Willow’s Incredible Willpower

At 14 months old, Willow is already showing incredible determination as she works toward meaningful developmental milestones through our Occupational Therapy program in partnership with Stark State College. One of Willow’s greatest strengths is her engagement—she makes beautiful eye contact and is deeply connected to the people around her. This strong social connection helps her stay motivated and engaged as she learns new skills.

Willow has made wonderful progress in her fine motor development and intentional object manipulation. She is reaching with purpose and growing more confident in her ability to grasp and explore toys. She especially enjoys holding Squigz, shaking rattles, and clapping blocks together, demonstrating her ability to imitate movements and interact with her environment in meaningful ways. Willow is also beginning to understand cause and effect through activities like Peek-A-Boo, showing her ability to look for objects and engage in purposeful play. These moments reflect her growing curiosity and understanding of the world around her.

Her gross motor growth has been just as exciting to witness. Willow’s trunk control continues to strengthen, allowing her to sit with greater stability and confidence. With this improved core strength, she is able to rotate while sitting, maintain upright posture longer, and use her hands more freely to explore and play. She is also working toward transitioning between positions, building the foundational strength needed for more advanced mobility.

Willow’s ambition truly shines when it comes to movement. She is motivated to crawl and is working hard to get there! With support from our OTA program, she is practicing weight shifting, pushing through her arms, and building the coordination needed to move forward independently. Each session brings new effort, new strength, and new confidence.

Willow’s progress is a beautiful example of how consistency, support, and determination come together to create meaningful growth. Her strong engagement, improving motor skills, and desire to move remind us that she is capable of achieving incredible things. 

Willow’s progress is possible because of the consistent support of our volunteers. Become part of the impact by becoming a volunteer! https://gigisplayhouse.org/canton/volunteer/