Following Mother’s Intuition
A few little flags were being raised when it came to my third son’s development. As a been-there-done-that mom, I didn’t panic over every little thing anymore. I didn’t call the doctor when my child had a mild fever. Belly aches, colds and even hand foot mouth disease were all swiftly dealt with. Many booboos were effectively kissed. For some reason, I thought being a relaxed and experienced Mom would give me some credit with the doctor when I said “I think we may need a speech referral and some type of assessment for my son’s development”. But it didn’t.
Sitting in the small, yet brightly painted pediatrician’s office, the doctor met my concerns with “Well, Einstein didn’t speak until he was 3 or 4. Have you considered getting him a dog?” I’m sorry, but… WHAT? I had just expressed that my child is losing their words. Regressing. Not saying Mama anymore. And the doctor is trying to get me to adopt a puppy?!
I’m not sure if my befuddled looking face convinced him, or my further nudge of “Well, just seeing if speech therapy could help couldn’t hurt, right?” made the difference… but we walked out of the office with a speech referral.
Now years later we have Autism, Apraxia and Global Delay diagnoses and hundreds of hours of speech and occupational therapy under our belts. I sit and wonder… what if we had just gotten that dog?
Point being.. always follow your intuition and advocate for your children. IF you see little flags that make you raise your eyebrow or feel a little concerned, advocate for your child and ask for resources and additional support.
In our case, early intervention made a world of difference in the following ways:
- More communication, in new ways! My non-speaking son learned simple signs that we still use years later. More, eat and all done are three signs that can ease frustration when a child wants something but they’re having a hard time communicating it. For speaking children, early intervention can boost brain development and help you child reach their full potential! More words means the ability to communicate feelings and needs, and having wants and needs met means less meltdowns.
- Family Support! Our family was connected with First Steps (we are in KY, the OH program is Help Me Grow) and through Speech and OT, we learned how to best meet our child where he was and to challenge him appropriately. Beyond the therapy sessions, these programs are designed to teach families how to keep the fun and learning going. Having an expert in the field teach you how to play with your child in a productive way is so helpful!
- School readiness. For our family, being a part of First Steps helped our child gain access to a special needs pre-school in our hometown and connected us to DDBP at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Having First Steps or Help Me Grow on your side can lead your family find the next chapter of your child’s journey. Early intervention can also get kids Kinder ready through helping kiddos learn the ABC’s, 123’s, colors and more.
Overall, when it comes to parenting… follow your gut. Instincts and intuition are seldom fully wrong. If you have a hunch that your child would benefit from a little extra help with their speech, behavior, movement, etc. say something! Be their advocate and their cheerleader!
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