Physical therapy?

Even though Riley has a lot more energy now that he's mostly recovered from his Glenn operation, he is delayed physically. He just figured out how to sit up in his crib last week! But he does not roll over consistently, crawl, cruise, or walk. He will stand (although very wobbly) if we prop him against something.

This does not mean he can't develop these skills, but we've been thinking it could be helpful for him to work with a physical therapist. Riley was evaluated by Gatepath, an early intervention, government-funded program, about a week ago for an intake appointment and had a follow-up with one of the organization's pediatricians this past Thursday. We'd been told that his bone development could be hindered or negatively impacted if he does not start using the body and all its parts as intended (ie: rolling over, sitting up, crawling, and eventually walking).

The pediatrician who evaluated him was extremely impressed with Riley's cognitive development (using sign language -- he has about 12 signs he uses regularly) and fine motor skills. Even though he felt Riley could benefit from the program, he said that Riley does not qualify because he will eventually catch up now that he has more energy. He then referred us back to his regular pediatrician, Dr. Bernstein, who referred Riley to a pediatric physical therapist at Kaiser. Hopefully he will be evaluated at Kaiser within the next week. If nothing else, it would be helpful for me to get some pointers on helping him get his body moving in the right direction.