Preschool Planning

Harlie has been in our county's Early Intervention program since she was just a few months old. This program helps give children with special developmental needs the services they need (like speech, physical and occupational therapies). But the program is from birth to age 3. Hard to believe, but Harlie will be 3 in September. Which means that we need to start planning what we're going to do with her after she ages out of the EIP.

The problem with Harlie is that she needs these services, and will continue to need them for some time. But, she doesn't fit in with the special needs preschool classes offered through the county. Because she's cognitively aware, we don't even think she'll qualify. Which is a good thing, I know. But, I don't really know that a regular preschool program will be a good fit for her, either. For one, most regular preschool programs have large classrooms. And while she'll have to adapt to that environment by kindergarten, I don't think it would be a wise decision to put her in one now. She's still catching up after all, and her language skills are certainly an issue. Although as long as she has her trach, her nurse could go with her. But still...

I clearly need to do some research and put some time and concentration into this decision. I haven't made up my mind about anything - heck, I'm still in the information gathering stage. And our services coordinator with the county said she is going to meet with me and Harlie's speech therapist to put together some goals and try to figure out what our options are and what is best for her. We're scheduled to meet at the end of May.

I will admit that I'm feeling a little bit overwhelmed with this whole ordeal. Now that she's getting older, I think things are getting "harder" in a way. The decisions we make are vital to her progression and development and the system and finances all play a part (which doesn't help). Heck, if it were up to me and money was no issue, I would hire a speech therapist to work with her for an hour 5 days a week (right now she gets one hour per week)!

I think I saw something about home preschooling - where someone who's qualified (not me, of course) would come to our house for a certain number of hours per week. I don't know if that is an option for her, but I guess we'll find out soon.

It is comforting to know that when she gets to kindergarten, if she still can't speak, then the school will have to provide a sign language interpreter for her. Well, at least that's what I heard. I still have a lot of learning to do... and so does Harlie. I can't think too far ahead. Things could be totally different by then. I guess I should just stay focused on summer and fall. We certainly have enough things happening in that time frame to keep us busy!

Funny Video and Therapy Change

So, I finally got the video problem figured out. It was operator error - but I'm learning. Harlie just loves her little brother. She's pretty much obsessed with him. When he cries, she drops (literally) whatever she's playing with and runs to his side. The other night I had Cooper on the floor doing tummy time while I filled his bath and of course, he was crying. Well she came running from Murphy's room, dropped to her knees and flopped on her belly on the floor so she ended up being face to face with him. Her movements were so fluid, like she's done it a hundred times before. It was hilarious. And, I'll give it to her, he stopped crying. Anyway, here are some videos of her playing with him.

And don't you just love the way she listens? Now I know she only has one ear and all, but geez! I just have a feeling she's ignoring me...

Anyway, I'm pretty bummed about a change that's coming. To bring you up to speed: the county we live in provides "early intervention" to kids with special needs to help them develop and get them the help they need. This service is provided until the child turns 3. The therapists come into the child's home, called "natural environment" to help the child feel comfortable so they can maximize the results from therapy. I also think it is to help the families because most of the kids have a lot of difficulties and it is really hard on the families with so many appointments and all. The county contracts with several different facilities to provide the services. It really is extremely confusing once you get into it.

Anyway, a few weeks ago Harlie's speech therapist (Beth) told me that the company her and our physical therapist (Tracy) work for is closing it's pediatric services. So, they are out of jobs, which means we can't keep them as her therapists anymore. She said that if they are to get a job with another company that the county has a contract with to provide early intervention services, then we can stay together. So, I was very hopeful that would happen. But, the county needs to find Harlie other therapists that are available - just in case Beth and/or Tracy get jobs elsewhere. Harlie NEEDS these services - period. And I got a phone call last week from my services coordinator telling me that they found Harlie 2, one hour slots with a speech therapist (one hour for feeding and one hour for communication per week) and a slot with a physical therapist. The only problem is that we have to go to their location for the services. They cannot come to our house. Budget cuts. Great. As if our schedule wasn't hectic enough as it was...

So, not only will this be way inconvenient, but we have to change therapists! Tracy has been with Harlie from the beginning! And Beth has been with Harlie for more than a year! That's a lot of bonding and trust developed - and that's essential to making good progress - especially when it comes feeding! And that bonding and trust is not just between Harlie and them - it's also between them and ME! So much of our therapy also centers around teaching me how to get the best out of her. It's really not as simple as regular parenting. The line between behavioral issues and true medical issues can be very blurry and me trusting them with their advice is absolutely essential to her progress! So, I'm just sad. Now we'll have to start all over.

Well, that's all we have time for today. Come back tomorrow and I'll have something else to talk about.

Take care,

Christy