Kai and all his critters
The two non nappers...
Kai catching a ride from Cash
And a video of the littlest monster...
CLIMBING THE STAIRS
Lastly and most importantly, since I was speaking of therapies...
Please help Beau
As many of you know, our Beau has Autism. Beau was diagnosed in August of 2008 after noticing various developmental delays. Beau began receiving services through AZEIP (AZ Early Intervention Program) and DDD (Dept. of Developmental Disabilities) shortly after his diagnosis, he recieves various therapies which include Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and bi-weekly Early Intervention sessions. These sessions are provided to us free through funding through the state of AZ. While the process has been slow and finding the right therapists were challenging, the outcome has been rewarding. Beau has begun to interact more with those around him, his speech has picked up word by word and he can now use two to three word sentences, while his language remains small these therapies have been HUGE for Beau and his development.
However, due to an Arizona budget shortfall, DES has been forced to make drastic changes that affect not only Beau but all children receiving services through AZEIP and DDD services. The most innocent of those in our community, children birth to age 3 who have developmental disabilities will be losing ALL Early Intervention Therapies. This includes speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, music therapy and ALL other Early Intervention supports. These cuts affect infants and toddlers with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Preemies or others with significant developmental delays.
These therapies are vital to Beau's development. Numerous studies show that human beings grow the most, mentally and physically, in the first three years of life. There is a window of opportunity during these critical years where brain development is rapid and CANNOT be recaptured later in life. Early Intervention gives these children the first opportunity and chance at being successful later on in life! We have witness the impact that these therapies have had on Beau in just a few short months.
So as a mother with two special needs children I beg that you help participate in my fight to keep services for my son and to those in our communtiy who are in need. Please take a moment and call/write the Governor's Office and tell them about our family, about my wonderful Beau, who has begun to talk thanks to the therapies he receives. Beau needs AZEIP until the age of 3 to provide these therapies for him, after the age of 3 different programs are available.
If you would like to help, this is what you can do:
Contact Governor Jan Brewer by phone at (602) 542-4331 or go to her website http://azgovernor.gov/Contact.asp.
Contact our state legislators:
If you live in Buckeye they are-
Manny Alvarez (malvarez@azleg.gov or (602) 926-5895)
Patricia Fleming (pfleming@azleg.gov or (602) 926-5836)
David Stevens (dstevens@azleg.gov or (602) 926-4321)
If you live in another part of Arizona and need help finding your legislators, go to http://www.azleg.gov/.
Secondly, If you live in AZ and can not find your legislators email me @ trecurtis@hotmail.com with your zip code and I will forward them too you.
What to say when contacting the Governor or Legislators on our behalf or others...
*Acknowledge an understanding that the state needs to make difficult decisions
*Highlight the critical nature of the first 3 years of development
*Share with them what these services mean to these children- feel free to share our story
*Keep a calm and positive tone and let them know that because these children are very young, this is such an important time in their life for them to get the help they need.
Thank you in advance for you help, not only for our family but for thousands of innocent children who do not abuse a system, but are instead thrown to the side because of a budget crisis.
On a side note: Cash will continue to receive therapies because he is part of ALTCS (Arizona Long Term Care System) a program for the aged (65+), blind, or disabled individuals who need ongoing services at a nursing facility level of care. For this we are forever GRATEFUL, however those in need should receive!!!
1 comments:
Thanks for blogging- you made ME want to cry. I'm close to it already. Some of my families received their 10 day termination letters today. :(
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