Aspire helps children meet developmental goals BY DEB QUANTOCK MCCAREY
At
2 years old,“Emma” is an energetic, feisty and talkative toddler who has Down syndrome. She is also a developmentally disabled child with a bright future, thanks in part to the therapy and support she has received from Aspire of Illinois since she was two months old, says Kathy Ruffulo,Vice President of Children’s Services at the agency. Last year, in communities throughout West Cook County, Ruffulo points out that Aspire provided early intervention services to about 350 children, from birth to age 14 or 15 years old. Of those, 10 children resided in Maywood, she says. She says that Emma’s positive state of development can also be credited to her hard work in progressing through the oncea-week regimen of therapeutic
“play exercises” with her therapists and family members ... in her home and at Aspire’s Eamon Shannon Center at 1815 S.Wolf Road in Hillside. So far, says Ruffulo, setting and working toward key developmental goals has helped Emma attain them. Similar to other children who are receiving services from Aspire to manage or overcome a developmental delay, Emma is becoming adept at utilizing her innate skillset of strengths to create new ones … like walking, running and jumping, and so on. While a portion of those children have been diagnosed with Down Syndrome, others are on the autism spectrum and are undergoing therapies to manage it. Other youngsters in the program have been diagnosed with developmental delays, and are receiving assistance via Aspire’s menu of early intervention measures.
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Often times a developmental setback can be related to the complications of a premature birth, Ruffulo explains. On the other hand, children who are born with Down Syndrome almost always have some condition-related setbacks, and through early intervention methods can set and meet developmental goals. As they grow up, they can lead active, productive lives in their communities. “After working with our therapists, Emma is doing great. She has really learned ways to help her own development, and her parents, sisters and grandparents have been involved in the therapy sessions, too, so her family really understands what is going on, which has enabled her to fully blossom,” Ruffulo says. In addition, Emma’s “team family,” in tandem with the Aspire therapist, has continually challenged the little girl to develop her general and fine motor skills, which meant “making” her use her eyes and hands together by encouraging her to use crayons to draw, scribble and color on paper. Ruffulo adds that when it became apparent that her speech was delayed, they taught her to communicate with sign language for phraseology such as “let’s play,”“yes” and “no” and other “phrases.” “Something that is hard for Emma is endurance because her muscle tone just isn’t as strong as ours,” Ruffulo says.“So, we incorporated her sisters in taking walks around the block, and
they kept motivating her to go a little farther each time.” For children on the autism spectrum, creating play-based opportunities for them to interact with loved ones is part of Aspire’s plan. “Our approach is to take activities that they really like, which could be animals, or blowing and popping bubbles, for example, and move them toward being able to play a game with their parents and the therapist to help increase their eye contact, and the reciprocal reaction between the child and the parent,” she says. Ruffulo’s advice for parents, who may be wondering if their child’s development is off schedule, is to pay attention to their developmental milestones. For example, typically babies start walking at 12 to 15 months, and if a child is 18 months of age and not even attempting to walk, that could be an indicator that something is awry. Likewise, if a youngster is not rolling over, which usually occurs between four to six months of age, or if a toddler is not “babbling” by about 15 months old, those might be indicators to visit a pediatrician and have an early childhood development evaluation. “You really have to look at typical development signs, and if they are not happening, perhaps there should be cause for concern,” Ruffulo says.
To learn more, visit online at www. aspireofillinois.org/who-we-help/ child-early-intervention.html, or call (708) 236-0979.
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