The Story of Silas: Development of Learning through South Central Pediatric Therapy

Silas Overland is a happy, carefree four year-old little boy who was born with Down syndrome. Down syndrome is a genetic condition that causes delays in physical and intellectual development. However, with early intervention services through South Central’s Pediatric Therapy program, Silas has found help to learn and grow each day.

“When Silas was born, we were told he had Down syndrome,” said Melissa Overland, mother to Silas. “We did not read the books as to what to expect, so we had no idea what to expect. We were looking for a miracle. We feel we found the miracle from Alex O’Neal and the staff at South Central.”

Alex O’Neal serves as the Speech Language Pathologist Coordinator at South Central’s Pediatric Therapy. Sara, Silas’ older sister, received speech therapy treatment from O’Neal previously and the results were positive. With O’Neal’s help again, Silas began his journey for learning and development by enrolling in Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy. With hard work and determination, Silas is learning each day.

“Silas is a very expressive child, yet prior to therapy, he was only able to communicate with his immediate family through expressive sign language,” said O’Neal. “My goal for Silas is be able to communicate his wants or needs so that others understand him. Through continued therapy, Silas has an excellent prognosis. His vocabulary has increased tremendously. I fully anticipate him to become verbal and to begin expressing himself in various settings.”

With a comprehensive care plan, Silas also receives Occupational and Physical Therapy training. The comprehensive care plan uses skilled activities to improve daily functions in all areas. By treating a patient as a whole, development of overall performance increases with each session.

“Children that I assist have difficulty performing everyday life skills such as playing, eating or dressing themselves,” says Nicole McCardle, MS, OTR-L, Occupational Therapist at South Central. “My goal with Silas is to improve his fine motor skills, increase independence and his attention span with sensor integration techniques.”

Nicole and Silas work with social and play skills. Using movement of bouncing, swinging and other techniques, Silas continues to grow. Each session is different, however the overall goal of self-sufficiency remains.

“Independence is very important to Silas,” states Sara Norval, DPT, Physical Therapist at South Central. “Our goal in Physical Therapy is to achieve all gross motor milestones. We use stairs for climbing, trampoline for balance and he has recently learned to initiate pedaling on his motorcycle bike. In the long-term, Silas can achieve all his gross motor skill milestones. With his personal motivation and his family’s support, there is no reason to think he will not.”

Silas with Nicole McCardle, Occupational Therapist

Most children with Down syndrome have mild to moderate impairments, but they are more like other children than they are different. The talents and gifts all children possess should be given the opportunity to develop through rehabilitation, if needed.

“Silas loves to go to therapy. He has learned that therapy is fun. When other things have not worked, this has,” said his mother. “His vocabulary has increased. He has developed more fine motor activities. He teaches himself and our family new things every day. One great thing with therapy is that we, the caregivers, are taught how to continue to teach our child at home.”

Though Silas continues to progress and grow daily, it can be an emotional challenge, especially on the main caregivers. “The support we have received through South Central’s Pediatric Therapy program is more than words can say. They support us emotionally, physically and mentally. They show you things that you thought were impossible. For their support, I am forever grateful.”
Silas’ story continues to inspire all those he meets. His parents and his therapist do not see limitations for him in the future. “Silas is very motivated. He is the sweetest little boy and I know he will do well,” says McCardle.

Comprehensive pediatric services are available for the community. With early intervention as key, it is important to find the appropriate help for a child. For more information about South Central Pediatric Therapy services, please call 601-426-4792.