A baby who has Down syndrome is making “remarkable progress” with his development and strength, according to his early intervention specialist.
Baby Liam began services with The Warren Center in September 2022 when he was 6 weeks old. During his initial visit with his mom, Liam’s mom expressed she needed help, education, and resources on how to best support her son. The Warren Center is more than just a therapy provider. The agency also provides Family Education and Support, where resources on a variety of topics are offered to families in need.
An early intervention specialist from The Warren Center looked for available resources on how and where Liam’s family could apply for disability benefits. Along with this information, the early intervention specialist encouraged Liam’s mom to contact the Children’s Down Syndrome Clinic for additional resources.
During Liam’s initial evaluation with The Warren Center, the early intervention specialist saw that Liam would look at his mom when she talked to him. He also would respond to his mom’s voice by turning his head in the direction of her voice.
“In my experience, I have learned that is always a good place to start,” said Liam’s early intervention specialist, Mary Ford.
Each week, Ford reviewed goals for Liam with Liam’s mom and shared tips on how to best support Liam’s development. For example, she encouraged Liam’s mom to make time for tummy time daily. Tummy time helps babies strengthen their neck and shoulder muscles as well as improve their motor skills. She recommended Liam do tummy time three to four times a day for two to three minutes at a time.
Every month, The Warren Center’s early intervention specialist said she observed “remarkable progress” in Liam’s development and strength. After working with the early intervention specialist, Liam began raising his head and turned his head from side to side. He was also tracking movement or images. He began to lift his arm and began to bring his hands to his mouth. When Liam needed his mom’s attention, he would cry as a way of communicating his needs. These developmental milestones were all falling in line with where his age group should be, according to Texas Health and Human Services.
By the end of October, just a month after starting services with The Warren Center, Liam was tolerating tummy time for around three minutes. During tummy time, he would lift his head and turn it side to side, but then drop his head back down. His early intervention specialist suggested having a physical therapy consultation for Liam. A physical therapist came out to Liam’s home to evaluate him and Liam began receiving physical therapy services with her.
Around six months later, Liam held his head up for a longer period of time. He began turning his head side to side to follow movement. The baby also opened his hands to pick up, hold, and transfer toys. He began bringing a toy to his mouth and often batted at items of interest. Also, Liam began rolling to his side and sitting up with some support while holding his head up.
Recently, Liam has started making “ma-ma” sounds, which we’re sure absolutely warms his mother’s heart. He is also making “ah” sounds and blows many raspberries.”
According to Liam’s early intervention specialist, each week, the baby is showing a strengthened core, a longer attention span, and pleasure when playing with toys and exploring.
As of June, Liam is now sitting up all by himself, which has been a major accomplishment!
“Much is yet to come, but he is on his way to reaching his potential,” Ford said.
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