Meet Oisín
Oisín is 22 months old. He was born 15 weeks early and was found to have Periventricular Leukomalacia (PVL) on a brain scan at 6 weeks old. He has Chronic Lung Disease, which he requires oxygen for. He also is PEG fed and has Retinopathy due to prematurity. Oisín's parents have been told that he is likely to have evolving quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy.
Oisín's Assessment
Oisín had good head control but had lower tone in his trunk with intermittent periods of high tone in his legs and right arm. He had reduced use of his right upper limb, which made weight-bearing through it tricky. He was able to ring sit for a few seconds but would lose his balance and be unable to save himself.
Therapy Aims
Oisín's aims were to improve his weight-bearing ability through his upper limbs, work on using both hands together and continue to develop sitting balance and trunk strength.
Progress in Positions
1. Tummy Lying
Oisín struggled to bend his right elbow when he was in prone, due to higher tone in his right arm. With some support given at his pelvis and a roll underneath his chest, he was able to weight-bear through both arms and work on his shoulder stability. [Image: Oisín in tummy lying position, supported, looking upwards.]
2. Side Lying
When lying on his left side, gravity helped Oisín's right hand come down to meet his left hand so he was able to work on two-handed play. [Image: Oisín in side lying position, hands meeting, playing with a ball toy.]
3. Sitting
As Oisín had just started working on his sitting balance, the activities that he completed whilst in this position were kept quite simple. By following an object from left to right, he was practicing moving his head whilst without losing his balance and therefore developing his trunk strength. [Image: Oisín sitting upright, supported, following an object.]
Review
By using the EAS, Oisín was able to work in all these different positions at home so that when he was reviewed by his physiotherapist, he was found to be improving on his gross and fine motor skills. [Image: Oisín smiling and actively engaged in a blue and black therapy support system, with hands assisting him.]
