Tuesday I took Esther Marie to an early intervention program which she was referred to so that she could be evaluated in several different areas to see if she would qualify for the program. If qualified, she would be eligible for free services until she turns three years old...next April.
It was a GREAT visit and the ladies there were so nice!! Esther Marie was a little shy at first but was quickly put at ease. She was in a room full of adult ladies (6 including me) and she happily played and didn't want to leave when it was all over. They gave her several manipulative kinds of toys to play with and asked me tons and tons of questions about her and what all she is doing......"does she feed herself?", "will she get her shoes if you ask her to?", etc. I had meant to take some photos like I have at doctor's appointments, but I was so involved in answering questions and watching what was going on that I forgot to. I have been trying to chronicle everything with photos.
Anyway, needless to say, Esther Marie charmed everyone and they thought she was SO cute! They did say she would qualify for the program based upon her lack of speech development which they said was at about a 9-12 month old level. They kept commenting about how smart she is and about how she watches everything and imitates very quickly....a sign of high intelligence. Of course, I knew this already but it was nice to hear them say it...she is a very smart girl!
We were also invited to participate in a music program at the center which will start the week of her surgery and will last for 12 weeks. We will miss the first week and maybe the second one, but after that we should be able to attend regularly. They said it helps with language and with bonding. This should be a fun mommy/toddler activity for us each week.
I am excited about this whole program and look forward to it beginning some time soon after she recuperates from her surgery. A speech therapist will come to our home to help her. I'll keep you posted about her progress.
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1 comment:
Sounds like a great program.
We miss you all.
Daniel & the gang
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