09 July 2023

Nathaniel just received a large print siddur with spiral binding. He davens every day and puts on tefillin with the help of caregivers. Nathaniel doesn't speak yet and can't regularly vocalize on his own. However, when his caregiver opened the siddur to the correct place and Nathaniel saw it for the first time, he made noises, more than we'd ever heard him make on his own at one time. This is a major advancement for him. We think that since he can actually see the text clearly and keep the book open (spiral binding), he feels he can concentrate on the prayers. Before this, he was using a regular siddur, which had to be kept open and had small text. Here is a spasticity update. We've tried all sorts of ways to lower spasticity. If he isn't feeling well or if he is tired or cold, he is more spastic. Well, recently he has been very flexible, even though he has had some uncomfortable and somewhat painful digestive issues, which would make him have more spasticity. His higher flexibility is a great advancement because it shows that he is moving and stretching his muscles more. The hot weather helps, but still it's a positive development. He really likes his horse therapy and is able to sit straighter and to hold his head up straighter. He also going to start giving the horse treats after treatments. He is becoming more communicative using gestures and his iPad. We still must ask him questions and set up the iPad to the correct screen, as he doesn't let us know what he wants or how he is feeling without prompting. We've been adding more and more choices. If we open the iPad to his playlist, he can scroll to find the music he wants on YouTube or the rabbi he wants to hear. One of his therapists was asking him questions. He was able to gesture, "Yes", "No", and also "Sort of". He likes to cook, and in OT he is making desserts. At home he peels vegetables and stirs the pot.