July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Praise given to local First Steps effort (02/03/07)
Letter to the Editor
To the editor:
I would like to take this opportunity to give thanks, educate and encourage. I am the proud parent of two beautiful boys.
From an early age my husband and I noticed that our oldest was advanced for his age with hand-eye coordination and could problem-solve very well, but he seemed to be slower than others his age with his speech development.
We, like most parents, tried to put this off as "boys develop their verbal skills slower than girls." As he continued to get older he would get frustrated because we were not understanding him.
My husband is a doctor and we too struggled to admit that our 2-year-old beautiful, bright child had a deficiency, but with the encouragement of Theresa Linn, Jay County Schools Early Childhood Intervention Advocate and Speech Therapist, we had him evaluated through the First Steps program.
First Steps is a government program whose mission is, "To assure that all Indiana families with infants and toddlers experiencing developmental delays or disabilities have access to early intervention services close to home when they need them."
They sent a team of two specialists to our home to evaluate our son for both speech and developmental deficiencies. They got on the floor with our son and had a bag of toys and they simply played with him. He had a great time and they were able to assess many of the things we knew. He was advanced in some areas, but was definitely deficient in his speech development.
Within the month, we had our first speech therapy session with Clif DeRome. Clif was a true blessing, because not only does he have a master's in speech pathology, but I went to school with him and I was so comfortable knowing that he would be helping our son.
Once a week Clif came to our house with a hockey bag full of toys and books and he would sit on the floor with both my son and me.
Through play, Clif attacked his speech needs. It was amazing how Clif would keep my son's attention and when he wandered off, Clif would easily switch gears or move with my son to get him back on track.
Clif's visits became something my son would be excited for and talk about.
The First Steps program finishes when children turn 3 years old. Four months short of his third birthday, First Steps set up a meeting with Jay Schools Special Education to have our son evaluated to move into their program and what opportunities are available.
It was such a smooth transition, that Clif had his final session on a Friday and the following Wednesday our son had his first session with his new speech therapist, Lisa McShane.
Our son has advanced so much and he is a much happier little boy now that he is successfully communicating with others.
I want to thank Theresa Linn for the encouragement and now her direct involvement with our son's success.
Additionally, I want to praise Clif DeRome for his dedication to not only educating my son, but also me by suggesting things to focus on with him during the week until the next session.
I cannot say enough positive things about our experience with First Steps. I want to encourage all parents and primary caregivers to take any developmental concerns you may have about your child to your family physician, because they can refer you to First Steps and get your child evaluated.
It could be the best step for your child's future success.
Rayma Frankenfield
Portland[[In-content Ad]]
I would like to take this opportunity to give thanks, educate and encourage. I am the proud parent of two beautiful boys.
From an early age my husband and I noticed that our oldest was advanced for his age with hand-eye coordination and could problem-solve very well, but he seemed to be slower than others his age with his speech development.
We, like most parents, tried to put this off as "boys develop their verbal skills slower than girls." As he continued to get older he would get frustrated because we were not understanding him.
My husband is a doctor and we too struggled to admit that our 2-year-old beautiful, bright child had a deficiency, but with the encouragement of Theresa Linn, Jay County Schools Early Childhood Intervention Advocate and Speech Therapist, we had him evaluated through the First Steps program.
First Steps is a government program whose mission is, "To assure that all Indiana families with infants and toddlers experiencing developmental delays or disabilities have access to early intervention services close to home when they need them."
They sent a team of two specialists to our home to evaluate our son for both speech and developmental deficiencies. They got on the floor with our son and had a bag of toys and they simply played with him. He had a great time and they were able to assess many of the things we knew. He was advanced in some areas, but was definitely deficient in his speech development.
Within the month, we had our first speech therapy session with Clif DeRome. Clif was a true blessing, because not only does he have a master's in speech pathology, but I went to school with him and I was so comfortable knowing that he would be helping our son.
Once a week Clif came to our house with a hockey bag full of toys and books and he would sit on the floor with both my son and me.
Through play, Clif attacked his speech needs. It was amazing how Clif would keep my son's attention and when he wandered off, Clif would easily switch gears or move with my son to get him back on track.
Clif's visits became something my son would be excited for and talk about.
The First Steps program finishes when children turn 3 years old. Four months short of his third birthday, First Steps set up a meeting with Jay Schools Special Education to have our son evaluated to move into their program and what opportunities are available.
It was such a smooth transition, that Clif had his final session on a Friday and the following Wednesday our son had his first session with his new speech therapist, Lisa McShane.
Our son has advanced so much and he is a much happier little boy now that he is successfully communicating with others.
I want to thank Theresa Linn for the encouragement and now her direct involvement with our son's success.
Additionally, I want to praise Clif DeRome for his dedication to not only educating my son, but also me by suggesting things to focus on with him during the week until the next session.
I cannot say enough positive things about our experience with First Steps. I want to encourage all parents and primary caregivers to take any developmental concerns you may have about your child to your family physician, because they can refer you to First Steps and get your child evaluated.
It could be the best step for your child's future success.
Rayma Frankenfield
Portland[[In-content Ad]]
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