Steen

Washington Elks Therapy Program for Children

Steen is a SUPER kid. He has an amazing family! He has three siblings and a mom and dad who adore him. His family had difficulty understanding him and was referred to speech therapy, where they also noticed some physical difficulties and sensory intolerances. The speech therapist introduced Steen’s family to the Elks, and things that were difficult for Steen are not so difficult anymore!

Things that are/were easy for other children are tricky for Steen. Steen had to focus very hard on balance and walking around items. He was constantly looking down and did not look up. Steen participated in lots of fun strengthening, balance and endurance activities. Steen and his family learned words like Proprioceptive input, which is knowing where your body is in space. He knows ways to give himself proprioceptive input so he can function in his environment. Steen struggled with crossing midline, meaning if a toy was on his left side, he would turn his whole body to grab the toy rather than crossing his body. This skill is very important because we cross midline when eating, writing, cutting, sports, play and many other tasks. After lots of play, Steen has no problem with that now!

Tearing paper, stringing beads, holding a marker, putting clothes on, holding a spoon/fork were all hard tasks for Steen. With lots of therapy play, his muscles in his arms and hands got stronger, and now Steen does not have difficulty with those tasks. There are still some skills that Steen is working on, such as riding a bike and turning around obstacles, doing sit-ups with no help, and writing a sentence to fit on a line. But things are much easier for Steen, and he is able to participate in family and school activities with greater confidence.

We asked Steen’s mom to describe The Washington Elk’s Therapy Program for Children in one word. Her word: “Gratitude.” She continued, “The therapist helps us understand our little boy, his struggles and his needs that we did not understand before. Our therapist didn’t just help us grow and learn skills; we were also able to share with the entire family and teachers. The therapist makes hard work fun but challenging!”

Life has been difficult with COVID and Zooming has been challenging at times, yet we always seem to have FUN!!

Thank You to ALL the Elks and Friends of “Our Kids”