A Little Bit of History - The Early Years

My son survived a very traumatic birth. He was deprived of oxygen for several minutes, but eventually he took his first breath and I was blessed with my first baby boy. He appeared to be developing normally for the first couple of months, however, when he reached 6 months of age and failed to develop the ability to hold up his own head I began to seek advice from our pediatrician. I was referred to an early intervention group called DDI Vantage and Dexter began a rigorous therapy program. We had physical, speech and occupational therapists come to our house to work with him and teach me how to work with him as well.

He progressed well. His development was delayed and he was slow to progress, but he reached many major milestones and entered a special education preschool just before he turned three. He loved preschool and he excelled in areas where he was able to memorize information. He learned his phonics skill quickly and he enjoyed reciting nursery rhymes. During this time he continued to receive physical, occupational and speech therapy.

When he reached the age to begin enter kindergarten he was able to attend a regular school. He appeared to be the poster child for early intervention. He had an IEP (Individual Education Plan) and received regular physical and occupation therapy at school. He progressed through kindergarten and first grade pretty well. He didn't have any friends, most other children avoided him, and he just didn't seem to fit in. Regardless of his lack of friends, my son remained a genuinely happy and endearing little boy. All of his teachers and anyone who worked with him adored his happy personality.

Through my son's early years of elementary school, I developed a good relationship with the principal. Each year the principal and I carefully selected a teacher that would be a good fit for Dexter's unique personality and learning style. Up to this point he had not been diagnosed with anything in particular besides developmental delays. He did have struggles with paying attention, understanding what he was expected to do in class, staying on task and every other thing that all children between the ages of 5-8 struggle with. He appeared pretty normal; he just struggled a little more than the other children did. He still didn't have any friends, but he seemed okay with that. His teacher was his best friend. We just took every day as it came and did the very best we could.