| The mission of Special Needs Kids Info. is to provide parents who are new to the world of special needs in the DC, Maryland and Virginia area a complete list of Specialists and services that are most often used. This article appeared in the bi-monthly newsletter from Arlington, Virginia's ICC & PIE Early intervention Programs Volume 4, Issue 3 Why Early Intervention Works By Former PIE mom, Kate Moore Patton My son Dave, now 3 ½ years old, started receiving services from PIE when he was 10 months old. His life was perfect until he was three months old. Dave did what he was supposed to do: eat, sleep, and play. Then at three months he started to cry a lot, probably due to recurring ear infections; and by four months old he was already cutting two teeth. Holding him was the only way to calm him and the only time he was happy. Because my husband Scott and five-year-old daughter Erin could not take a crying baby, Dave was held 24/7. I either slept in the same room or in his bed just to get a few hours of sleep. He began to miss all the major milestones. I felt as though Dave was trapped in his own little body, unable to move or express himself. He had two types of communication: crying and screaming. Through the PIE program, Dave received therapy, which seemed to be a slow and frustrating experience. However, the speech, physical, and occupational therapists all were very helpful. Dave and I would diligently do the exercises that they taught us. Most times he couldn’t do them, which only frustrated him more and made him cry more. “Slow but steady,” I would whisper to him. Together, we celebrated each small victory. Right before his first birthday he began to turn over from his front to his back. I was excited about his progress. Unfortunately, this development also brought progress in an unwanted area. His screaming grew to tantrums. Tantrums increased to three or four a day that lasted close to an hour at a time. Holding him tightly did slow him down. I tried everything the therapists suggested. “Ignore him; let him wear himself out,” “talk to him calmly,” and “create a ‘safe environment’ for him to go when he is tantruming.” He became even more frustrated and I became more exhausted. Dave upped his behavior. He began by banging his head on soft objects like couch cushions and pillows, but those were soon replaced by the carpet, kitchen floor, tables, and even a glass door. Dave was totally out of control. The only thing that worked was to pick him up the moment he would start and hold him tight. Of course he was getting bigger and he started flailing as well. I was really in bad shape, physically and mentally. Each week I would give a progress report to the therapists, except there wasn’t much, if any, progress going on. By the end of the year, I was a mess and distraught, despite the fact that Dave began to walk. In between all of this I hired a Marymount sitter so that Erin and I would have our Wednesday “Mother-Daughter Day” and Scott would have our weekly Sunday “Date”. Thankfully, my husband was terrific at taking care of our daughter and helping around the house, doing errands and grocery shopping, but I was on my own when it came to Dave. That became a strain on our relationship. Finally my service coordinator called in a social worker/behaviorist for a consultation. I will never forget her words after she evaluated Dave: “I have seen this before, I know what to do, and things will get better!” Dave not only has low muscle tone with developmental delays but he also has an immature nervous system, she explained, and needs to get regulated. The more deep input he can receive the more regulated his nervous system will become. It was also then that I was reminded of the Parent2Parent support group. I’m sure I had heard of it before, but it didn’t sink in until then. We agreed to meet weekly. Meanwhile, I enrolled Dave in a tumbling class and a sensory playgroup that my service coordinator suggested, because Dave was now two and old enough for these classes. Our routine soon became going to playgroup on Monday mornings and tumbling class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings from January to June. We also did our regular therapy in between. After each session we would go home to eat lunch, take a 1 ½ hour nap, do sensory activities around the house, pick Erin up at school, go to a playground, go home to eat to a quick dinner before going swimming and then finally arrived home two hours later to go to bed. I started going to one of the two monthly Parent2Parent meetings. After my first one, I came home and told Scott, “I don’t care if the kids go to sleep or stay up until I get home, but I AM going to this meeting one a month and twice if I can make it!” He was very supportive and happy that I had found the group. He came home early to take care of the kids each time I had a meeting. I was exhausted, but seeing progress in Dave after a few weeks. The tantrums had decreased from three or four a day to two or three. It was working and Dave was happier, but I was still tired and felt that I needed more help. Because we live behind Marymount, I walked up to the University and started interviewing students. I was specifically looking for education and health majors. I left with a list of five students. I hired most of them to “run Dave and Erin” five days a week from 5-7:30 pm. I taught the sitters the exercises that my therapists taught me and had a list of activities they had to do with Dave. I slept while they played. Dave continued to thrive and the tantrums decreased. Life was getting better. I was less stressed, emotionally and physically, and our family was happier. Over the next several weeks Dave increasing liked the tumbling but consequently his tantrums subsided to one a week. As the spring ended, Dave was accepted into the Special Education preschool class at Jamestown Elementary, the school Erin attends. We were all thrilled. It was then that I learned about a summer speech camp, which was run by Elizabeth Vosseller, a GWU professor, and her students. The camp was fabulous. It was a six-week program from Monday-Thursday from 9:30 am to noon. When Dave started he was using three-four utterances and didn’t transition well. By the end of the second week, Dave was speaking in full sentences and loving the camp. It was also great for me. It was the first time in 2 ½ years that I had so much time to myself! After I dropped Dave off, Scott and I often played tennis or spent the mornings together or I’d go shopping. It was great! Dave continues to grow and blossom into a happy, funny little boy. He can vocalize his needs and wants and loves to play. Dave has a beautiful relationship with both his dad and sister. I believe Dave has made huge strides thanks in part to his therapists, but I really attribute his turning point to the social worker/behaviorist, as well as to his and my commitment to increasing his daily activity and to the Parent2Parent support group. The sitters come twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays. Dave’s tantrums still appear, but only every few weeks. Update: Dave is 4 1/2 yrs old and has improved in all areas. He is a talkative, happy, sweet, confident, fun little boy. He loves having his friends over and going to their houses. Dave is thriving in the integrated special education program that our County offers. I credit his success to all of the wonderful and dedicated specialists and therapists that were willing to work with us and teach our family what Dave needed to become a happy, healthy little boy. The programs and support groups that were available and that we took advantage of through our County Early Intervention Program were invaluable. I can't stress the importance of County Intervention programs, whether your child is eligible for the Birth to Three year old program or the Child Find program developed for school age children, their experience and expertise are well worth it. If you are going through something similar and are at the end of your rope, please go to the Respite Care page on this site. You'll find several options. Kate Moore Patton If you like this feature, please contact Julie Katz. She is ALWAYS looking for personal stories. Please share yours with them! E-mail Julie Katz at: juliekatz@comcast.net or mail it to: 2717 S. Grant St. , Arlington , VA 22202 . |
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