When Gina took her infant daughter Adelyne to her eight-month checkup, she started to notice a movement delay.
“She wasn’t progressing with movement at all. By her first birthday, it became very apparent she wasn't cruising the furniture or pulling herself up to stand. She would scoot around, dragging one leg behind her. She wasn't going through the normal movement milestones. Her pediatrician suggested we look into physical therapy,” Gina told us.
But Gina had reservations at first, experiencing fears, frustrations, and concerns. "At first, I was upset we had to do physical therapy. Even though I'd heard wonderful things, I was hesitant."
Once Adelyne started physical therapy with her M Street Pediatric Therapist, Raquel Keithley, PT, DPT, PCS, CIMI, Gina’s fears subsided.
“Having a therapist come to the house was a big relief”
Working With M Street Therapists
Being a busy mom of three, Gina knew fitting in Adalyne’s physical therapy appointments would be a challenge.
“I work from home and don’t have childcare. So for me to carve out time with a sitter was a huge concern. Having a therapist come to the house was a big relief. I thought to myself, 'oh, having someone come to MY house? I can make that work any day!' Better still, our therapist was so on top of things. It was so helpful.”
“I liked her immediately, and we clicked right away. I joked with her that I think we've had more quality time together in the last year than I had with my husband! Even though it was once a week for just an hour, she jumped in and got right to work.”
The best part of therapy was the way the visits blended home-life with physical therapy. This took the stress out of scheduling exercise and activities. It allowed Adalyne to progress in a way that fit her family's lifestyle and be part of their every-day activities.
“A lot of times at night, we watch movies together as a family. Our TV room is carpeted with footstools and other items. Our therapist helped us incorporate these items into Adalyne’s exercises. That way, while we were sitting together at night, we could still get her physical therapy in.”
Adalyne’s brothers were even able to assist. Her brother Dominic is a few years older, so they were home together during the day, often during Adalyne’s physical therapy visits.
“He would do the obstacle course with them or help Adalyne’s therapist set up the blocks. He became part of the process. Then, throughout the week, he would take ownership of his special task. He would tell us, 'it's my job to set up the blocks. It helped them bond and made him feel included in her care."
“The recommendations made a huge difference. Our therapist always made sure they worked into our routine.”
Working Through Adalyne’s Movement Delay
As is typical with physical therapy, there were challenges. Adalyne is a very easy-going girl, but there are often frustrations faced during sessions.
“Adalyne is so content…overly content, in fact. She was fine hanging out and watching her brothers. She was a laid back infant. She never needed to be entertained. Once in a while, though, there would be a certain exercise that would frustrate her, and she was done. Her therapist would move to the next activity, and she'd be fine. I think there was only one day where she wasn't having it at all."
Fortunately, physical therapy comes with many recommendations and activities that work seamlessly into a family's routine. M Street therapists work to incorporate activities into the client's regular schedule and day-to-day lives.
“The recommendations made a huge difference. Our therapist always made sure they worked into our routine. As a parent, there's always another job to do; making dinner, getting in the tub, shuffling the kids to their activities. Extra activities fall by the wayside. Our therapist was so good about incorporating it into our routine and helping us make a plan.”
Gina likened the routine to her own exercise habits: "If I don't have a plan with my own workout, it tends not to happen. Having our therapist literally say, 'do these three times, ten reps each time,' makes physical therapy so easy and takes the thought out of it. It was so incorporated into our routine that I had no excuse not to do it."
With physical therapy, especially in children with movement delays, it’s all about the little wins and incremental gains.
"You don't feel like one day makes a difference. But when we looked back over the weeks, she made progress every single visit."
“I will never forget the day she took her first steps. I knew the walking would come eventually, but she just wasn’t moving. Then one day, she did it. The next day, her therapist came over for her appointment. Adalyne walked from me to Raquel, and we both started crying. It was so emotional. I never thought I would see this happen.”
“…As parents this was a very stressful and emotional time, and our therapist made the whole process so much better.”
Finding the Right Answers
“Adalyne is doing amazing now. She’s running around. You would never know she had any delay.”
It's this individual attention and dedicated approach that sets M Street Pediatric Therapy apart. By seeing each child at home environment, our therapists notice how the kids interact with their world. Not only does this approach help blend the needs of the family and the needs of the child, but it takes the weight of the shoulders of parents. They feel as though they have a partner to help them advocate for their child.
“Looking back, I realize it was an extremely stressful time in our lives. When she was walking, and we finished physical therapy, I couldn’t believe how much of my time and mental wellbeing had been consumed with worry,” said Gina.
Gina and her family were so pleased with their M Street experience, they wrote us a beautiful thank you note. In her note, she wrote:
…As parents this was a very stressful and emotional time, and our therapist made the whole process so much better. I can't say enough great things about how wonderful it was working with her. She was extremely professional. She was excellent at communicating ahead of time our schedule, confirming with me, and being punctual. She worked so well with my daughter. She was always excited to see her, and it never felt like we were forcing Adelyne to do work; it was just a fun playtime for her. The tips and exercises that our therapist gave were very effective and were also so creative in working into our daily home life and routine.
Overall, I’m just so thankful for the experience that we had. Letting someone into your home every week and working with your child is not the easiest task, but I always looked forward to our sessions with Raquel and never felt anything but appreciative and happy about the process….
At M Street, our therapists work with children in their home environment. Our highly trained professionals help families navigate through the world of therapy. While each family’s experience is unique, we love hearing about the successes and incremental gains they experience. We’re so grateful to Gina for sharing Adalyne’s story with us!
“I can’t say enough great things...”
