Stevie's daily program does not end at the conclusion of the school day. He is involved in a variety of extra curricular activities throughout the week that are scheduled at home and elsewhere.

At home, we regularly have our own physical therapy regimen that involves stretching, walking in his walker both inside and outside, and standing in a stander. Fine motor skills (Occupational therapy) is continued at home as well with fun on his computer. Steve loves many CDs (Living Books Grandma and Me as well as dozens more — please refer to our listing at the end of this document for a complete listing of all the CD's he uses. He practices spelling using two different "talking" word processors that read back to him after he spells the words.

The therapeutic/medical model of therapeutic riding integrates principles of medical and/or psychological development into various uses of the horse. In this case, the use of medical practitioners such as physical therapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, speech therapists and others become an important part of the program. A specialized form of therapy called Hippotherapy is sometimes employed by physical, occupational and speech therapists who are trained in this area.

Stevie has participated in Pegasus, a Connecticut-based therapeutic horseback riding program for the past eight years! Stevie benefits from this therapy in a variety of different ways. In the early days, riding on horseback was Steve's first independent movement. He first learned how to visualize "moving through space" without being carried or riding in his wheelchair. He works on maintaining his balance and stretches all of his muscles while on horseback. He has learned many commands for controlling the horse and also enjoys the company of many volunteers and therapists while riding. Stevie also enjoys feeding his horse special treats. To learn more about therapeutic horseback riding, please visit the following links:

In addition to the physical therapy Stevie receives at school, Stevie goes to the Y to swim at least twice a week. Each session lasts between 30-45 minutes and he does exercises and plays a variety of games while in the pool.

Stevie has a special swimsuit to prevent any accidents from contaminating the pool water. Please check out the following site to learn about the product we use.

We also use a floatation device to keep his head above water and allows Stevie to move freely and independently in the water. There are often private locker rooms or bathrooms which people with disabilities can utilize.

Typically Stevie starts off by kicking and splashing as a way to unwind from his school day. Stevie favors his right hand, due to the stronger CP involvement on his left side, and often uses only his right hand to splash. After he has had a chance to warm up, we ask him to use his left hand to splash and encourage him using a variety of floating toys. We then stretch his arms and then his legs. The Wilton Y offers a variety of toys to use during his swimming session and Stevie is often incented to swim a lap to get to a favorite toy. We've just begun to experiment with ankle. Because of his float Stevie typically is in a reclined position, but with the ankle weights, Stevie's legs are pulled to the bottom of the pool allowing him to walk along the bottom of the pool with someone to help balance him. Stevie walks to get to the toys floating in the pool. There are other floatation devices provided at the YMCA which help Stevie stay more erect. We have found some members of the staff at the YMCA are very helpful and offer suggestions to change his position.

There are many places within the community that are great for Stevie. A trip to the grocery store is a great way for Stevie to visit with the "community" and practice a variety of self-help skills. He loves to select groceries, practice counting and spelling and word recognition. He thoroughly enjoys sampling at the deli and talks up a storm at the check-out counter! Providing Stevie with the opportunity to make choices in grocery selection gives him a sense of independence and is lots of fun.

Visiting local restaurants is one of Stevie's favorite activities. He loves to choose a restaurant and then review the menu choices. Sometimes when Stevie gets a little shy, the volume of his voice lowers, and he needs to be prompted to speak loudly and clearly. This is good practice for many of the "activities for daily living" that he needs to master. Often Stevie has difficulty reading menus because of the small print, but we are trying to plan restaurant visits ahead of time in order to get the menu and enlarge the print so he can read it.

While in different environments, it is important to instruct Stevie on appropriate behavior. In a grocery store, Stevie knows he is not supposed to yell like he might if he were at a playground. In a restaurant Stevie knows he needs to be very polite to the people working there. The more practice Stevie has at these tasks the more independent he can become.