My daughter, Ella, just turned one year old and on her 1st birthday, she was referred to a Developmental Pediatrician. Ella wasn’t crawling, standing, or walking. She did not say any words and wasn’t able to drink from a cup or using a straw. As a special education attorney, if anyone shared similar concerns with me, I would have advised to contact Regional Center or “do something” to find out…. but when it came to my own child, I did not want to think that anything would be wrong. A few days later, Ella met with a Developmental Pediatrician, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, and Speech Pathologist. After about 3 hours of assessment process, she was quickly diagnosed with a Global Developmental delay (GDD) and recommended for OT, PT, and Speech therapy…. I thought about whether we the parents were to blame about her delay (e.g., not enough stimulation at home) but decided to stop feeling guilty and to move forward for Ella. So I decided to share my own experiences as a Parent but also as a special education attorney navigating the system to access necessary early intervention services for Ella. Hopefully this can be helpful for some parents who are going through the similar journey…..
