Today I was reading through some past blog posts. What a journey it has been, especially with our oldest son after his dramatic start in life! I found this post from February 12, 2009, written when Bubs was 4.5 years old.
Several people shared their opinions on our decision to place Bubs in Occupational Therapy. One of the negative comments we received came from a mom of three children. She felt we were being overcautious because Bubs could be a late bloomer like her son was.
Last night, my husband and I talked about this comment while making a list of changes we have seen in Bubs in the last 5 months since starting therapy.
He is:
– trying new things
– coloring more
– playing with blocks more
– not having as many “bad” days
– not as afraid of loud sounds
– in better control of his emotions
This may all be a fluke. It might be that Bubs just needed to be 4 1/2 for things to get better. We could have waited. But…
What if it wasn’t just a maturity issue?
What if we let the developmental delays go and time didn’t fix it?
What if he just got further behind and the sensory issues magnified?
13 Years Later
In a couple of weeks Bubs will shut the door on his junior year of high school. He has come a long way since his open-heart surgery, the multiple diagnoses, and the developmental delays.
I can tell you without a shadow of doubt, putting him in 11 years of Occupational and Speech Therapy was the best decision we made for him.
Yes, 11 years. It was expensive, exhausting, and time consuming.
But… Early intervention was the right decision. And if I had to do it all over again, we would have started even earlier.
Early Intervention
I’m not sure why this is the topic that God chose for me to share on today’s blog post. But I believe there is a momma who needs to hear this and needs the encouragement.
Or, maybe you’re a grandma, aunt, or friend who needs to encourage a mom to begin early intervention with her child. Share our story.
This is what I wrote 13 years ago. “We decided last night that we made the right choice. Even if it was a fluke, it was worth the price to see the improvements in our little man.” It remains true today.
Read More…
- Why Intervention is So Important
- Our Story in 2013
- Do. Not. Stop. (Where Bubs is Now)
Feel alone in your parenting or teaching journey? I invite you to attend the next Parenting and Teaching with Intention Conference. Whether you use the ABCJesusLovesMe Curriculum or not, you will leave the conference with a toolbox of ideas to help place godly boundaries around the children in your care and learn how to teach them.
<3
So glad it was encouraging!
This was very helpful. My son is almost 4 and has had difficulties with his consonants. I’ve addressed the issue with his doctors for years and was finally able to get him into Speech Therapy. It’s twice a week on the other side of a very large town but reading this makes me realize it’s worth it and all of our efforts will pay off. Thank you for sharing.
I can say from experience more than once, a quality therapist is completely worth it and all of your tears, effort, and expense will pay off. I don’t regret one therapy appointment that we had. Keep fighting for your son.