The Other Side of the Table

Our little Della, nearly 16-months.

She had her one-year checkup a few months ago, and the doctor expressed some concern about her mobility, or lack there of. At that time, she wasn't really rolling much. She could sit very well, but was unable to get into a seated position. In addition, she was not crawling, scooting, standing, pulling herself up or preforming any of the other prerequisites for walking. Her ability level was probably less than the 6-month range. He made a referral for an assessment for physical therapy through the Tri Counties Regional Center: TCRC. This is a local organization that provides a variety of early intervention services for infants.

Of course, soon after our pediatrician made the referral, Della began rolling. I think she heard the doctor talking about her. With the development of rolling, she was able to get herself into a seated position. Of course. I wasn't sure what TCRC would think, but the caseworker felt like we should go ahead with the assessment. We made arrangements for the assessment team to come to our home. The team consisted of a case worker, physical therapist and developmental specialist.

Working in the field of special education, this was very interesting to me. Very rarely do I get the opportunity to observe other specialists conducting an assessment. And of course, this is the first time I have seen Della assessed. In addition, they have so much knowledge about developmental milestones for infants, something that I have long forgotten since college. Finn and Della are my current models for development!

They looked at all areas of development: gross motor, fine motor, language, social, self help. It was fascinating seeing what she is able to do. Plus, she was grinning and being her adorable self the whole time. As far as her gross motor development, the team did express concerns and felt that she would likely qualify for services. But, the TCRC team would meet and determine eligibility within the next few weeks. I received a call the following week indicating that she does qualify for physical therapy and developmental services.

That very same day, she began crawling.

Seriously!

We had the meeting the next week and I explained to the therapists and case manager that she had started to crawl! The explained that during the assessment the previous week she was one third delayed in gross motor development, which is the score needed to be eligible for services. With the added skill of crawling, she technically would not have the scores to be eligible. However, even with this new skill, she could still receive services.


What happened next was very different from what I expected: They asked me what I wanted to do.


In that moment a lot of things went through my mind. 

First: What!?! I get to choose, even if she isn't really eligible!

Second: Do I want unnecessary services? Does she really need them? Should I be using government money unnecessarily?

Third: That I have never said that to a parent. That although IEPS and their  implementation are a "team" decision, I would never allow a parent to enroll their child anyway if that child did not qualify. 

After discussing a variety of options with the therapists, I decided to accept services to ensure that she continues to meet milestones and walk by the time she turns 18months.  Our services are minimal, but it is nice to have someone guide us in developing Della's motor skills.


The next step was to create her Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), which is very different from an IEP. It is family centered and the ultimate goal is to help families in all areas of caring for their child. Goals are written to help the child improve skills in the home.


Her goals are:

• to crawl to furniture and pull herself up to standing (met)
• from standing, be able to sit independently (met)
• to cruise around furniture (met)
• to walk around her home holding one hand (almost met)
• to walk to the car independently over uneven surfaces without falling
• to walk through the grass during ball play with her brother with age appropriate falling

During our meeting, I also learned the results of the rest of her assessment. I am not surprised to find out that she is basically a genius in her social and language skills.  She scored well above her age range. The even gave us the paperwork to enroll her in Mensa. 

Kidding.

So, we are plugging along getting this girl moving. She is now pushing a walking toy independently. Her steps are stiff and small, but each day she improves. I bet she will be walking by December 6th, her 1 1/2 year birthday. Cross your fingers!