Encouraging Independence In A Child With Cerebral Palsy
Laura Robeson
However, it's gotten a little longer since we have the new GoTo Seat.
We ordered the original GoTo Seat as soon as we heard about it.
We were thrilled with the opportunities it provided Danny.
He could ride in a shopping cart, sit in a high chair, and we used it in an adapted motorized car.While the original GoTo Seat opened up new experiences for Danny, there were some things he still could not do.
We brought the new GoTo Seat to Texas while we visited over Thanksgiving.
It arrived the same day we left, and barely had it out of the box when we packed.
I immediately saw a difference for Danny with the new seat, and the floor sitter is genius.
He has enough support with the new headrest and lateral supports that he can easily keep his head up.
His trunk is more fully supported so he can use his hands.
He was able to sit alone and press buttons on a toy.He sat and watched a cartoon by himself.
Danny and his cousin sat next to each other on the floor and read a book.
Danny's list of things he can do own his own continues to grow.
For the first time in Danny's life, he sat on the floor and played all by himself.
For the first time, he played contentedly while I got a few things done.
For the first time in four years, I put away laundry, brewed a pot of coffee, and read the first page of the newspaper without holding Danny or pushing him along with me in his wheelchair.
For the first time in Danny's life, he cried when I got him out of something instead of him crying to get into my arms.
The seeds of independence have been sewn.Like all toddlers, he is learning the joy of doing it by himself.
He is comfortable and safe and happy.
He is now able to have life experiences that are his and his alone.
As small as these experiences may seem to be, they feel pretty monumental.
