Cam kicks yet another goal!

From smashing his ballet goals to tying his shoelaces, there is nothing stopping Cam on his extraordinary journey!

10-year-old Cameron has been kicking goals left, right and centre. Recently, he featured on Therapy Focus’ social media highlighting his achievement sitting his ballet exam. Well, the achievements don’t stop there… Cam has kicked another goal off his list.

Cam lives with Down Syndrome and part of his condition means he needs extra help to do things like brushing his hair and getting dressed. He’s been receiving support to achieve these tasks from Therapy Focus Occupational Therapist Maisie Jones,  who is supporting him to increase his independence. Late last year they worked together to set a goal for Cam to be able to tie his own shoelaces, something he’s wanted to achieve for some time.

“I have been working with Cam for about 4 months on his shoelace tying goal. He has a bit of trouble using his pincer grip (pointer finger and thumb) to hold the laces and coordinate the movements. We have been practising it weekly and he is so determined to do them” Maisie said.

Maisie has provided Cam with several methods to improve his grip and coordination.

“I’ve provided a variety of interventions for Cam, including:

• Having myself complete the first steps of the shoelace tying and having Cam complete the last steps – so he felt the success in finishing and could practice pulling his laces tight
• Writing out the steps to achieve the goal, trying the steps, and then checking to see if the goal was met
• Providing physical support by either holding parts of the laces for Cam or providing hand over hand support to alter his grip”

It’s been quite a journey to get to this point, but recently Cam has had a breakthrough.

“Just before we broke up for Christmas, Cam came into the therapy room with his mum for a session. His mum got to see for the first time ever that he could tie his laces without any physical support! He was so extremely proud of himself, and his mum and I could not stop cheering” an elated Maisie shared.

Cam’s goal was a hot topic amongst the office, with the whole of Maisie’s team rooting for him.

“My team have known about this goal for a while, so when we finished up, they all popped their heads up from their desks and asked if he had done it independently and could hear how happy we all were while in the therapy room. It was so nice to share that with him, his mum and my team.”

Cam’s mum shared her delight at his achievement.

“I’m so proud of Cameron’s achievement. His smiles say it all. He continues to try new skills and perseveres until he has mastered them,” Cam’s mum, Janet, said.

“It’s been incredible to watch Cam achieve this. His happiness and determination make it all worth it. Now we’re onto the next goal… there really is no stopping him,” Maisie exclaimed.