Katherine and another good session.

Just had another good session with Katherine!

She is 12 years old and very sweet.  She has had a diagnosis of Global Developmental Delay (GDD) which means she requires a modified curriculum and much support when she is at school.  This diagnosis means her motor skills, her speech and language, her cognitive skills (the ability to learn new things, filter and process information, remember and recall, and to reason) and her social and emotional skills (including interacting with others) can all be delayed or developed at a different rate to her friends.

What this all means for Katherine is that in the school grounds it can be tough for her to keep up with her peers when they are running around and playing.  It can be difficult to have good self-esteem and confidence when you have GDD.  It can be difficult to just “fit in”.

When Katherine is with us at the Heartwell Foundation she displays a strong sense of belonging.  She does fit in and she works well.  Today she trained on the treadmill, then the cross trainer, then did a few minutes on the stationary bike.  She was puffing.  Then we moved outdoors and continued our work on her throwing and catching skills with small balls.  This was achieved through a simple game of one on one Cricket, where she also practiced her striking/hitting and hand-eye coordination.

Just had another good session with Katherine!  

Katherine and myself, waiting for Mum to come and pickup.