Hannah and her mom, Patricia
Meet Hannah! Her journey with our Early Intervention Program began at infancy. Born with Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome), Hannah faced challenges early in life due to congenital heart defects, which made bottle feeding difficult. At 3 months old, she began receiving Early Intervention services to support her development. Hannah’s mom, Patricia, is grateful for the positive impact their Easterseals PORT Health case manager, Emily, has had on Hannah’s development.
“I cannot believe how lucky we are to have been placed with Emily. She’s been the perfect case manager for our family since her first assessment of Hannah.” Emily helps coordinate Hannah’s Early Intervention therapies, ensures the family is satisfied with therapeutic services and helps the family navigate future needs.
Hannah continues to gain new skills and confidence with monthly therapies that include physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy. Hannah’s physical therapist was there to celebrate when Hannah crawled for the first time. Her speech-language pathologist provided critical advice when Hannah struggled with feeding and her occupational therapist expertly adapts exercises to fit Hannah’s fine motor skill abilities.
Patricia says the therapies have “helped Hannah grow and develop by leaps and bounds! The therapists have taught me so much. Because of them, I’m a better mother to Hannah and have the knowledge and tools to guide her toward her developmental goals.” Today, Patricia feels confident and well-equipped to help Hannah navigate through the challenges thanks to the therapy and support they receive through Early Intervention. Patricia has also discovered the immense joy of celebrating the “inch-stones” Hannah achieves. “Hannah works so hard and every small step she takes is a big victory for us!” she says.
Learn more about our Early Intervention program at https://eastersealsport.com/early-intervention/.
ABOUT US
Easterseals PORT Health is a trustworthy, compassionate partner providing exceptional disability, behavioral health and addiction treatment services to help our neighbors live their best lives. Purpose, dedication and empathy drive our in-person and telehealth service delivery. Our diverse and inclusive 2,600 member team provides more than 10.2 million hours of meaningful support to 40,200 kids, adults and families in 11,000 home, facility and community locations across North Carolina and Virginia. Learn more at eastersealsPORT.com.
