Meet Allie, a patient who was seen by our team of multidisciplinary experts. Learn more about her journey below.

Blog written by Allie's mom, Krista.

Allie has been diagnosed with microcephaly and clinically diagnosed with CP. She is weak on the left side of her body and does not have the ability to use her left hand, yet. The first few months of life, Allie had many feeding issues and wasn’t hitting milestones, but we figured it was just due to her being born premature. Once she started clearly only using her right hand to play with toys, and she still wasn’t sitting up, rolling over, pulling up on furniture, etc., we knew something was wrong. She’s been in therapy since she was about 8 months old, at first through early childhood intervention and now at Scottish Rite.
 
Through therapy and her determined personality, Allie has made so much progress. We started coming to Scottish Rite last spring and since then, Allie has learned to stabilize objects with her left arm and fisted hand. This has made a world of difference, as this year she is in Pre-K and must be more independent. She has learned how to remove some of her own clothing and can assist with dressing herself. She’s learned to use the restroom independently. Overall, she has become more aware that she has two hands and tries to bring her left hand into the activities she’s working on. Through her hard work, her left side range of motion has also increased. Allie is scheduled to get her first round of Botox injections with Dr. Reyes in January to help loosen up the tenseness in her left arm and hand.
 
What we love most about Scottish Rite is the staff and atmosphere.

The staff members we have worked with are fully committed and sincere in everything they do with Allison.

From the moment we walk through the doors, we feel welcomed and loved. Ms. Amy Sitabkhan, who has worked with Allie in Occupational Therapy since last spring, is always looking to engage Allie in a new, creative way. Amy is always providing us with new techniques and strategies for home. It seems like so much more than just a job that she is carrying out. We can tell that she really cares about our girl and that makes all the difference to us and Allie. We feel very blessed that Allie gets to work with Amy.
 
Scottish Rite means hope for Allie. We feel like she is getting the best care available, in the best atmosphere, with the best people. Sometimes it feels too good to be true.
 
Allie loves spending time playing with her two sisters and two brothers. She started Pre-K this year and loves being in school. She comes home each day and wants to teach us what she has learned. Her father is a Dallas firefighter, and she enjoys visiting him at the fire station and seeing all the fire engines. She loves going on family RV camping trips. Anytime we get a school break, we head out on family road trips, stay in state parks and enjoy nature. She loves being outside and camping. On her 2^nd birthday, we started a tradition of going on a big family hike for her birthday. She was only able to walk a few steps with assistance on the first hike, but now only two years later, she’s walking much more of the hike. To us, this tradition is a symbol of her progress and determination to get stronger each year.
 

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