Year: 2016

McGyver those election signs for Schreiber kids

I recently attended a make-and-take seminar entitled “Creating Assistive Technology Solutions in Minutes,” and it featured the creative genius of Therese Willkomm, who holds a doctorate in assistive technology and is known as the assistive technology McGyver.

She is a nationally recognized guru for her work in making solutions in minutes using everyday materials. We had the opportunity to work with a variety of materials including acrylic, corner guard, PVC pipe, and Loc-Line hose connectors, as well as a variety of adhesives, fasteners, and tools. We made several items including book and iPad stands, mounts for wheelchairs and table tops, and a universal cuff that can hold a marker, eating utensil, or any other tool for someone with a weak or absent grasp. We even made a hands-free marshmallow shooter (and used it to have a mass marshmallow battle during break).

One of my favorite materials used was corrugated plastic, frequently used to make yard signs like the ones that pop up during election season. Over the years, Therese has fabricated hundreds of solutions using corrugated plastic. The material is strong, inexpensive and easy to work with.

After an election, she asks both the Democratic and Republican parties as well as individual voters to donate their signs rather than discard them. This is a great way to eliminate trash from the environment and reuse it in a way to benefit individuals with disabilities. It’s a win-win situation!

So if you had a sign in your yard and it is now cluttering up your garage, don’t toss it in the trash. Bring it to Schreiber Pediatric, where the occupational therapists can turn it into a desktop iPad or iPhone holder, portable slant board, playing card holder, book holder or mount, or one of a myriad of other solutions for the many children we serve. These solutions can save families a great deal of money that they would otherwise spend on commercially available items.

So put those discarded signs to use, put election season behind you, and help a child with a disability to become more independent today!

Becky Smith is an occupational therapist at Schreiber with more than 26 years of experience in pediatric occupational therapy. She is also a certified infant massage instructor with the International Association of Infant Massage.

Justin Walker returns to Camp Schreiber — for his job

Justin’s time at Schreiber goes back 20 years. He was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, commonly known as brittle bone disease. He started coming to Schreiber when he was 2 and at 4 was named a Schreiber ambassador.

He received therapy, attended preschool (and worked with Jay Graver, Mr. Jay, the current preschool and camp director) and spent many summers at Church of the Apostles for camp.

“So many memories coming in here,” Justin said, looking around the church’s gym. “It’s so big, and we had so much fun. It was a great way to socialize and make friends. I still have friends that I made here at camp and preschool.”

Justin returned as part of his job. He’s an administrative officer at the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. The main part of his work involves going to schools, libraries, camps and other children’s groups to read “The Fair Housing Five,” a kids book about fair housing agencies.

It’s the latest step in the journey for Justin. He went to college, graduating from York College with a degree in public relations. He drives every day from his home in Mechanicsburg to work in Harrisburg. He is a real live example of how the Schreiber spirit helps children lead lives as productive adults.

“My experience at Schreiber taught me: There are no limits,” Justin said. “Schreiber was always very encouraging. The message was: You can do whatever you think you can do, you just do it differently. It was never about what you can’t do. Always what you can do.”

Sophia Robles Finds Hope at Schreiber

Since the disease affected Sophia’s legs, she compensated by pulling herself around with her arms and hands. This built strength in her upper body, but from the waist down she was extremely stiff. Her muscles were so tight that she couldn’t roll over until she was a year old, and she needed the assistance of a walker to get around at the age of 2.

The June Smith Center recommended that the Robles bring Sophia to Schreiber Pediatric for more intense therapy.

At Schreiber, Sophia grew socially, as well as physically.

“When we first came to Schreiber, she wouldn’t go near people,” her mother said. “She would start screaming and wouldn’t leave my side.”

As Sophia became comfortable with the surroundings at the Center, she started to relax and open up. Now she responds with a sweet engaging smile to those who talk with her.

Physical therapy was also a challenge at first.

“I tried to stay with her during the therapy sessions,” Her mother recalled, “but she was resisting and crying out for me, and it was too hard for me to be in there. I had to step out of that situation.”

Malexi began waiting outside the therapy room. When Sophia was alone with the therapist, she started to listen and began making progress. But her limited range of movement presented challenges.

Unusual surgery leads to breakthrough
After evaluating Sophia’s condition, an orthopedic doctor recommended she undergo an operation that would release her tight tendons. It was a surgery that is usually not recommended for children under age 7 because it may need to be repeated later in life. However, in Sophia’s case, a CT scan revealed that her hips were so restricted that they would likely become dislocated if she didn’t have the surgery sooner. So, at the age of 4, Sophia underwent the operation, which required her to be in a cast from the waist down for six weeks.

Before the operation, Sophia’s mother had trouble changing her diaper because she couldn’t bend her legs. After surgery, the cast continued to make diaper changes difficult. But, when the cast was removed, both Malexi and Sophia were overwhelmed by its success.

“I heard her saying ‘open…close’ over and over,” Malexi recalled. “She was laying on the bed, saying ‘open, close’ as she moved her legs back and forth for the first time.”

Sophia started light therapy, which became more intense as her body healed. The therapist was able to teach Malexi how to do the exercises with her at home. With the help of therapy, Sophia increased her mobility, and in one year was walking without the assistance of a walker.

Sophia’s success opened the door to a lot of changes for her and her family. When she came to Schreiber she could barely sit down.

“She was not flexible at all. Her posture was hunched and her legs wouldn’t straighten when she sat down. They were bent when she stood, also,” Malexi said. “Now she is walking, and she can bend down to pick up something from the floor, and she is running. So she has done a complete 360.”

Although she runs with some difficulty, it is a treasure to see Sophia’s joyful strides down the hall outside the physical therapy room at Schreiber. She will continue to improve both physically and socially, and can look forward to a promising future.

Sophia Clay thrives at Schreiber

Kelly was looking for outpatient physical therapy to continue what she was already doing in the home, and Schreiber had what she was looking for — a new perspective and some new ideas.

Sophia has cerebral palsy and struggles to control her body movements. Gaining muscle strength and control is important for her, as this will help her stand and walk. Because it is hard work, physical therapy is Sophia’s least favorite activity. The therapist has started working on relaxing techniques that will also help with movement control. Sophia’s mother helps her exercise and stretch during the therapy sessions.

“I’m right there with her,” Kelly says. “The best way for parents to help their kids is to be involved here. Therapy is only once a week, so you have to work on these things at home if your child is going to progress. Each month I come away learning something new.”

Kelly knows that with constant work Sophia will gain greater mobility and the skills necessary to live a better life. Sophia is able to move her own wheelchair to get around and has positive interaction with her peers at school. As she learns to better control her movement and speech it will improve her ability to communicate and interact with those around her.

Sophia’s condition requires more than one type of therapy. At Schreiber, Sophia is able to work on her gross and fine motor skills, develop her speech articulation, and learn important social skills.

During speech therapy, Kelly watches Sophia through an observer’s window.

“She’s come a long way with her speech.” Kelly says. “I learned different ways to help her make sounds that she has trouble pronouncing from watching the therapist work with her here.”

Kelly plans to enroll Sophia in Schreiber’s summer camp program and looks forward to meeting other families that may have children who will become playmates for her daughter. One way she hopes to develop relationships is through a newly formed parent support group. The group, which plans to meet monthly, was formed by parents who want to network, encourage and connect with other families experiencing similar challenges.

“I’m glad we’re at Schreiber because there aren’t a lot of places that offer this kind of support,” Kelly says. “Everything she needs is right here. And all the therapists show concern for Sophia and for us as a family.”

Engineering progress for Teddy

Inside the vest, the three students had built a small vibrating motor. They had spent more than a year researching and doing early work on the design, and they came to Schreiber April 5 for the first test.

Brain damage

at 3 months

The whole process started in December 2014, when Teddy’s mom, Jaclyn Rhoades, had submitted a proposal to Elizabethtown’s Engineering Department asking if students there could design a vibrating device to improve Teddy’s muscle tone.

The three students — Jake Evans, David Good and Buck Kauffman — were intrigued enough to take on the project. They met with Jaclyn to find out what problems the therapists had and what they could do to help them. They found that creating a hands-free vibration device would make therapy easier for everyone involved.

Teddy suffers from hypoxic brain injury, brain damage from lack of oxygen. His mom found him face down in his crib when he was 3 months old, blue and not breathing. She revived him, but the damage left him with cerebral palsy, which affects body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance.

Teddy spends most of his time in a wheelchair stroller, and he lacks the strength to straighten his spine or keep his head up for long. So he slumps, and his head tends to flop forward.

Megan has had success working with a hand-held vibrating device during home visits to Teddy. The vibrations stimulate the muscles to activate spine and trunk erection. The students observed one of these visits and saw what a struggle it was to hold Teddy and use the device. They thought a vibrating vest might free up their hands and make the session easier and more productive.

They started working on the design in January 2015 and began prototyping this past January. They bought a child’s life jacket, tore out the inflatable material and built the motor, powered by two AA batteries. The installed motor could be moved to different areas of the vest, depending on which area of Teddy’s back was the target for the vibrating.

Total cost of the materials: $50.

A successful test

On the day of the test, David, Buck and Jake stood behind Mom as Megan and Alissa snapped on the vest and flipped the switch.

Nothing happened. The vibrations weren’t hitting the right spot.

Megan moved the motor up higher on Teddy’s back and tried again.

Right away, Teddy began to slowly straighten up, as if his head and shoulders were connected to some unseen strings from the ceiling.

Jaclyn’s face lit up in a smile, and the three students reacted with something approaching astonishment.

“Sweet!,” Jake said. “It’s doing exactly what we thought it would do.”

“It’s kind of surprising to see, actually,” Buck said.

“Definitely a good feeling,” Jake added.

And Teddy? He just took in his new view of the world, scanning the smiling faces that surrounded him, probably wondering what all the fuss was about.

A kids’ book that explains physical therapy

The book is “Sammy’s Physical Therapy Adventure,” written by Dr. Michael L. Fink (no relation), assistant professor of physical therapy at Lebanon Valley College.

According to the About the Author notes in the book’s Amazon page, Dr. Fink wrote the book to explain to his then 3-year-old daughter what it is a physical therapist does.


The book follows Buddy the racoon and his friend Sammy, a bear, as they ride their bikes along a path in the woods. When Sammy hits a stick, takes a spill and hurts his foot, he winds up going to a physical therapist for treatment.

Laurie said the book does a good job explaining what a PT does and uses words and pictures that a kid would find interesting. And she wanted to give Dr. Fink a shout out: She graduated from LVC with a doctorate degree in physical therapy in 2011.

Shop for Schreiber in April

The expo will give us a chance to market our services, and if you shop at the mall that day you could help us win up to $3,000.

Throughout the day, shoppers will be given the opportunity to vote for their favorite organization, and those votes translate into points for Schreiber.

UPDATED:

There are six ways to earn points for Schreiber.

1. Receipts from Park City on April 16
$1 = 1 Point
Shoppers may take their April 16 receipts to the Rotary Booth in Center Court and apply their points to the nonprofit of their choice. Receipts should be submitted by the actual shopper. Please no dumpster diving, or bringing receipts from other days. Nonprofit participants may submit their own receipts, but should not hold and submit receipts for other shoppers.

These areas around the mall will also count: DSW, Olive Garden, Babies R Us, Bonefish Grill, Longhorn Steakhouse

2. Sign up for Park City Email Club
1 Sign-up = 50 Points
Shoppers may sign up with cards available at the Rotary Booth and submit them at the Rotary Booth to apply points to the nonprofit of their choice.

3. Download the GGP Malls App
50 Points
Download the GGP Malls app. Show it on your mobile device at the Rotary Booth in Center Court. Use this app to remember where you parked, check out the directory to find the location of your favorite store, view store sales, mall events and more!

WiFi Instructions for Androids
(iPhone users seem to be able to log on right away with no extra steps).
Open your web browser on your phone.
Go to a general site that does not require a password, such as msn.com
Do not open Facebook or Instagram as they require passwords and it won’t work.
Once you go to msn.com, you should then receive an automatic screen that says “Welcome to GGP WiFi.”
From there, you will be asked to enter an email address. Once entered, you should have WiFi access.
You can then go to Facebook or Instagram and should have access to all normal sites.

4. Make a Cash Contribution to Hempfield Food Pantry in Center Court
$1 Contribution = 5 Points

5. Make a Contribution of non perishable food to Hempfield Food Pantry in Center Court
1 Grocery bag (minimum 5 items) = 25 Points

6. Visit Ten Booths, get Punch Card Punched Ten Times
1 Card = 100 Points
Punch cards will be available at the booths. Visit and get it punched by at least ten nonprofits, then turn in at the Rotary Booth. The goal is to generate visits. One card per person, please.

The expo runs from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., so come out anytime that Saturday and put your shopping to work for Schreiber.

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS: If you want to help staff the marketing table we’ll have at the mall that day, let us know. We need two volunteers for each of these three shifts:

  • 9:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
  • 1:30 to 5 p.m.
  • 5 to 8:30 p.m.

If you’re interested, contact Marie Johnston at 717-393-0425 ext. 129 or by email at mjohnston@schreiberpediatric.org.

Meet the 2016 Ambassadors: Sophia Panzini

Sophia Panzini

Age: born 3/21/97 (18, turning 19 in March)
Diagnosis: Autism spectrum disorder
Parents: Reenie and Peter Panzini, Manheim Township
Siblings: Edward, 20; Carina, 10
Favorite activities: Listening to music, adult coloring books, playing games on the Wii, collecting jewelry
What she watches and listens to: The Food Network, “Spider Man” movie, Destiny’s Child
Favorite food: “Mac and cheese – gluten-free, please!”
When she grows up she want to: “Be a Hollywood singer.”
Three words to describe her: Beautiful, sweet and funny
What else to know about Sophia: She attends Schreiber’s Club 625 events, making friends and being a teenager.

Like a lot of kids with autism, Sophia Panzini is reluctant to look people in the eye when she talks to them. But when she’s posing for a picture, she loves the camera — and the camera loves her.

Here’s her story, in the words of her mom Reenie.

“Sophia was diagnosed with autism when she was 8, and we had just moved to Lancaster from New York City. Her pediatrician told us about Schreiber, and we practically ran there! We didn’t know anything about therapy or autism, and we were literally walked slowly through everything step by step. Sophia learned to have conversations, hold writing instruments, walk up and down stairs without crying, and so much more. We (as a family) learned that we’re stronger than we thought, and that you can get through anything with enough love and a lot of humor.”

Meet the 2016 Ambassadors: Ty McCabe

Tiberius “Ty” McCabe

Age: He turned 6 in December
Diagnoses: Pierre Robin Syndrome, Pterygium Syndrome, hearing impaired, speech and language impaired
Grade and school: Schreiber S.T.A.R.S. Preschool
Parents: Kevin and Margaret McCabe, Lititz
Siblings: Delaney, 12
Favorite activities: Playing with Delaney; playing with trains, tractors and monster truck toys; playing ABC Mouse and tabletop games with the nurses; video games
Favorite food: Pudding
What he watches and listens to: On TV, he likes “Magic School Bus,” Mr. Rogers, and SpongeBob; for movies, he likes the “Air Bud” series; favorite song is “The Wheels on the Bus”
When he grows up he wants to: Be a pilot or drive monster trucks
Three words to describe him: Outgoing, determined and happy

For the Ambassador photo shoot, Ty McCabe came prepared. He rocked the white hat and black bow tie. When it was his turn, he plopped down in the comfy chair and faced the camera, his whole demeanor saying: “I’m ready. Let’s do this.”

That’s Ty: spreading smiles and good vibes whenever he comes to Schreiber. Which, as it turns out, is a lot. He’s here for preschool, and he receives physical, speech and occupational therapy.

He was born with a couple of different conditions: Pierre Robin Syndrome, which left him with a smaller-than-normal lower jaw, issues with his tongue and feeding problems; Pterygium Syndrome, which carries several symptoms but primarily affects his joints and bones; and he has hearing, speech and language impairments.

During therapy and at home, he works on stair climbing, bike riding and dressing himself. He practices fine motor skills like writing, using scissors and feeding himself. He’s trying to improve his speech and his signing skills. Since he started at Schreiber, he has learned to walk without a walker, is able to form some words and is eating Stage II foods, the thicker, chunkier foods that replace purees.

“(He is preparing) for mainstream education at the highest functional level of independence,” his mom Margaret says. “We have seen academic improvement despite many hospitalizations, surgeries and medical appointments.”

Meet the 2016 Ambassadors: Graham Lodwick

Graham Lodwick

Age: He turns 12 in August
Diagnosis: Deaf and childhood speech apraxia
Grade and school: Fifth grade, John Beck Elementary School
Parents: Wendy Williams and Karl Lodwick of South Lebanon Township, Lebanon County
Siblings: Graham has an older brother Reese, 14
Favorite activities: Playing with pets, playing video games, bowling and riding his bike
Favorite food: Pizza
What he watches and listens to: “Drake and Josh,” “Minions,” the song “The Best Day of My Life” by American Authors
When he grows up, he wants to: Be a car designer
Three words to describe him: Happy, silly and loving

Graham has been coming to Schreiber for speech therapy since he was 6. Dorlas Riley, Schreiber’s lead speech therapist, diagnosed Graham with speech apraxia. The condition is defined this way by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: Graham knows what he wants to say, but his brain has difficulty coordinating the muscle movements necessary to say those words. He’s also deaf and has a cochlear implant.

So in his twice-a-week therapy at Schreiber, he practices his speech sounds and works on listening to get the best use of his cochlear processor. He’s also working on talking in complete sentences. The work is paying off. When he started with Dorlas, he communicated entirely by signing.

“(Now), he can carrry on a conversation with someone who does not use sign langugage,” says his mom Wendy.

It takes a lot of effort to make that kind of progress. But his therapy with Dorlas doesn’t seem like work.

“He loves it,” Wendy says. “Even after six years, he still looks forward to coming.”