Roy is an active 13 year old boy in
the 7th grade at Haskell School in Broken Arrow. At the early age of 18 months Roy was
diagnosed with a medulloblastoma in his cerebellum. He underwent surgery which
removed most of the tumor. Currently there are no further signs of hydrocephalus
so he no longer has need for a shunt.
Roy has been
receiving physical therapy at TherapyWorks since 2008 and has made great progress. He is now independently mobile with one Lofstrand
adjustable crutch. Despite his gains in
physical therapy, however, Roy recently began to display problems with static
and dynamic balance, hand-eye coordination, and visual perceptual skills.
In February
2013 Roy was referred to occupational therapy to begin vestibular rehabilitation.
Roy has been working hard every day on his vestibular exercises at home and
participating in weekly occupational therapy. Since vestibular rehabilitation began,
Roy has shown increased dynamic balance in his ability to maintain sitting
balance on wobble boards as well as swings. Prior to vestibular rehabilitation
Roy had difficulty completing handwriting assignments at school, but last week Roy’s
teacher sent home a packet of completed work where he demonstrated appropriate
letter formation, letter size, line placement, and spacing. Roy’s family
continues to tell us about the improvements they notice in Roy’s life since his
vestibular rehabilitation began. Roy’s main goal is to be able to walk
independently without his Lofstrand crutch.
Watch and see
how Roy is working on his dynamic balance in OT!
Lindsay Biggs, COTA/L
how Roy is working on his dynamic balance in OT!
Lindsay Biggs, COTA/L