What’s it like for parents as they get ready to send their preschooler with a disability off to school?
Imagine that you are the parent of a three year old who has developmental issues or a medical condition. For the past three years you have grown accustomed to a new language and new people. You have welcomed strangers bearing bags of toys into your home who have given you tips about how to play with your baby to enhance development. To change or add to your child’s services in early intervention, in general all you really needed to do was ask, maybe have a re-evaluation of your baby’s current level of strengths and needs and attended a meeting. Sometimes your early intervention team even used finding from the hospital follow-up clinic to implement changes to your Individual Family Service plan.
Just to reach today, you had to learn that your baby has a diagnosis affecting her growth and development. You had to learn about the differences between physical and occupational therapy, allow strangers into your home and into your life.
All that as changed…This morning you put your three year old daughter or son with special needs on the bus and sent her to school for the first time. You made it through the first three years of your child’s life. (click to continue reading)
