did try, but Nick still didn't really like his crutches. Taking off the arm part seemed to help, but he still wasn't that impressed (and told me so).

They also worked on challenging Nick with his canes. Starting with his larger based quad canes, then the smaller base HUGO canes, and also modifying the crutches for a single 'cane', which he actually walked with.

 

I didn't realize how big the quad cane base was. And of course the HUGO canes give him less support which he is totally ready for.

The just kept challenging him to help him to realize what he is able to do

 

 

Every day has a different theme and learning and singing and doing. It's learning and creating. Learning big stuff and small

 

Being silly while still learning. And Nick loves silliness!

Working on standing went amazing! He was doing 20-30 seconds of unassisted standing (and loving it) by the end of camp. We have one of these horses at home we pulled out to play with as well.

There is lots of opportunity for standing

Like when you are building an igloo.

 We talked all about igloos and the arctic on the drive home. The cold and the sleighs, what animals are there, where you live and how you dress

One of the great things about conductive education is that it isn't about what one child is doing independent from everyone else. It is also about doing things together in a group, learning and working together.

Friday was Nick's last day and they had a lemonade stand. The kids helped to make all of the signs, and made the lemonade and then sold it at the side of the road.

Nick got to be cashier part of the time (I love this picture, he looks so serious). They made $139

All of the hard work tired him out!

 

I am so happy he had the opportunity to participate in camp this year and hoping to do something in the winter semester.

More Summer Camp!

We have been wanting to continue with conductive education for a long time. But differing commitments always prevented us.
But I have kept in contact with the conductors (the instructors and therapists).

When the summer camp schedule came out I was really hoping that we could fit it in. At first glance it looked like we wouldn't be able to make it. And we signed the kids up for regular camp.

But after talking with them about going for part of the camp, and talking with my parents to see about transportation, we were in!

I am so happy that this year we are going to be sending Nick for part of the camp. 10 days of all day camp of conductive education.
Pushing him and being creative, learning how to be independent and being aware of what he can do.

I'm so excited about those days.
Yes it's camp and fun, but it's also therapy.

Nick has also had the opportunity to star in a March of Dimes ad!

SpinaBifidaAd CE 2014 HR

I have also found that Nick is a conductive education mascot through another helpful site too! http://www.threetobe.org/our-initiatives/academy-of-conductive-education/

Conductive Education Camp - part 2

The second week of conductive education camp went smoothly.

Nick knew he was being dropped off, and was really excited when mommy or daddy picked him up (because I'm back at work full-time I couldn't take the time off like last year - so Kyle and I split up the weeks). It was exhausting for all of us to be out of the house and ready so early in the morning. But definitely worth it.

Every day Nick came home with the fun crafts he had done that day.

(The time-travelled to the 60's)



And Katheryn wanted to do all the same things when she saw what Nick had!

And asking after Katheryn. As soon as he say me (or Kyle) the second words after "Mommy" was "where is Katheryn, where is Daddy?"

But I think the separation was really good for him.

Standing and do things, always adding some kind of challenge to what he was doing well at continued.
And Nick finally participated in the floor program (without crying) by the end of the second week!

 How did Nick become such a big boy!

Conductive Education Camp - part 1

Nickolas started his first child-only camp!

Nick was able to 'upgrade' even though he isn't 3 years old yet. They thought that he was ready to be more independent and with older kids.

So we had Conductive Education camp through March of Dimes for 3 hours a day, for 2 weeks.

It had only been a month or so since we had our final spring session with Abigail, so Nickolas knew exactly where we were when we pulled into the driveway.

But we did not talk ahead of time that he wasn't going to have mommy there. I didn't want to get him worried, and over the spring I started doing less and less so he could get used to doing things without me coaching him.

We walked in together. But when it was time for me to go...

MOMMY!!! I WANT MY MOMMY!!!

And I left.

I had no idea what I was going to hear when I picked him up 3 hours later.

But Nickolas was fine.

They said he was upset and crying for about 30 minutes. And didn't participate in any of the floor part (which he hates anyways). But that this is normal.

And it will get better.

Nickolas got to walk through the doors - all by himself!

And I already showed the video of his experience with the ramp

Over the 2 weeks Nick got more and more comfortable and transitioned better every day.

Until finally the last couple of days we had absolutely no tears at the drop off!

And Nickolas made all kinds of new friends as he 'travelled back in time' in a time machine

We got a book at the end of camp with all of the pictures and what Nickolas was doing good every day - as well as talking with the conductors when we picked him up.

Things that we worked on was walking over a floor ladder or between parallel bars and stepping over things - going control over where his feet were going, instead of anywhere. Walking in parallel bars and between ropes - all with a fun activity (building castles, finding dragon food).

He also worked on picking things up with his toes (dragon food) and passing things to his friends.

Some of the things that Nickolas did well was sitting on the peanut ball, pinching things with his toes and stepping over a floor ladder

By the end of the week Nick was having fun with his new friends!
The ever-typical boy. Always wanting to be in the drivers seat!



What we are doing...

We have reached the end of our conductive education semester.

And we have learned alot being one-on-one with Abagail

Nickolas has been learning that he has the ability to use the walker for long distances (he just needs some extra encouragement)

We've been working on some sensory stuff, to get Nickolas to understand what it feels like - for him - when he has something under his feet.
I love watching Nickolas do this.

Nickolas is rolling a roll of play dough back and forth, feeling what it feels like and we are encouraging him to feel it with his toes (he gets flicker of movement in his toes, and more directed movement in his big toe - especially the right side)
Sometimes when we want him to move his foot - he grabs his leg with his hands and shakes his leg and foot. He thinks he is being funny.

There is lots of stuff that we have been working on.
Nick has been rope - walking. And doing well
I really believe that this is what has made Nickolas much more independent with his walking around furniture. If he can walk holding some moving ropes, then he can walk holding onto a couch, or reach between stuff!

We've tried something new in the last weeks. Climbing a ladder!

And Nick is definitely a hat lover! Incentive is the key, and fun
Construction boy!

Every construction worker has some tools
This what I love about conductive education - Nickolas is working on the little things like OT tasks, but he doesn't know that he is. He thinks he is having fun

Even doing his own bending and cleaning up - without encouragement.
Just because he wants to.

We have lots of transition walking with the canes.

I need to find where to get these for a good price. Nick likes walking with them - they give him freedom he can't get with a bulky walker. But we can borrow them for as long as he is in conductive education, but need to give them up when he is done.

Fun, functional, working and wonder.
Cleaning a mirror!
If only I can get him to do this at home...

This is another area that Nickolas has excelled at.
Confidence in cruising and reaching to get to where he wants, and knows, he can go.

Balance and confidence. Balance and confidence. Balance and confidence.
That is really what we have been spending the last couple of months working on. (Have I said this enough yet)
Standing and balancing and then lets just change something and make him work harder (in this case spreading his knees so he isn't pushing them together).

I think this happy boy is glad that we are doing so much conductive education too!

(At the end of last semester he still hated sitting on the peanut ball)

We are going to miss you Abigail!

Sibling Conductive Education

This semester of conductive education we are the only ones in the group. Which means that we have lost some of the group aspects that I like.

But it also means that I was able to bring Katheryn with us on one of the days she wasn't in daycare.

So Nickolas created his own little group.

The theme this week was learning about a dentist. Look at that concentration! I wish he spent this much time brushing his own teeth!

It was obviously a tongue-out kind of day.
Lots of thinking (and working)

One of the newest things we have been doing is getting Nickolas to walk between 2 of the plinths holding a rope.

The rope (of course) is not as stable as a table or chair (or walker) and it gives Nickolas that support he feels he needs while also getting him to work on his balance.

Katheryn really just wanted to do a puppet show.
She had us sit as an audience (and of course Nick had to walk to our seats - with his 'sticks') and she did a little show.

Then to top it all off, Nick decided that he really did want to walk in his walker - all the way down the hall and around the corner - almost to the front door!

We've signed up for the summer session of conductive education.

We had originally planned on attending the parent/child session for kids under 3. But Abigail thinks that he is ready for the older group. So in July Nickolas will be attending by himself in the 3-8 years group.

They think that it will be a great fit for him with kids who are doing the same things that he is doing.

I am a little nervous about leaving him. But I know it will be good for him.

Hope it'll be good for mommy too!