Meet Tayte

Tell us your child’s story.

Tayte was born seemingly healthy and was a happy baby. By 6 months old, however, he wasn’t meeting his milestones and we knew something was terribly wrong. At a year old, we almost lost him because his body wasn’t producing adequate hormones for survival. This led to a diagnosis of hypopituitarism, and then at 2 years of age, a cerebral palsy diagnosis. His prognosis was not good, in fact, we were told he’d never do anything in life other than smile at us. It was at this point that we pursued therapy with APT. We knew him being with us was a miracle, but now we needed people who would hold our hand and his as we walked him through the most simple of tasks- crawling (at 2-3 years of age), standing and walking with a walker (around 4 years of age), and walking alone (at 5-6 years of age). He finally learned to drink through a straw at around 10-11 years of age. Tayte has been nonverbal most of his life, with “Mom” being his only discernible word. It has been quite the battle! Things that come so easily for other people, Tayte has had to work extremely hard at. Now at 13, Tayte is walking, very expressive even though he doesn’t say many words, and hilarious. He loves playing Minecraft with the most awesome sister ever, Teigan, and he loves doing Dino digs and working puzzles. He also loves jokes and even has some of his own.

Why did you choose APT for services?

We chose therapy with APT because it was clear from the beginning that they invested so much in kids and families. They have been with us through all the changes, the difficult decisions on when to pause therapy and focus on education, and through all the stacking odds against Tayte that could have caused them to say “there’s nothing more we can do”, or “I’ve gotten him as far as I can”. We are so thankful for our APT family and the therapists over the years that have helped to give Tayte the most independence and best life he deserves! Our life is truly better because of them!

Occupational Therapist, Kristen Wilcox see Tayte for therapy at APT Shelbyville. We asked her to share a little about their relationship.

  
Describe a little about your and Tayte’s relationship.

Tayte has worked so hard in the clinic towards acquiring new skills that will support his independence at home. He is always willing to try something new and does so with a big smile on his face! I love being able to challenge him, and in return, he challenges me to be a better therapist. I am so proud of how far he has come and I look forward to continuing to watch him grow!