Just Fine

Debbie (Sooner Start Coordinator) and The Amazing Brad (speech therapist)

We had an Early Intervention meeting today. It was supposed to be to update our IFSP (Individual Family Service Plan). The plan was to officially take Anna from weekly speech to speech every other week. Instead, we decided as a group that Anna would instead graduate from speech for now. She is doing better and better each week and we collectively decided to just let her go and see how she does. We all agree she still has some major articulation issues but that will hopefully come in time. At 2 years old it is more about vocabulary and less about clarity. At the time articulation becomes an age appropriate skill we will re-evaluate. She will be in school by then and would then receive services through the school district. Debbie feels Anna may need some other therapy at that time for fine motor also. For example, a 2 year old is not expected to be able to write but at 4 she will be. We can't really see if she will have that need until the skill we are evaluating is a skill appropriate for that age level. I also told them that I think even special needs kids deserve a break from school and therapy and I want Anna to have some time to just be a kid. Her life has always been filled with therapy and doctors and hospitals and I think it is important that every now and then she gets a break. I do not know if I will ever be able to thank Brad and Debbie enough for all they have done. They have helped guide me through a system I knew nothing about and actually made it bearable. They found me at my worst and have followed this journey along with me. They gave Anna the skills she needed to roll over, sit, crawl, walk, eat and speak. How do you ever thank someone who does all of this? I cried after they left today because I was overwhelmed with the emotions that came from realizing we have cleared another hurdle. Each day it is sinking in more and more that Anna is going to be just fine!