Everyone say hello to Joshua B!! He is our success story for Summer 2023. Here is a bit
about his journey!
Joshua has been seen for all three disciplines of therapy since 2021 when he aged out of
birth to three services. He has worked with many of our physical, occupational, as well as speech
therapists, and they all have gotten to know him well throughout the years of hard work. Joshua
is now 5 years old, has the brightest personality, and has crushed so many goals, we have had to
determine new ones for him many times. We feel so lucky that his parents decided to bring him
into Medical Support Services!
When Joshua first started physical therapy, his primary mode of mobility was crawling on
hands and knees, but only for short distances because of his lack of endurance. Joshua was not
able to crawl upstairs, stand without support, or walk more than 5 steps while using a push cart.
However, even though he had limited mobility, he was determined to explore the gym and even
got himself into all sorts of mischief!
Now, in 2023, Joshua is almost running around the gym using his posterior walker! He
can stand without support for over a minute, get up from the middle of the floor without support,
and even take some independent steps without his walker! Joshua is even able to walk up our
play structure’s stairs holding onto the railing!
When Joshua first started occupational therapy with us in 2021, he was using a raking grasp to pick up items, was not assisting with any dressing skills, had difficulty with graded release of items, and had limited play skills. He utilized a wheelchair for mobility but required
total assistance for pushing his chair. He also demonstrated difficulty with endurance for play and mobility, and required lots of rest breaks. From the beginning, Joshua’s parents have been involved in therapy, willing to carry through with anything given to them by our therapists, and are great advocates for Joshua.
Joshua has made huge leaps and bounds since then with his OT skills. He is now able to complete releasing items into containers and is beginning to complete simple puzzles. He is able to pull his shirt over his head both on and off, take off his socks, and assists with putting on shoes and pants. As he has continued therapy and working at home on therapy goals, he has
become an active and happy participant in all sorts of play and exercise activities, and has the
endurance to keep going well beyond his therapy sessions being completed. Joshua is also now
independently propelling his wheelchair both forward and backward and around all sorts of
obstacles to explore and get into trouble!
Joshua has also been in speech therapy since 2021 and he absolutely loves it! He loves
playing silly games (peek-a-boo, tickles) with his therapists, which always elicits his contagious
laugh. He is able to wave hello/goodbye, give high-fives, and will sometimes sign for “more”.
Now that he is able to independently ambulate in his wheelchair, he is working on following
directions (stop, come here, wait). Joshua has learned to take drinks of thin purées from a cup
and enjoys doing this at home with his siblings.
Our therapists would like to take credit for the amazing progress Joshua has made, but it really was him doing all the hard work! His infectious laugh, curious nature, and determination are what caused Joshua to soar with his gross motor skills. He is the silliest, most loving boy, and it has been such a joy to see him make such amazing progress. Joshua is so determined and when
he puts his mind to something, he will most definitely figure it out. He is a joy to be around, and his laugh can bring a smile to anyone’s face–even on the worst day.
When asked about Joshua’s progress these last 2 years, his mother stated, “Joshua is always SO excited to go to therapy. Since starting at MSS, Joshua has become much more
interactive and aware. He has made so many huge gains, like from only crawling, to standing
independently and even taking some independent steps. He has grown in every area and it’s so
fun to watch. We love everyone at MSS!”
Keep up all the hard work, Joshua!!
Fun fact: Joshua’s favorite activities in the gym are jumping on the trampoline, climbing
up the slide only to slide right back down, and swinging on the swing. These activities always
result in the biggest belly laugh from Joshua!