When 9-year-old Micah first came to see Cara, he had severe coordination and balance problems due to retained primitive reflexes, which in normal development are outgrown. As a result, what comes naturally to most children does not come naturally or easily to Micah, which in turn impacted him in the classroom and among his peers.
[image url=”https://www.kinetickonnections.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/micah2.jpg” alignment=”left” margin_left=”0″ margin_right=”10″ margin_top=”0″ margin_bottom=”10″ width=”400″ height=”200″]”We were referred to Cara by Dr. Zelinsky, Micah’s optometrist, and Dr. Donalee Markus,” explains Rachel, Micah’s mother. “Micah has both learning and developmental disabilities that need special attention. For Micah, something as simple as turning his upper body was difficult. Cara developed an exercise program for Micah to work on his primitive and postural reflexes. In just four weeks she helped him land on his feet literally and figuratively.
“Working with Cara has been nothing short of a miracle,” she continues. “Micah had no confidence in his ability and wouldn’t try new things. Soon after starting the exercise program that Cara developed, he asked me if he could use the stationary bicycle and elliptical exercise equipment in our basement. He never would have tried that before. It has been an amazing journey.”
In working with Micah, Cara said she worked to develop Micah’s tiers of reflexes. “It’s how most of us develop, but Micah needed a bit more help,” she said. Cara worked with Micah for four weeks, seeing him once a week during that period. Additionally, she gave Micah a set of simple exercises to do every day with his mother. “It really wasn’t difficult and we could see change almost immediately,” Rachel adds.
One of the first improvements was in Micah’s posture and eye coordination. Because he previously worked so hard on balance, he was fatigued and couldn’t concentrate in school. He is now able to focus better in school. ‘Much of what we do has a cascading effect. You help a child improve in one area and it ripples into other areas,” Cara points out.
Since the initial 4-week period, Micah and Rachel have returned for a few additional one-time sessions. “With each of these visits the results have been amazing. Cara identified what he needed and helped him develop those skills. I couldn’t have asked for anything else for Micah,” Rachel sums up.
