Early Intervention Services program has had the pleasure of working with Kalani’s adoptive family from his early infancy all the way through his third birthday, whereupon he began attending preschool. From the very beginning his family was always eager to support him in our services, making room for home visits in the evening after work so Mom and Dad could help him learn how to talk. Kalani especially liked an Elmo monster-maker app and one of his first intelligible sentences was “I want Elmo!” He enjoyed cars, hand rockets, and wind-up toys; and he worked hard during EIS visits. He always greeted us with a cheery smile and happy attitude. This family truly embraced our coaching model and carried out strategies to the best of their ability. Kalani’s adoptive mother writes:
Kalani came into our lives quite unexpectedly. In fact, I helped his mother deliver him in the parking lot of the hospital.He has been at my side ever since. He is developmentally behind others of his age. At the age of two he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and was referred to Shriners for care. Lyda Liu from Family Support Hawaii (FSH), Early Intervention Program, has accompanied us on each of his visits. I was so grateful for her services, as I had no idea what they were talking about. Laura Harper, Catherine Davis and Chanda Zavodny, from the same FSH program, have also been extremely helpful in helping us to address his needs. They taught me a lot too. These ladies loved working with Kalani and put up with his funny character. We adopted Kalani2018. He aged out of the program in May 2019. At that time these awesome staff people assisted me in getting him enrolled in the SPEDat school, and even attended the IEP meetings when I felt totally lost. Kalani continues to thrive and excel in his life. I thank everyone at Early Intervention Services (FSH) for providing such a great service for these special children and parents.
Kathleen Kuikahi
Great-Grandmother/Adoptive Mother
Over 50 years of medical and educational research,the personal experience of families, teachers,developmental specialists across the country,that family-centered interventions during the first threeof a child’s life – sometimes starting even before a newborn infant with special needs comes home from the– can make a profound difference in a child’s future.with a partnership between parents and professionalsthis early stage helps the child, family, and society as a. Early intervention services delivered within the contextthe family can:
- Improve both developmental andgains;
- Reduce the future costs of special, rehabilitation, and healthneeds;
- Reduce feelings of isolation, stress,frustration that families may experience;
- Help children with disabilities growto become productive, independent.
The earlier children with or at risk of disabilities receiveand the sooner their families receive support towardstheir children’s development, the farther they will golife.