Success Stories: Swing high sweet Juliana
My daughter, Juliana, had developmental delays from the beginning
and I recognized the ugly face of Autism all over again. Her
brother Jeremy, is Autistic and I had seen it all before.
Thankfully, ILP’s early intervention specialists noticed
Juliana’s delays early on and she began receiving ILP
services when she was four months old.
Juliana’s development was different than her brother’s.
She never rolled over and would arch up on the back of her
head off of the floor and watch everything upside down.
Eventually,
she learned to go from a lying down position to completely
sitting up without using her arms. At the same time, she could
pick up tiny objects with her fingers. She drew intricate
pictures at a very early age. She never developed pre-verbal
“baby talk” and tended to be quiet. At 22 months,
Juliana was dually diagnosed with Autism as well as Pica (a
condition where she eats non-food items) and she began occupational
and physical therapy and speech services.
Today, she is learning to follow directions, has become
somewhat echolalic (repeats what is said to her), and loves
putting puzzles together. She has numerous allergies and still
struggles with transition and sensory overload. She doesn’t
initiate conversation, but she sings constantly and knows
and loves many nursery rhymes which she has memorized.
The Infant Learning Program has really made a difference in
our lives.
My children made great strides in their development and I
became educated right along with the ILP providers as to what
Autism is and how it affects my children. I’m grateful
for the support and help they gave me when it came to transitioning
both children into the School District system. Today, I’m
an early intervention advocate for parents and I know I would
not be able to have come this far without ILP’s help.
Thank you.
- Donna Jordan
