April 2024

Norma wasn’t a stranger to Early Intervention. Two of her children had received services in the past, and she knew first-hand the difference access to these services could make in a child’s life. However when Elizabeth, her now six-month-old baby was born, it was a different set of circumstances.  “Our baby was not able to feed or latch and no one could help us or give me answers. She was rejecting breast feeding and the bottle wasn’t working,” Norma shared. Elizabeth’s parents were fearful because of Elizabeth’s lack of feeding, and while doctor’s told them things would soon improve, even the lactation consultants could not provide necessary solutions. After seeing five different doctors, one final visit to a different lactation consultant resulted in a referral for an early intervention evaluation through Aprendamos.  “They gave us an earlier appointment to accommodate us since we felt like it was an emergency,” Norma said. “The intake process was amazing. They checked all her milestones and referred me to a dentist because they identified intense lip ties on our baby.” With newfound hope, Norma began the process of finding solutions for Elizabeth. “We went to the dentist and my baby was able to have a surgery to help everything. Because of Aprendamos, we finally got the help we needed,” she shared.  Elizabeth continues to develop and strengthen her skills daily. When we asked Norma what the biggest impact of Early Intervention has been for her baby, she said, “It was knowing what was wrong and being able to feed our baby. The therapist provided exercises for us to help our baby and in a sense, the therapist saved our baby’s life!” Every day, babies like Elizabeth benefit from Aprendamos Early Intervention services. We can’t wait to see Elizabeth and all the other children we have the honor to serve reach their milestones!  

When Elizeo was just one year old, his mother, Eliza, noticed that he wasn’t speaking much. She became concerned that he may not be meeting his speech milestones and shared her thoughts with a family member who worked at Aprendamos. Together they referred Elizeo for a complimentary evaluation to see if he could benefit from Early Intervention services. Elizeo qualified for services and was soon surrounded by a team of speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, family therapists, service coordinators, and more. Eliza said, “In the beginning, it was frustrating because you want your child to succeed. I asked the team if they could increase the time spent with him because we weren’t noticing progress and didn’t meet our goal.” With time and patience, Elizeo began to show signs of improvement. Eliza said, “Once we increased our time together, it was like night and day. Elizeo made so much progress! The therapists were so great and they were patient and calm.” Elizeo received services for two years and showed incredible signs of success. His mother shared, “The biggest impact was Elizeo not only meeting his goals but exceeding his goals and milestones! He went from saying nothing to using big, descriptive words.” However, these aren’t the only areas where he has shown improvement. “He cuts with scissors really well and is stacking blocks and kids his age can’t do these things yet,” she added. Elizeo has now officially graduated from the Aprendamos Early Intervention program and is thriving and continuing to learn and grow. However, support for Elizeo did not stop once he stopped receiving services. “Graduation was bittersweet. The team helped with all the research for other programs after graduation. It’s a great foundation for learning,” Eliza shared. We look forward to witnessing Elizeo continue to develop to his greatest potential. Keep shining bright, Elizeo!