Why You Should Check Out Babies Can't Wait in Georgia

As parents, we all do it. That's right we all compare our children's progress with those around them. It's a guilty, smug feeling we have when our child walks, talks, or does anything before the majority of their peers. Its a scared, worried feeling the moment we realize that our child may not be meeting certain milestones. I've been there, I know how frightening to think that your child may need early intervention to help with a mental or physical delay.

My moment happened at my son's two year old well-baby check-up. The pediatrician and I were talking and my son interrupted us with some garbled word. I translated his word, and mentioned that he still didn't speak very clearly. The pediatrician seemed to zoom in on this and began asking questions about his speech. When she was finished asking questions, she said that she was worried that he might suffer from a speech impairment. She recommended that my son call Babies Can't Wait.

This was scary but I was pleasantly surprised on how easy it was. I called that day and put in a referral for my son. The receptionist was very friendly and told me I would hear from someone within seven days. Two days later I got a letter in the mail confirming my referral. The next week I received a telephone call from the counselor at Babies Can't Wait to set up his evaluation. His evaluation was scheduled for the next week at my house.

I was really surprised with the appointment with his Babies Can't Wait counselor. I was expecting something very clinical. Instead his counselor came and discussed the Babies Can't Wait program with me. Explained that if he needed a service, that they provide to us (at no cost) a service co-coordinator, who would help us get his care organized. On top of that, I was informed that in some cases where families are determined unable to pay, state funding is available to assist in obtaining the help needed. Next she spent some time with my son and observing him in his own environment. Then she moved on to asking very general question about his abilities.

My son ended up not having a true speech impairment, which was a relief to our family. I would definitely advise any one who has any concerns about their child's development to get them evaluated. If they end up not needing assistance then you have peace of mind that there is truly nothing wrong. If there is something wrong, then you get your child access to early intervention.

If you are wondering why early intervention is helpful, its simple the earlier the problem is identified the earlier you can start treating it. This helps improve the child's develop and helps relief stress off the child's family. If you are looking for guidelines of if your child may not be developing correctly please ask your doctor. If you are concerned and live outside of Georgia, please call your department of health. If you live in Georgia, visit Babies Can't Wait.