Ryan Senneff was born with Down syndrome and experienced countless illnesses as he grew up. Because of this, his parents had to make some difficult decisions, often prioritizing his health over other areas of development.
“We dropped the ball on mastering some bilateral coordination skills years ago because the plateaus were endless while triaging acute illnesses,”his mom Maura explained. Thankfully, the resilient 8-year-old is living his best life and making huge strides all the time!
Ryan is a cheerful boy who adores hanging out with his loved ones! Maura recently posted a video on Facebook of him practicing skipping down the driveway with his dad Jack.
Together, they have been working hard to catch Ryan up on everything he wasn’t able to master when he was sick, including skipping!
“These bilateral skills using left and right sides of brain will help with writing, all sports and ball skills, tying shoes, confidence, social skills, language, etc.,†Maura said.
As Ryan and Jack hopped down the street together, they both had the biggest smiles on their faces. Maura was cheering them on the entire time as she caught the wonderful milestone on camera!
“Even late, it’s still progress,” she wrote. “Sometimes the little victories are the biggest.”
When Ryan and Jack finished skipping, the two of them shared the best hug. That’s when the little boy said, “I’m proud of you, Dad!”
His parents tried to clarify, thinking maybe they had misheard him. “You’re proud of yourself?”Maura asked. But Ryan just repeated, “No, I’m proud of Dad!â€Â
Way to go, Ryan! Your parents love seeing you grow, and so we do! Thank you for reminding us that all of us are stronger than we think.
Watch Ryan’s adorable response to skipping in the video below, and share this story with someone who could use more joy in their life.
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