November 13, 2015

by: Renee Canfield

Santana

Santana began receiving therapy services at UCP of Greater Cleveland when she was just 8 months old. Her parents noticed that she was not yet able to sit up and was not reaching other milestones appropriate for her age. Much like Brennan, Santana did not want to explore her environment. She needed to be comforted every 15 minutes during therapy, which would disrupt the sessions because it would take time to get back into what she was doing. Santana also has a vision impairment, so UCP approached the Cleveland Sight Center for assistance. The Cleveland Sight Center was able to develop strategies that would encourage Santana during her therapy sessions. They suggested the therapists moving her hands in a different way and holding therapy in a room with few visual distractions so that Santana could concentrate on what she was doing and not become overwhelmed. Santana was also able to participate in Go Baby Go!, a program that adapts PowerWheel cars for children with disabilities. Santana’s had a big button on it that she could press to make the car go. She absolutely loved being able to move on her own, and the therapists were able to incorporate this knowledge into other areas of her therapy sessions. Santana comes to UCP for both Steps to Independence and Traditional Therapy. She is now more agile and is able to sit up on her own and can pull to stand if she has the right support. She has begun to explore her environment, especially with her right foot and only needs a break every 30 minutes which has made her therapy sessions go a lot more smoothly and efficiently. The therapists see that she is progressing very nicely and are working towards Santana being able to stand up more easily, with the eventual goal of being able to walk on her own.

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