help for John

If you've talked with us in the last few months you know a big topic around here is the fact that John isn't talking much. He has started saying some useful things like "help me" and "I do" and "all mine" (interestingly, all his new words are actually phrases)--but he still can't say ball or hi or bye. While we aren't worried per se, we are concerned about getting John some help if he needs it. This is especially important so he can communicate to others outside of his circle who want to know his name, and if he wants to play, and how old he is.

So here's the good news. Arizona Early Intervention Program (AZEIP) is a resource for kids with all kinds of delays and/or disorders that are under three years old. John has four and a half months left as an under-three so he qualifies for an evaluation and any necessary assistance, all as a service of the state (free to us). I spoke with a very kind lady this afternoon who explained the process to me...and a few hours later I scheduled an appointment for John to be evaluated tomorrow morning. Tomorrow. What a relief after all these months of waiting to feel like we're moving forward in getting John some help, if he needs it. And if he doesn't need? That would be good too. (-:

The evaluator will test John on every area of development and will give us a figure for how he is developing compared to other kids his age. If he is more than 50 percent behind in his speech (and he is), than she will present her findings to the AZEIP committee on Thursday. Only two days later--hooray! They will select two professionals that will be best suited to fit John's needs; most likely, a speech language pathologist and a developmental therapist. Then this committee, Billy, and myself will set goals for John (e.g. helping him say his name when people say "what's your name?") and these folks will come to our house to work with John and to teach Billy and me how to work with John. The woman asked me, "does that sound ok?"

"That's exactly what we were looking for...thank you." (more tomorrow after the evaluation!)


P.S. what happens when John turns three? If he still needs assistance in catching up with his peers, he may qualify for free preschool through the state--a preschool tailored for kids like him. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I'm just relieved to have other people (and speech professionals, at that) in on the journey now. Please pray that John will understand that we are helping him and that he will respond well to the new people coming to visit him. Fortunately, he loves visitors! (-: