Today we had our early intervention evaluation. Honestly, my biggest fear coming into today was that we were not going to qualify. My knowledge of gross motor/physical development in babies is pretty limited. Most of what I know has come from watching my toddler, google, and the questionnaires at the pediatrician’s office. Having worked with both PTs and OTs in the school and hospital settings, I know what incredible work they do. So as I said, my biggest fear today was that Grace was not going to qualify for services and we’d have to do more of the “wait and see” with her.
After Grace’s four-month well check I knew she was behind when it came to her gross motor skills. She wasn’t doing the “sphinx” position and was struggling to hold her head up. Additionally, other than two rollovers last Friday, she hasn’t shown many signs of rolling over either way. Other than those specifics, I wasn’t sure what else she was behind on.
Earlier today, the PT, OT, and case manager came in to perform their evaluation and determine eligibility. Having been in many eligibility meetings in the school setting, I was always on the side of the evaluator. I would also assess the child and determine if he/she qualified for help based on the academic impact their speech, language, or reading abilities had. I wasn’t quite sure how quickly they could assess/determine eligibility today. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that both of those things could be done right away to get the ball rolling.
During the evaluation, I was so grateful for so many things. First, I was grateful for the case manager’s thorough description of the process, both today and in the future. She did a wonderful job explaining eligibility criteria, broad long-term goals, specific physical milestones, and the overall procedure.
I was grateful for the PT and OT’s ability to deliver the news. Hearing that your child is at least 25% delayed is never easy. However, hearing both their personal and professional stories about their experiences put me at ease.
I was grateful for their immediate feedback and suggestions. Since Grace was 5 weeks old and initially hospitalized for a GI bug, we’ve had a lot of questions and very few answers. We have learned a lot about what Grace doesn’t have, but little about what is going on and what we can do to help her. Both the PT and OT gave us positions to practice, changes in Grace’s sleeping configuration, and different tips to implement IMMEDIATELY. FINALLY we can start doing something to help her. To be honest, I’m good at making her do tummy time. Some days are easier than others, like when she just sucks her thumb and doesn’t cry. Other days are harder, like when she screams and cries throughout all of tummy time. Some days are the best, when she surprises us and rolls over. Now having activities (other than just tummy time) I can do WITH Grace to help her —I love that I have solutions to our problem.
Grace qualified because she has a gross-motor delay. She is about two months behind where she should be. I go back and forth on my feelings about this. Two months doesn’t seem like a lot. But then I realize she is only 5 months old, and 2 months is 40% of her life. We signed our IFSP this morning. An Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) is a legal document/process that enables your child to get special education services before the age of 3. The family part is huge, because parent education is a key component of child development and success at this age. This process was free and services will be free as well. How incredible is that?! Grace will start getting services 1x/week from an OT. It will be a combination of exercises and parent education. We will have a progress meeting with our case manager in 3 months to look at progress and check-in.
Today, Grace qualified. I am grateful because I know not all families/children do qualify. How lucky are we that we can start getting this girlfriend some help immediately. I’m excited to see her growth and development.
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