Ever wondered exactly what "Easter Seals" is all about? For years I've been getting those stickers in the mail but never knew what they were. Well now, I know.
Among other services, Easter Seals runs the early childhood intervention ("eci") program for our part of Travis County. Because of his low birthweight and his need for extra oxygen at home, Oliver qualified automatically for assessment. So, a few weeks ago, two Easter Seals representatives came out to our house to meet us. Essentially, they provide assessment and assistance in areas where Oliver is at risk for problems, from motor skills to language. Getting ready for their visit, I couldn't help but have this nagging feeling that we were in some kind of trouble. Larry was kind of laughing at me because I was straightening up the house and worrying about whether Oliver's outfit was clean. Like they're going to take him away if he has a stain on the collar from his stinky vitamins.
The first meeting was just talking and a lot of paperwork. The Easter Seals representatives could not have been nicer. This week, they came out again, bringing a nutritionist for an assessment of Oliver's weight and feeding. They also put him through a drill of arm and leg exercises to check his reactions and muscle tone. He loved that, as you can imagine. And they asked me a list of questions about his interactions and reactions. Again, I had this nagging feeling that I was taking a test. It's the pleaser in me!
Anyway...if it was a test, Oliver was head of the class. Across the board they were pleased with his muscle tone, his weight gain (8 lbs. 10 oz.) and his general well-being. It was a huge relief to hear a seal of approval from people who are programmed to see issues.
We can still opt in for Oliver to be assessed regularly, but instead we chose a "lite" follow-on program that's a little less demanding. Every two months we'll fill out a questionnaire based on Oliver's corrected age, and Easter Seals will review it to identify any red flags. If an issues arises (let's say, language, or something else we can't really assess right now) we still have the option of getting help. I don't have to be sold on the idea that early identification is critical.
Among other services, Easter Seals runs the early childhood intervention ("eci") program for our part of Travis County. Because of his low birthweight and his need for extra oxygen at home, Oliver qualified automatically for assessment. So, a few weeks ago, two Easter Seals representatives came out to our house to meet us. Essentially, they provide assessment and assistance in areas where Oliver is at risk for problems, from motor skills to language. Getting ready for their visit, I couldn't help but have this nagging feeling that we were in some kind of trouble. Larry was kind of laughing at me because I was straightening up the house and worrying about whether Oliver's outfit was clean. Like they're going to take him away if he has a stain on the collar from his stinky vitamins.
The first meeting was just talking and a lot of paperwork. The Easter Seals representatives could not have been nicer. This week, they came out again, bringing a nutritionist for an assessment of Oliver's weight and feeding. They also put him through a drill of arm and leg exercises to check his reactions and muscle tone. He loved that, as you can imagine. And they asked me a list of questions about his interactions and reactions. Again, I had this nagging feeling that I was taking a test. It's the pleaser in me!
Anyway...if it was a test, Oliver was head of the class. Across the board they were pleased with his muscle tone, his weight gain (8 lbs. 10 oz.) and his general well-being. It was a huge relief to hear a seal of approval from people who are programmed to see issues.
We can still opt in for Oliver to be assessed regularly, but instead we chose a "lite" follow-on program that's a little less demanding. Every two months we'll fill out a questionnaire based on Oliver's corrected age, and Easter Seals will review it to identify any red flags. If an issues arises (let's say, language, or something else we can't really assess right now) we still have the option of getting help. I don't have to be sold on the idea that early identification is critical.
Posts
1 comment:
You have a blog!
Congrats to Oliver for passing his tests. He's lucky to have a great family, and we're really happy to hear that he continues to do well.
Post a Comment