Hi ladies! As promised the Center success story is below in its entirety 😊
Just a little over two years of age, L was referred for an evaluation to see if she was hitting her milestones on time. A Help Me Grow evaluation qualified her to receive services in both expressive communication and sensory processing through Part C Early Intervention Services for birth to three-year-old’s. While these services were important for her, the family had urgent needs. The Early Interventionist PSP (Primary Service Provider) assigned to work with L and her family needed to secure the family with basic resources including food, clothing, and diapers. This was able to be done with the help of The Center’s pantry! As the PSP provider turned her attention to L, a focus was needed on both L’s behavior and food intake. L refused to eat a variety of foods due to smell, texture and taste. L would run around her apartment, jumping (seeking sensory intake). L was often unable to calm herself down and would have multiple tantrums per day, some lasting up to 30 minutes. She needed assistance with staying on task for more than one turn and she had no expressive communication. She failed to qualify for suspected disorders but was referred to a behavioral clinic. L’s journey with The Center had just begun.
At age three, L qualified for an IEP (Individualized Education Program) through her school district and joined The Childhood League Center’s transition preschool class where her services would be delivered. The family was pleased to find a center located in their neighborhood. L was not as sure about her new location. She had extreme separation from her family and would tantrum when they left. L would stand by the window watching for them to return and not interact with others. Her vocabulary was still limited, and she only used the words, “eat” “yes” and “no” in the classroom. Each transition brought a new burst of tears. Eating skills and regulation skills needed extreme focus. L had no affect, but her team stayed with her and things began to change.
By December of 2020, L would wave goodbye to her parents at drop off and would engage with toys and activities. She followed one-step commands, could use utensils independently during eating times (with reminders), and attempted to repeat words. Her attention span for both individual and structured activities increased. Peers were of interest to her and she would often cuddle with staff. Best of all, she started smiling and laughing, L was showing happiness!!
L’s progress continued through the start of the 2021 year and by May 2021, she was not only interested in her peers, but participated with them in associative play. L’s language skills included 3-4 word phrases and singing songs loudly and with pride! She transitioned from one activity to another independently and mastered toilet training. Remember the lack of eating that was mentioned at the beginning? L now tolerated a variety of foods and eating skills were more age appropriate. By the time the 2020-2021 school year wrapped up, L was showing confidence in herself and her skills!