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The Parent Connection Share Your Story Here! |
As a pediatric occupational therapist I have known many remarkable children who have special needs. These children and their families have given to me as much as I hope I have given to them. Though we were brought together by less then ideal circumstances I have found friends, faith and blessing too numerous to count by having known all of them.
This site is dedicated to all my little lions. You humble me with your strength, courage and faith.
If you have a child with developmental delays regardless of whether he has a diagnosis or is just showing some delays I can not stress to you enough the importance of Early Intervention Services.
Please do not wait to see if "he'll grow out it." So many times I have started working with children who were over two years old who obviously had delays from an early age and now were showing big gaps in their development because of waiting. If a delay is present waiting makes it harder for your child to catch up and harder on the parent because now situations are present that could have been avoided early on.
As I stated in my "How to Chose a Pediatrician" page, Doctors deserve respect but not worship. If you are not getting the response to your concerns that you want get a second opinion. Be an advocate for your child. If you're not who will be?
There is a national program as part of the Individuals with Disabilities Act(IDEA)known as Part-C. Each state has this program as part of their early intervention program. It entitles all children from birth to 3 years to a free developmental evaluation. You as a parent can make the referral you don't need your doctor to do it.
NECTAC is the national early childhood technical assistance center supported by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs. NECTAC serves all 50 states and 10 jurisdictions with an array of services and supports to improve service systems and outcomes for infants, toddlers, and preschool aged children with special needs and their families.
