Summer Time Thoughts for Those With Physical Disabilities and Differences!

Summer Time Thoughts for Those With Physical Disabilities and Differences!

By:

Wendy L. Moss, Ph.D.

Susan A. Taddonio, D.P.T.

Many kids think that summer time is about relaxing and forgetting about school.  Sure, it’s okay to relax.  It’s even okay to take a break from focusing on school.  But, summer time is also an important time to focus on being creative about how you might present yourself to others when you return to school.  In other words, summer is a great time to make sure that you like your reputation and are ready to let the world know who you really are when you go back to class.

Did you feel like other kids knew the real you last year?  Sometimes kids with physical challenges report that other students see their physical issues and don’t know who they are as people.  In other words, they see the outside you (your body, how it works, and your physical difficulties) but they may not get to know the inside you (your personality, interests, hobbies, sense of humor).  If this is true for you, try teaching others that you are more than your physical disability!  Teach them about your abilities and interests.  Also, remind yourself that you are more than your physical difficulties.  That’s only one part of who you are.

Tips for connecting with other kids:

(1)  Smile at them to show that you want to have friendships!

(2)  Show an interest in them – maybe ask about their weekend plans, compliment them about a project they did, or ask them about their hobbies.  Most children and teens

like talking about their interests and activities!

(3)  Wear a shirt that reveals an interest of yours or a place where you recently visited.

(4)  Ask your teacher for help starting conversations with others.

(5)  Remind yourself that you like you – if you like you, then others may be more interested in getting to know you!

(6)  Casually talk about your challenges so others don’t wonder.  It’s okay to casually talk about what you can and can’t do.  Check with your parents, first, to make sure that you are sharing this information in a way other kids will understand.

Tips for connecting with your teachers:

(1)  Before school starts, maybe you can email your teacher and describe yourself.

(2)  If you need help doing an assignment, let your teacher know.  If you just sit quietly in class, your teacher may think that you don’t want to do the work.

(3)  Be an advocate for yourself!  Respectfully speak up when you need help and let the teacher know what you need.

If you have questions about how to feel good about yourself, fit in with your siblings, other family members, classmates, make friends, and deal with having a physical disability, you may want to read our book.  It’s called The Survival Guide for Kid’s with Physical Disabilities and Challenges (published by Free Spirit Publishing, 2015).  Check it out!

Good luck in school this year!  Hopefully, you will have many fun experiences and create great memories!

A day in the life of a pediatric physical therapist

I am a physical therapist.  This profession takes me on many different journeys over the course of each day and week.  In fact, no two days are alike for me.  My primary mission is to help children and young adults with physical disabilities to become independent and successful in managing their environments.  In addition, I am on a mission to educate others to become physical therapists. 

I became interested in the field of physical therapy after growing up with an uncle who had polio.  My Uncle Jake was a funny, energetic man capable of doing many things, but he needed to use crutches to walk because the muscles in his legs were very weak. He was able to do construction jobs and I would watch him take apart my parents’ bathroom and redo it.  Jake was also an avid boater and swimmer. Nothing stopped him from working or having fun. 

Now that I am a physical therapist, I seek to help others to overcome challenges that they may face because of physical difficulties.  A day in my professional life can include working on teaching a toddler how to walk and that afternoon I may be helping a 10 year old transfer from her wheelchair to a classroom chair.  Another day, I might be helping a 3 year old use both arms and legs the same way while moving on a scooter board and later that day may help a 12 year old stretch the muscles in his legs.  I typically work with children in schools, daycares centers, their homes, or in my private office. There are also days when I go to teach graduate students at a local college so that they can go on and become licensed therapists and help others as well.

The children I work with have disabilities. My job is to help them to improve strength, endurance and function so that they can be more independent and successful in any environment. Therapy consists of activities and exercises to increase muscle strength, build endurance, increase range of motion or flexibility of the muscles and teach skills needed to be successful.

Some of the activities and exercises done in PT include things like crab walking, bear walking, wall squats, and jumping. Sometimes we do throwing, catching and kicking activities.  Some of the equipment used in PT includes balance beams, balance boards, weights and therapy balls.  Most of the children with whom I work have specific goals, usually on a document called an Individual Education Program (IEP). These goals will vary depending on the child’s level of function and or disability. When working with a child, I need to keep these goals in mind as they are things we would like to achieve and are used to measure progress.

As you can see my job is unique in that it does not follow a typical routine. There is never a boring moment in my work. Not only do I like this but also I love that I get to work with and help so many children of different ages and different disabilities. My job brings me tremendous satisfaction especially when I get to see children achieve goals that they work so hard to achieve!