Here's Jordan at therapy in the swing. She really loves it and is so cute in it. Her little hands hold on so tight. :)
Postural Insecurity
I know, it sounds like some psychobabble term coined by Dr. Phil or Oprah but apparently it's a common term among Occupational Therapists and Physical Therapists. We've always wondered why there were certain things she struggled with...rolling over (she didn't do it until 10 months and now won't do it anymore)...going down the slide, spinning her around on a blanket on the floor, tipping her backwards, playing in ball pits, etc. It all came together today when our Occupational Therapist thought to check her for "postural insecurity." They put her on an exercise ball to bounce and move her around, they put her in the ball pit, they tried putting her in a little rocking boat, down the slide, and every single time she freaked out. The only thing she tolerated was the slide and the reason for that is because I noticed she wouldn't go down the slide a while back so our therapist gave us some desensitizing techniques that have worked pretty well. I was a bit disappointed knowing that there is another legitimate challenge for Jordan and even more things for us to work through with her but at the same time I was ecstatic that we now know why all these things are issues for her and we are going to get a plan from our therapists that will help her.
From what I've read online and they've described Postural Insecurity is part of the sensory integration/disfunction category and is tied to the vestibular system (inner ear that deals with balance and position in space). Something is out of whack and it tells the brain that the body is falling or is not secure (I don't really know how to explain it and don't quite understand it myself yet). This explains everything! I have been wondering today if this could all be tied to her cleft, especially since it's more severe than a typical cleft and it goes up into her eye, tear duct, and also affected her hearing for a bit. I'm going to research it more and post what I find over the next couple of days so stay tuned. :)
Jen
3 comments:
I am glad to hear that you have figured out more. It is hard to understand when our kids don't seem to be caught up to where we think they should be.
Hope seems to be behind in the speech area and we don't know why but we keep plugging along hoping that it will straighten itself out.
I guess all kids have their challenges but I still praise God for all the progress that is made. Thanks for posting:)
Take care,
Mark
Jen,
This is a great post. Please keep me informed on what you find out through research. The doctor's had stated something like this for Cole and why he was lagging behind and potentially why he continually drooled, but our early intervention seems to have worked thus far. We need to chat soon though. I was at a multiples meeting tonight to hear a fabulous speaker who does a lot of work free and I think would be a great aid for you!
I had never heard of this before! Very interesting!!!! Please post more about it and Jordon's progress! We love keeping up with all her milestones! Prayers are with you!
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