Category: Family Stories | Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse

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“We noticed around our son’s 2nd birthday that he was not speaking as much as our other children when they were his age and children close to his age we see regularly. His doctor recommended EI, and we were a bit nervous to start. After a year in the program, he’s made so much progress with his speech and development! He’s made 14 months worth of progress in 12 months. We’ve grown so close with his therapist, and we even send pictures and videos of his milestones to his therapist when he does something new! He’s come so far, and we couldn’t have done all of this work without them. Because of them, he’ll be able to attend preschool with more speech support and continue to grow.”
– Hannah B.

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“This is actually the second time I’ve been through this amazing program. The first time was with our oldest which was a great help but it also helped us to know the signs and what to look for with our youngest and sought out the help of this wonderful amazing program. They helped both of our kids with walking among other things thank you early intervention.”
– Brittany T.

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“We originally reached out because our son’s doctor wanted to monitor for autism. We ended up learning more about services provided and had our son evaluated. He ended up qualifying for developmental therapy and speech therapy. His weekly sessions have helped him tremendously! On his therapy days we talk about his friends coming to visit at school and he gets excited. He will be transitioning out due to his age but our support team connected us with our district’s Early Childhood preschool where he will continue to get supports. I’m so glad that these services exist!”
– Jessica S.

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“From the very start with my child’s delays from her terrible reflux, to her delay walking, to her bow legged and gait issues, to her big emotions and delay in receptive language every coordinator and therapist my paths have crossed has not only been helpful but influential and informative. I am grateful to see our service providers every week and we celebrate my child’s successes and even those that they are still trying to accomplish. They all have been helpful in rallying behind our child and for that I am forever grateful for such a wonderful program here in Illinois.”
– Marissa W.

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“We noticed a delay in our youngest’s speech and waited until he was almost two to reach out. The process was smooth and easy and everyone was so kind. Having someone come in and play one on one with our son and build that rapport was so helpful.”
– Jobeth W.

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“I am a foster parent and had a newborn placed with me who was substance exposed and the OT Corin who came and helped was phenomenal. I couldn’t have done this without her. She explained so much about how what the baby went through will impact her and how to best help her. Corin had made a huge impact in her life moving forward.”
– Sarah G.

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“My daughter was diagnosed with a genetic condition at birth. Our experience has been nothing but wonderful. The program has been helpful in helping our child meet developmental milestones and has provided us with the parent education needed to help ensure we make the most progress possible. We have felt so supported throughout this process and can’t imagine where we would be without the program. The therapists have been involved in our lives for the past 2.5 years and we are sad to be aging out, but know that our child will have a smoother transition due to participating in the EI program!”
– Jessica R.

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“As my son approached his second birthday, I began noticing that he wasn’t vocalizing his needs, which often led to overwhelming meltdowns. I brought up my concerns with our pediatrician, who listened with care and recommended early intervention. I can’t express how thankful I am for his developmental, speech, and occupational therapists. Their support has not only helped my son thrive, but it’s also taught our entire family how to better understand and support him. If you have even the smallest concern about your child’s development, please don’t wait. Seek out early intervention resources. There’s so much help available—and so much hope.”
– Jennifer S.

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“We started noticing that our child’s development was a bit different from typical milestones, which led us to ask questions. After speaking with our pediatrician, we reached out for a professional evaluation. The program is helping us better understand our child’s needs and support their development. The professionals we work with—coordinators, therapists—are kind, attentive, and truly dedicated. If we had known earlier how important and helpful it is to ask for support, we would have done it without hesitation. We’re truly grateful to the entire EI team for their patience, guidance, and belief in every child.”
– Anuita N.

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“My son was in early intervention since he wasn’t meeting milestones when he was around 11 months old. We then learned he was Autistic. Being told he was in the autism spectrum was very scary and a little overwhelming. He started getting DT, speech, and OT. The therapist not only helped him but also helped me help him. They helped me deal with the diagnosis and taught me more about the subject. My daughter was receiving physical therapy due to being born with torticollis and with their help can now move her head all the way. She is currently receiving DT and loves her sessions. Thank you for these services that helped them and helped me continue to help them.”
– Andrea G.

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“We have seen such a success with our daughter walking with the help of the EI team! Without them, our daughter would be very behind.”
– Maria W.

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“Around age one I noticed my baby had sensory sensitivity. I was nervous to get an evaluation, but I knew that early intervention is key. I set up an appointment and I was surprised how quickly our case coordinator responded. She took the time to answer my questions and explained the process to me. We began our work with our therapist a short time after, and she is so wonderful. She can pick up on cues that sometimes I can’t see and has helpful suggestions on how to help my child reach a comfortable level for her. If I could go back and I would have not hesitated on an evaluation – we needed the support!”
– Cassie C.

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“My son was born at 25 weeks and 5 days in June 2024. Four months later we brought him home from the NICU, and sought EI services for PT. Given his premature birth, and a brain bleed that eventually led to neurosurgery, we knew he would need extra help meeting milestones. We got paired with Anna, and she has been an incredible blessing to our family! She is a support for me as a mom, in addition to helping my son make progress every single week. We have seen him go from having extreme tightness in his left side, to now being able to quickly target and grab objects with his left hand! We know Anna has been part of making that happen and we are SO grateful to EI for continuing to care for and support our son’s development!”
– Janae H.

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“My kiddo was born nearly at 34+3 weeks. He was tiny, but mighty! Much of my labor was spent on a magnesium drip, and this kept the little one very sleepy for the first four days of life. We spent 19 days in the NICU, and in that time, we met our PT, Emily. She helped the tiny human move and stretch and have a clearer sense of awareness. When we left the NICU, we were immediately recommended to EI. When the eval happened in home, we were lucky enough to have Emily as a part of our EI team. She stayed on with us as our PT, and has helped what was once a tiny bean sprout grow into a strong baby who is fully in motion from rolling, scooting, crawling, and now, cruising! We are so grateful for the 1:1 care and having the opportunity to have someone who has been there from the start.”
– Aleya S.

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“My daughter was born premature at 24 weeks. Although I didn’t know she would come so early, one of the things I am most grateful for was our amazing NICU village. Our doctors, nurse and support team shared on Early Intervention with me. I was looped in immediately to an agency and was able to get an evaluation scheduled shortly after our discharge and we quickly started therapy. Having the therapist in our home was a blessing and allowed us to learn strategies and techniques to support her growth. I felt supported and grateful to have access to Early Intervention. It was a welcoming and safe environment. My service provider checked in, had periodic meetings and we all worked to establish goals and resources together. When my daughter graduated from EI, our service provider plugged us into Early Childhood resources through the school district.”
– Joanette G.

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“My baby was 24 weeks when she was born. She was under 2 lbs. She has been in early intervention since she got out of the NICU. She was in the NICU for 111 days and EI has been so helpful through all this time. She is 2 now and getting stronger every day with the help of her therapist. I am really appreciating all the help of early intervention.”
– Valdina R.

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“From start to finish, I was truly blown away by the professionalism, expertise, and compassion of everyone we worked with. The entire process was seamless. It was easy and convenient to schedule evaluations, and communication throughout was clear and supportive. I especially appreciated being able to speak directly with the providers, ask questions, and gain a better understanding of my child’s needs and development. One of the biggest benefits for our family was that services came to us. Having providers meet our child in a familiar environment removed so much stress and logistical coordination. The convenience and family-centered approach made a tremendous difference. Every interaction left us feeling supported, informed, and confident that our child was receiving the care and attention they needed. We are incredibly grateful for the dedication and professionalism of the entire team and cannot say enough positive things about our experience.”
– Amanda A.

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“Early intervention has been extremely helpful with providing my children with resources and services needed. My first time I was referred and knew nothing of what my son was lacking. The providers not only supported my son but supported me as well. They taught me how to help my son. His team was amazing and caring. He was excited for sessions. The resources and activities made me aware of what I needed to provide my son. It also made me more able to help other parents and children. Because of the services they provided to my family I was able to recognize that my youngest needed additional help. My team was amazing with setting up assessments and evaluations. They were able to accommodate our lifestyles with virtual and in person sessions. I will continue to share and recommend to others.”
– Keisha C.

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“I really love the early intervention program. Both my children were in the program and made a tremendous turnaround with speech.”
– Diamond R.

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“We love when our little guy sees his favorite faces each week. They have helped his speech gap so much. They have so many good resources and play ideas.”
– Shyann E.

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“The program has been so helpful to me. It’s helped my son with his language and with several activities that we’ve learned through the program with the therapies. It’s been a huge improvement for my family.”
– Fabiany E.

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“My family is very thankful for the service my children have received. My daughter had therapy for 6 months, and at her 3-year-old evaluation they considered her ready to enter PreK. This has been a big help. My 2-year-old son has had language therapy for 5 months at home, and his improvement has been incredible. Now he’s speaking several words at a time, which I never expected to see in such a short time. Both were evaluated by professionals while we were considering getting therapy, and because they’re growing up in a Spanish-speaking home, they’re exposed to Spanish as their native language and they have less exposure to English. The therapists are very accessible to schedule visits, and the ones we’ve worked with are very professional and in tune with my children’s needs. Now we enjoy long, funny conversations between the siblings. My son needs to work a while more, but now he expresses himself by speaking and using phrases.”
– Zaira P.

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“My son was diagnosed with Down Syndrome at birth. It was major news, and from the moment I found out about his condition I started reading to find out how to help him develop in the best way possible and when I should request help for him to get better. When he was 3 months old he still could not hold his head up, which is the typical milestone. At his 3-month screening I told the pediatrician about it and she let me know about a program that could help both me and my son, including a lot of therapy. Right now my son receives 5 types of therapy, physical, developmental, occupational, speech and feeding. All of them have really made a difference for him. Now he’s 18 months old, and he’s at the same level as children without Down Syndrome, both physically and mentally. I am so grateful for this team. They’re with us to support us day by day.”
– Kathia H.