Evan is an engaging eight year old young man who was referred to the Children’s Development Center early in 2004.  Evan had been diagnosed with severe verbal apraxia at Geisinger Medical Center.  Although he had received speech therapy through Early Intervention, Geisinger recommended increasing the intensity of therapy for Evan.

When Evan started therapy at the Children’s Development Center, he was reluctant to speak, and when he did he spoke very softly and was difficult to understand.  With a great deal of hard work on Evan’s part, he is doing very well.  According to Speech-Language Pathologist, Joan Dice, both in therapy and at home, his speech is intelligible more than 90% of the time.  He has also become more vocal about his wants and needs and has “opinions” that were not previously expressed.  He will readily answer questions and engage in conversations and is interacting more with his peers.

Evan continues to receive speech therapy in school and at the Children’s Development Center where we all enjoy witnessing his continued progress.

Working to Walk

Some of us walk to work, more of us should.  But this is about Michael, a child who is working to walk.  Michael was first referred to CDC when he was three years old.  His initial evaluation indicated a child who was unable to walk or even crawl on all fours.  His main means of travel throughout the house was a commando-type crawl with his arms doing the majority of the work.  Michael’s physical therapist recommended therapeutic electrical stimulation (TES) to help increase muscle tone.

For the past five and a half years, Michael has used the TES which regenerates atrophied muscle at night while he sleeps.  He has come to therapy faithfully where CDC physical therapists have been re-educating his muscles using the treadmill and a partial weight bearing suspension harness. 

Michael has gone from using a gait trainer to a walker and, most recently, lofstrand crutches.  He is walking throughout his home and school and has far exceeded expectations.  Michael continues to make progress.  Sensation has returned and he can even wiggle his toes! 

Michael has a very supportive family and has worked very hard to achieve his present level of functioning and we have every reason to believe that he’s not finished yet.  Way to go, Michael!  We are very proud of you.

Reilly is a quiet boy with a ready smile.  In May 2007, a month before his sixth birthday, Reilly’s family noticed that he seemed to be having difficulty walking and was falling frequently.  A CAT Scan revealed the presence of a tumor in the fourth ventricle of his brain.  He was referred to Hershey Medical Center where surgery was performed and rehabilitation including Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy was started.  Reilly was discharged about two weeks later with a referral to the Children’s Development Center for continued therapy.

When Reilly and his mother first came to the clinic following his discharge from the hospital, he was showing a very definite left-sided weakness.  He tired easily and frequently supported himself with his hand along the wall. 

Reilly has worked very hard during his therapy sessions.  While he continues to show some left-side weakness, he has made steady improvement with his endurance, coordination and strength.  Reilly is an inspiration to all those who have witnessed his progress in therapy.