And proud we are...
...thankful,
...grateful,
...amazed at our two beautiful girls who have defied the odds and are truly little miracles, for more reasons than I can begin to list here.
Today the girls were assessed by one of their early intervention providers, Baby Steps. Two occupational therapists (who the girls' have never seen/met before) and a speech therapist (who assessed the girls when they were just 6 months old) assessed the girls. The occupational therapists spent about 1 hour with the girls and after a multitude of tasks in fine motor (small muscle) and gross motor (large muscle, movements), and sensory issues. The girls did great with them and were "performing" immediately...no crying, no hanging on to mommy and daddy for dear life. At the end of the OT assessment, it was determined they were performing at the 27 month age range for fine motor tasks (yes, twenty SEVEN months...they are only 23 months) and between 21-22 months for gross motor (running, jumping, balancing, etc.) which is why they receive physical therapy every week. So they are only 1 month behind in PT at most which falls in the normal range for so many typically
developing, full-term children. They recommended a sensory/
movement class for the girls, once per week. Both girls have some sensory issues (mostly tactile) and aren't big fans of messy hands or
strange textures touching their feet. This class will work on that with lots of gooey tasks and lots of
movement/gym like activities. And the best part? It is with a small
group of kids, so socialization is built in and parents are welcome because they don't feel that any child that is 2 years old should be forced to "deal with their separation issues" when it's perfectly normal and most kids work
through it on their own by the time they are 3...yes, THREE years old, not two. Gosh, I love these people!
The second
assessment was done by a speech therapist who has loved the girls from day one. She was thrilled to see them again. Her assessment was VERY thorough and the girls did great. They were jabber-boxes for her and even were putting 2 words together! I was shocked. The
therapist said she was being super stingy and strict with scoring, and the girls came out between 22-23 months in speech...with skills scattered all the way into the 33-36 month age range...I was FLOORED! For a child to receive early
intervention services from the state, s/he must show a 33% delay...which would mean for the girls
performing at the 15 month age range. She did recommend a communication class and said it
would be perfect to help boost their language, but that she doubted they would qualify.
Basically, they are caught up in all areas...yes, ALL areas. The range of normal development is a couple months +/-, which is exactly where they are at. The
therapists are all
trying to get as
many services for the girls as they can to help "finish" it off, but truthfully, they may not qualify...which is
music to my ears. My little 2 pound
miracles have come so far and yes, we are so very proud of them!
