Debbie,
I do find all this interesting, thanks for posting. You may find this interesting....
My oldest has some coordination issues. It's one of those things that she would probably qualify for PT and/or OT. I agree with the pediatrician when he said in more mild cases you have to consider is it impacting quality of life also. She is a very good compensator, so we just kept an eye out. Now, at eight, she can't tie her shoes or ride a bike. If you watch her attempt the bike, her balance issue is very noticeable. Okay, we thought, maybe we should make the appointment for eval.
Well, by the time I called ( the scrip was from Jan!) there was a waiting list.
Well, I also put the girls in swim team even though they couldn't swim yet! The first week of swim practice, I was watching eldest and you could just see, something was amiss. When they were trying to teach her backstroke it just looked very awkward. It's very hard to explain without having seen it, but she almost looked like she had cerebal palsy. On her right side she could not reach her arm over her head no matter how hard she tried. Left hand, up and over, right hand halway up, to the side and back down. Let me tell you, she was concentrating and trying very hard. Well it ocurred to me that I should probably follow up and see what was going on with that waiting list. While we were waiting, sometime in the second month of everyday practice, the issue seemed to resolve itself. If you watch a swim meet, the kids' bodies move in that constant steady, rythmic beat you are describing. Stroke, stroke, stroke, breathe, stroke, stroke, stroke, breathe. Over and over for an hour every day for 2 months. I have been wondering if that caused her to integrate somthing that was affecting her coordination. I would love to see if this helps her with the bike, but she has fallen so many times, she's still afraid to try. So she still can't ride a bike, but, she can swim! Great! Anyway, some anecdotal evidence for you.
