sweetsurprisesbyteri wrote:

This prob is the wrong group, but my son was recently diagnosed with a
brain tumor (3 days after his 3rd birthday) and has had surgery and
just last week started his first round of chemo (this will be a long
process). His brain tumor is medulloblastoma which is a malignant
tumor that affects balance in addition to other areas. He needs
physical therapy but doesn't work well with the therapists and I would
like to make him what he needs at home. He needs steps that go up - a
bridge to walk across - and steps that go down again (he needs to pick
up puzzle pieces at one end and put them in the puzzle at the other
end. The steps in the therapy room are only about 3 inches deep (step
to step) and about one foot of step...and there's 8 up and 8 down.
Not sure if that's that important. I also need to make him a balance
beam (I think I can do that on my own - they want 80 for one at the
store!).

Thanks for any help that you can give me.

His carepage is at www.carepages.com and search for johnathondoerr if
you'd like to see it.

Teri


I couldn't access the carepage because it requires a signup. That said,
my first impression
of what you intend to build seems like a very rigid plan as to the
number of steps and the
specific activity.......you could buy some rigid foam and just lay a
length on the floor for
a balance beam. My kids are adults and the grandkids older than your
boy, but the favorite
toy has always been something they could use their imagination with -
corrugated cartons,
a few blankets for tents, etc. Knowing how children that age want to do
"their thing", I
would focus on making his therapy a play activity......rather than
stairs, why not a series
of the beams that he would step up onto and then step down? That would
eliminate
heights and still get his coordination working. You could put together
a series of them
with just drilled holes and some dowels. Lay a piece of plywood across
and you have
a bridge ... rather than foam, you could build some boxy things from ply
and cover
them with something simple (and colorful) for protection and incentive
to build his
own stuff. You could rig some rails from pvc pipe to use along with
balance beam
or to use like parallel bars. Only therapy my children ever needed was
speech
therapy, around age 2 1/2..........the reward was a piece of candy and
it didn't take
long, fortunately.

Tough time for you and your little boy.....wish you the very best.