Born with congenital and chromosomal abnormalities, including an extra thumb on her left hand, Sofia faced formidable challenges with feeding and in her motor skills. Thanks to the generous support of our donors, Sofia enrolled in both The Warren Center’s specialized skills training program and in occupational therapy for over a year. Along with The Warren Center’s therapists – a full team of specialists enlisted to work with Sofia, including a cardiologist, endocrinologist, neurologist, gastroenterologist,
Meet Penelope, an easygoing toddler who loves to dance to music and spend time with her parents, Katie and Christian. When faced with the unexpected diagnosis of Down Syndrome, however, this family learned that even the most easygoing and close-knit families can benefit from access to a strong support system through The Warren Center. After learning Penelope, had Down Syndrome only one week after discovering she was pregnant with Penelope in the first place, Katie
MJ had a stroke in her mother’s womb during the last few weeks of her mother’s pregnancy. When MJ was born, she did not have a gag, suck or swallow reflex and as a result was given a feeding tube. The stroke also left MJ with left-side weakness. While at the hospital, MJ’s family learned about The Warren Center. At just six weeks old, MJ started receiving therapy services through The Warren Center’s Early Childhood
Hide-and-seek is a much loved childhood game. Most children love being “it” and express surprise and joy at the idea of being “caught” by their friends. For children like Matthew, however, hiding under the table was not a game. It was actually a way of expressing frustration with the inability to communicate to due Autism Spectrum Disorder. When Matthew first arrived at The Warren Center, he was non-verbal and was unable to speak even single
Independence is more than a revolutionary concept or theory. It is actually essential to self-determination and liberty. Without the ability to be independent, children can have a hard time reaching milestones and later functioning in society. Therefore, you can imagine the dismay Marco’s mother felt when her son struggled to speak or use words independently. As his mother put it, “This is really important to me because he is my son. I care for him
Many of us have a favorite childhood pastime of running freely at the park while enjoying an ice cream cone or hot dog. While some may simply recall these memories with fondness, they may not realize that even these simple tasks can seem like an insurmountable challenge to children born with developmental disabilities. An example of a child who faced this challenge is a little girl named Mae. Born prematurely at 29 weeks, Mae exhibited
