Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Tracking My Development (nobody else has)




"Cognitive was first...when my eyes were open. I already had hearing. Then was social. Next was fine motor. Just wiggling. It has taken lots of therapy to get to the movement seen. Speech followed. It was only sounds. Finally gross motor." http://thoughtfulveg.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-order-of-coming-back.html

It has taken me 12 years to get my hands moving to be seen in one frame. They hadn't been working together. My right was paralyzed and in my lap. Now I'm moving it. That's 12 years of research wasted! My right hand is still not great, but movement can be seen and discerned.

There has been order. Development closely follows the progression of childhood development. Skills may be attained fast or slow, though. When I say slow, that could be years. I believe that has to do with neural wiring available. Working on a skill creates wiring. So this process can take as long as a person takes to grow.


The left hand is the hand I am using to type. I used marbles to mostly get to what you are seeing. In the hospital, the over-bed table had a compartment tray. The activity nurse had a container of marbles in her closet. She put some marbles in a compartment on the tray. I'd move those marbles one by one to another compartment. An Occupation Therapist would know I was doing tactile exercise.

You can see that my right hand is coming along. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxm6VCy49So I'm in no hurry, though. Right now it is able to move and is consistent. Next would be grasping objects. I do this a little bit now, but want to get better. (As of 4/4/2018, I mostly am. I use an inferior pincer grasp, or my thumb against the side of my finger.)
 

What you see now is typed with my left index finger. I use assistive technology on the computer, as in making capital letters. After arms might be legs, but I don't get physical therapy. I do what I can. That is more than nothing, but progress is slow. Walking will come eventually. A Physical Therapist would do it faster.

My speech wasn't tracked at all. I went from making sounds with private insurance to fully talking now? That area is weak. Talking fully came mostly in the hospital and nursing homes. I was a Medicaid patient there and did not receive any speech therapy. I'm now Medicare and continue not to receive any therapy. My speech will continue to get better, though, because I made environmental changes years ago. (Basically use my words...I gave up my communication board.)

I am going through all the steps of development. It's a pity it is not tracked. The government now says I'm in a coma, so I can't be followed. I don't think people are so gullible as to fall for that one. I don't look like I'm in a coma. 




I do my best to note everything I go through now, but there are gaps. There was absolutely nothing from 2002-2009. 2002 is when this started and 2009 is when this was published in a magazine http://thoughtfulveg.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-kind-of-vegetable-am-i.html. The rest can be followed on here. 

I haven't even addressed the cognitive area. I don't want to even go there. This has mostly been physical. Like I said before, I had to get my arm going so I could express my thoughts. My cognitive skills are probably way off the charts.

 


UPDATED:  4/4/2018



2 comments:

  1. How long does it take you to write a blog post.

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    1. Lately it's been 3-4 days. That last day isn't spent writing, but editing. I put it thru spell check n I'll make things more clear. What makes sense to me may not to others.

      I may have a paragraph I wrote sitting in my drafts folder for a wk before I write.

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