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“The staff at Wolfson has made it much easier to handle and understand our daughter’s illness.”
Genesis Rizzo’s mother is delighted! For, at 18 months old, Genesis hardly had any vocabulary, had not started walking and, worse, was having behavioral issues. What in the world is going on, her mother thought?
Well, what it was is sensory processing disorder. That means that Genesis’ ability to take in and organize information from the senses —touch, smell, taste, sight, movement—just wasn’t there. And that is why Genesis was not capable of interacting with the world around her and with people, as well.
When she was first diagnosed, Genesis spent a lot of time at Wolfson’s Rehabilitation Center working with several therapies: speech, aquatic and occupational. Often times, she met with her therapists three times a week. That’s a pretty stiff regimen for a toddler, but with their help and her mom’s, Genesis began making good progress. Genesis’ mother even had special education by the therapists so she could help Genesis keep up with activities and exercises they practice at home.
Genesis has come to love her time at Wolfson! An energetic four-year old, she plays in the game rooms, watches movies and has adopted the staff as her other family.
Genesis is a different person from that child four years ago who was struggling to make sense of the world around her, says her occupational therapist Jenna Lee-Price. She is a happy, well adjusted little girl, able to go to school, play with her friends and just enjoy being a kid.
Isn’t that what kids are supposed to do? |
