Born seven weeks early and weighing just three pounds, Jayden Howard has been a fighter since birth. Although he was small, his mother, Lori, described him as the perfect blessing – happy and laid-back. As those early months went by, Lori noticed her son wasn’t meeting the typical stages of child development. By his first birthday, doctors diagnosed Jayden with cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affect movement and muscle tone. It’s most often caused by damage that occurs to the developing brain before birth. While there is no cure for cerebral palsy, beginning therapy at an early age gives children the best chance of improvement so they can live independent lives.

By the age of 3, Jayden started receiving therapy at Margaret Mary’s Rehab Center. Located on State Road 129 in Batesville, the outpatient rehab facility is home to MMH’s physical, occupational and speech therapy services. Over the years, Jayden has received all three.

“When we first started therapy with Jayden, I thought he’d be dependent on me his whole life,” said Lori, “but his progress has been amazing! At first, he was barely walking and had trouble communicating. Now he gets around well and talks all the time. He started school this year and loves video games and tee-ball. Sometimes he has to adapt, but he’s your typical 7-year-old boy.”

At MMH, our pediatric therapists are licensed, certified and experienced in pediatric treatment and rehabilitation. For children receiving occupational therapy, our staff can help improve the fine motor skills needed for handwriting and self care, as well as the skills needed for play and daily activities. Children receiving physical therapy spend the majority of their time maximizing their ability to move and focus on strength, balance and coordination. If your child is in need of speech therapy, our therapists can help improve communication, feeding, swallowing, oral motor dysfunction and cognition.

“I’m thankful we have such a dedicated therapy team in our community,” said Lori. “When Jayden succeeds, they celebrate his success. They’ve become like family to us.”