OUR EARLY INTERVENTION

The first time I heard about a development pedia was in n@w. I would read the entries about this topic and at that time (Anton was over 12 months then) I had no problems with Anton's developmental milestones. He rolled over, cooed, laughed, crawled, walked and pointed more or less according to the charts. The only things I was concerned about was his feeding, talking and behavior. I admit that I should have let Anton feed himself as early as 8 months. Ayan tuloy until now pati biscuit sinusubo pa sa kanya. And when he turned 18 months I got really concerned about his speech and behavior. He does know a few words like Dada and Mama but he was not consistent in saying it like he means it. Mahirap din sya turuan. He does not like it when we touch his hands when we try to show or teach him something. And he easily gets frustrated and throw tantrums when he cannot do or get what he likes (like press the right letter on the keyboard or when we sing to him the wrong song). Last but not least very clingy sya. Parang lumala ang stranger anxiety nya. Dati tumatakbo takbo sya sa mall. Ngayon pati sa labas lang ng unit namin gusto nya karga sya. When we go nga to the doctor lalabas palang ng elevator mega cry na sya. So imagine how bugbog kami when we carry him. Super bigat at likot talaga nya.

So sobrang in time ang pag visit namin kay Dra. Cricket Chen last March. Anton had colds then and Dra. Chen noticed na super iyakin at clingy si Anton. She said the reason why Anton could be clingy is because he cannot express himself. So she suggested to have Anton assessed by a dev pedia. She said that disorders when treated by 1.5 yrs is reversible. Ngayon dito ako nagising. I told her there's a long waiting line for dev pedias so she referred Dr. Francis Dimalanta from St. Lukes.

When I called Dr. Dimalanta's clinic I was still waitlisted. But the secretary asked me to pick-up an information form so that I can fill it up before my slot. It was definitely a long form. I had to refer to my preggy book and Anton's baby book for answers. I also had to know how old Anton was when he hit his milestones. I'm afraid I did not log all the milestones so I just had to guess the answers to some hehe. When I submitted the form back to the secretary I gave her pa Krispy Kreme para mapaaga ang slot ko. Yes it's a bribe. Para maalala nya ako diba :) At success sya. After about 2 weeks we were finally given a slot last April 7. I was a little inis because even if we had a slot we had to wait for about 30 mins which is a long time for Anton. He was not in the best mood since he didn't have siesta yet. May I also add na wala palang aircon ang waiting room sa Medical Arts Bldg. Sila lang ata ang clinic na walang aircon ang waiting room. Nainis tuloy ako kasi P2,500 ang PF tapos walang aircon.

When the previous patient finally stepped out at tumayo na kami papasok iyak na si Anton. Dr. Dimalanta told us not to look at Anton while he's crying. Doc noticed Anton was maka-Daddy since he was begging Neal to carry him. Kitang-kita ang ebidensya, maka Daddy talaga. After he cried a good 5 minutes Neal carried him already. After this episode Doc suggested OT for Anton. Sympre tinanong ko kung kailangan ba talaga ng anak ko ang OT. I mean all he saw was Anton crying diba. He was not even able to play with the toys in the clinic. Pero sabi ni Doc that it's best to solve the problem while he is still very young. Sa OT daw kahit 1 hour sya umiyak ok lang. He needed the OT daw for behavior modification and sensory integration. Kapag ok na daw ang behavior then we can have speech therapy naman.

Doc also recommended the following for Anton.

1. Establish a daily routine.

2. Set limits.

a. No TV or toys while eating.

b. Eat only at the table for a designated period of time.

c. Do not force feed.

d. Present toys one at a time.

e. Pack away own toys.

f. TV limited to 1 hr/day

3. Allow for more independence.

4. Ignore temper tantrums.

5. Mean what you say and say what you mean.

6. Be generous with praise when appropriate.

7. Read to him at bedtime 10-15 mins. Same book/week up to 2 books/night.

Dr. Dimalanta gave us 2 therapy centers to choose from. I called both and we were waitlisted again! Grabe from the dev pedia to the therapy centers waitlisted forever! I was looking nga at the autismpinoy site and they say that approximately 1 in 150 children has autism. I texted Dr. Dimalanta about this and he said he will try to help me get an earlier slot.

While we were waiting for the OT, we followed Dr. Dimalanta's recommendations. We do have a schedule at home but not this strict. First thing we did was keep all of Anton's toys. Sa dami kasi ng toys nya, madaming nakatago at madami pa din nakalabas. We also made sure the only place he eats is sa table. When he eats sa bedroom (we don't have aircon sa dining so sometimes he eats upstairs when it's too hot) inaakyat namin ang high chair so parang table pa din. After following the recommendations strictly for a few days we noticed Anton having a more peaceful sleep. Ang galing diba?

And last Friday Anton had his initial evaluation in Able Center in Makati. This place had no signs outside. Para lang syang house. Pagpasok palang namin iyak na naman si Anton. When we came in there were about 6 kids already in the waiting area. The youngest I saw was 4 yrs old and all of them looked like average kids. While we waited for our therapist Anton played in their play area and was even exploring the place on his own. I love the place too. There's lots of toys and very inviting.

I loved the place even more when we met our therapist. The therapists I saw at first were all young. Most probably in their early 20's. But Teacher Edessa is a mom of 3 which makes her so much better because not only does she have more work experience but may hands-on mommy experience pa.

Anton was warmed up already by the time we went to our cubicle so he played with the toys Teacher Edessa gave him. While Anton was playing I told Teacher what problems we are having with Anton. Napansin nya agad na medyo spoiled si Anton. Maybe the reason daw why he was not talking yet is because he can get naman what he wants automatically. De-susi kung baga. Like when he raises his hands, carry na agad si Daddy. Dapat daw let him speak first. When he does not say what he wants, we should not give it. Teacher pa nga said na baka naman gifted si Anton. Anton was able to sort the shapes accordingly, he was holding the marker appropriately for his age and Teacher even saw him explore (more like getting the toys from the other kids) and dance. In short parang kami ang problema at hindi si Anton hehehe.

But of course we have to come back for more sessions because she cannot make a report based on a single session. Dr. Dimalanta wanted Anton to have OT twice a week for 3 months but Teacher can only accommodate Anton once a week. In fact I like the place and Teacher so much that I want him to have therapy as often as we can. If I only knew OT could be so much fun sana hindi ko na pinag Little Gym si Anton hehehe. Anton kasi is more of an observer so he does not do all the skills sa TLG. Pero happy pa din naman ako cos ang laki na din ng improvement nya sa TLG. But I digress. Anton's schedule is Fridays at 9 am. I'm a little sad that I cannot go with Anton every week since I have work but I'm sure Teacher will keep me updated well.

So this is where I end this post. Super haba na nito. To finish this off Neal is a much improved Daddy. He now knows the importance of discipline. Before he does not like Anton to cry and will just do what Anton asks him to do. Just for this I'm so glad we did early intervention. Not only will Anton gain from this but most important naturuan din ang mga clueless parents like me and Neal.