Dalisha’s first son, DJ, was born premature. By the time of his first birthday, delays in DJ’s development had become apparent.
Dalisha and her son were enrolled in Early Intervention at Children’s Friend. Her EI service provider evaluated DJ and helped Dalisha connect with speech and occupational therapy to support her son’s development.
A couple of years later, Dalisha’s second son Da’Marion was born and was also identified as needing Early Intervention services.
Dalisha says that without the support of Early Intervention, she would not be able to advocate for her children and see that their needs were met. “They helped me ask the pediatrician the right questions, and get the specialist referrals and evaluations my sons needed.”
With help from the Early Intervention team, DJ has now transitioned to Pre-K with special education services in place.
But while Dalisha is grateful for Early Intervention and her service providers’ responsiveness, systemic issues continue to create barriers for her family.
“There is a waiting list for everything now,” Dalisha says. Da’Marion is on a waiting list for the Children’s Neurodevelopment Center and related services at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Meanwhile, DJ is waiting for a slot to open up for ABA therapy.
“They said it could be up to six months.”
Dalisha wants state leaders in Rhode Island to know that without Early Intervention, she would not have even recognized her sons’ developmental delays. “As a new mom, you don’t know much. I wouldn’t have known what direction to take.”
Most of all, Dalisha credits Early Intervention with improving her advocacy skills as a parent.
“They helped me learn to speak up for my kids when I didn’t know how.”
