The Importance of Finding the Right Support for Your Child's Development

I know first-hand how difficult it is to know where to turn, and who to turn to, when you realise that your precious little one might need some additional support.  The first step is of course always to speak to your doctor or a paediatrician, who will be able to provide some guidance.

When I realised that my son wasn’t meeting milestones, I arranged an appointment with a paediatrician.  She diagnosed him with joint hypermobility and told me that he would need physiotherapy.  She gave me the contact details of a paediatric physiotherapist, who I got in contact with immediately.

Something that took me quite a while to appreciate, however, was how important it was to find the right professional for my son.  This applies to all professionals, whether a physiotherapist, a speech therapist, an occupational therapist or any other. 

The paediatric physiotherapist that had been recommended by my son’s paediatrician was clearly very experienced and she initially helped my son hugely.  She would visit him at nursery and provide exercises for us to carry out daily.  She also lent us some Piedro boots (shoes that provided support around his ankles) and gaiters, to help strengthen my son’s muscles.   

As my son got a little older, I began to realise that his physiotherapist had not been able to develop a relationship with him.  He has always been an extremely happy child, but would cry every time he saw her and just didn’t want to follow her instructions.  As time went by, it became clear that whilst she was very good at her job, my son needed someone who was able to properly understand him and to form a bond with him.  The fact that she could not do so was deterring his progress.  Whilst he was walking at this stage, he could not bend independently, could not pull himself up and lacked confidence when moving around. 

I made the decision, after he started walking, to speak to other physiotherapists and see how they might be able to help.  I needed someone to understand my son, and to appreciate how wonderful he is in the same way that I do.   I spoke to many local paediatric physiotherapists, but one lady stood out in particular.  She was different to any other paediatric physiotherapist I had spoken to; she told me that she would spend time getting to know my son and would want to make him feel as comfortable as possible, so that he could progress. 

It took my son’s new physiotherapist no time at all to understand my son.  Her holistic approach, and the fact that she is MAES and Bobath trained, enabled her to realise that he needed help with his confidence as well as his muscles; she explained that in order to see progress, she would need to make changes to the way his brain coordinates his body.  This was an entirely different approach to the one we had experienced before, but I was keen to explore it further. 

My son has now grown extremely fond of her.  He loves his sessions with her; they are targeted to his needs, and she makes sure that he is comfortable and feels no pressure at all.  She makes sessions fun and, most importantly, has as much confidence in my son as I do.  Within just a few weeks of meeting her, my son pulled himself up, started bending independently, started playing differently and is now walking more confidently than I have ever seen before. 

I wish I had known sooner how important it was to find a professional who was able to form a bond with my son and to properly understand him.  Every child is different, but the moral of the story really is to do your research, find someone who you feel comfortable with and make sure that your child adores them too.   If your child is happy, you will see more progress that you could ever have imagined.  I certainly have!

I am not a medical professional and am not providing medical advice in this blog.  This blog sets out my experiences and opinions as a mother and should not be taken as or substituted for medical advice.  Always speak to a medical professional in respect of any concerns you might have with regard to a medical condition.