Leah
| Washington Elks Therapy Program for Children
Meet Leah … She is a very sweet, happy, and beautiful little girl that has so much love to give to everyone she meets. She has taught those around her so much about living life to the fullest every single day! Leah is now 3 years old.
At 3 months of age, she was diagnosed with Microcephaly. Microcephaly is a neurological condition in which an infant’s head is significantly smaller than children of the same age. It is usually a result of the brain not growing as it should in the womb or after birth. This has affected Leah’s development. However, early intervention, with occupational therapy services through The WA Elks Therapy Program for Children, has helped to enhance her development and improve her quality of life.
Leah was 15 months old when she was referred to the therapy program. Leah’s parents both work and they have 5 other children. Not only was it difficult for the family to make it to medical appointments but, Leah was not responding well to therapy appointments outside the home. Insurance co-payments were also a hardship.
In therapy, Leah learned many things. She learned to sit and get in and out of sitting, crawl for mobility, pull to stand and eventually walk. She is now learning to maintain visual attention and eye-hand coordination to complete a task, use both hands together to manipulate toys, and to be more independent with feeding.
Leah enjoys life to the fullest and is progressing steadily with her development. Her family is grateful to the ELKS members for the generous gift that has been given to her.