On the Most Feminine Holiday We Congratulate You with the Most Precious Gift – the First Steps of Little Maria!
On the most feminine holiday, we congratulate you with the most precious gift – the first steps of little Maria!
Elena is a wonderful mother and wife! Today she will celebrate the holiday with a smile on her face. A smile of happiness! Her daughter is already taking her first independent steps!
“We’re walking now!! I’m happy! And our dad is happy!!! And what our older daughter Gabriella said – “Mom, I can now hold Maria’s hand and we can walk in the park together!!”
Maria is 5 years and 10 months old. She is a child diagnosed with a rare disease – Cornelia de Lange Syndrome. A child who doctors said would “never sit up, never crawl and never walk.” When she was 3 months old, nutritional problems began – reduced food intake, vomiting, she does not gain weight, there is a general delay in her development – motor and mental.
Maria – first steps in Karin Dom
Monthly consultations and examinations by specialists began – gastroenterologist, child neurologist. Only 9 months old, after a one-week stay at St. Marina Hospital, Maria was diagnosed with “Specific disorder in the development of motor functions. Cornelia de Lange Syndrome” – a rare genetic disease that affects physical, mental and intellectual development. After a consultation with Dr. Deliganeva /neurologist/, Maria’s parents are referred and seek the support of Karin Dom and our Early Intervention service.
After a series of home visits, early childhood development consultants encourage the family to engage in a long-term therapy with a rehabilitator and speech therapist at Karin Dom. Years of weekly rehabilitation visits followed to achieve balanced sitting on the floor, to improve support reactions and coordination of movements.
Today, Maria can move independently over ever greater distances. She is much more stable. She stays upright without support. She changes her direction of movement by herself. Adapted swimming sessions further supported the rehabilitation process and general coordination. During these years, a speech therapist and a psychologist work in the direction of improving the understanding of speech, following the structure of the therapeutic session and improving the concentration of attention. Maria’s therapy program for the current therapy year also includes a session with a gaze control device, the goal of which is to improve coordination, control and gaze fixation.
Elena clearly sees the changes – “Maria raises her head more and holds her gaze more often when I talk to her.”
For the smoother adaptation and socialization of Maria in the kindergarten, a special educator of Karin Dom works in a group in an environment organized according to the Montessori method.
Now Maria is 5 years and 10 months old and after many years of therapy at Karin Dom, she is already walking. Intensive rehabilitation with Maria continues.
Family and specialists are the team that made this spring happiness possible for all of us. The successes of children like Maria give us the strength and confidence to move forward, as specialists, as people dedicated to children and their development.
Every success is a huge reward for us, and on this holiday, our mostly female team is even happier.
Happy Women’s Day, dear girls!
